Before & After: White and wood meets dark and moody in this modern home

This condominium apartment showcases how light and dark design schemes can come together seamlessly and stylishly.

  • Before & After: White and wood meets dark and moody in this modern home

  • Before & After: White and wood meets dark and moody in this modern home

Text by Louisa Clare Lim

Many are averse to having a dark colour scheme for their homes, based on the premise that dark colours make a space feel smaller and less welcoming.  However, a dark colour palette can actually do well to imbue mood and cosiness into a space, apart from giving it statement-making style! This 3-bedroom condominium unit, home to a couple and their three children, illustrates this perfectly.

Designed by Lawrence Puah, Jenny Phumthida and Ash Ashiqin of Akihaus Design Studio, the new home embraces the dark side, and is artfully balanced by white and wood tones – also an ever-popular palette.

 

Living-Dining 02 copy

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Living area

The designers envisioned a seamless space within the communal areas – including the kitchen, to allow for a social and comfortable space for the family. And while the living and dining areas – visible upon entering the apartment – maintain a predominantly black colour palette, the dark colours segue into a lighter, but equally stylish, tone in the adjacent newly configured kitchen.

 

Kitchen 03 copy

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Kitchen

The designers reconfigured the layout of the kitchen and yard, ironing out the structural recesses to create a more streamlined and spacious cook space.

Notable features are the peninsula counter that separates the main kitchen and laundry area, and the service bar counter that faces the dining area.

 

Living-Dining 03 copy

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Dining area

Large 3-metre textured black tiles, cut to various widths, clad the walls of the living and dining zones. The sleek unidirectional joint lines (finished with blackened steel channels), organic texture and subtle sheen of these wall panels give the interiors just enough drama – setting the scene for the family’s characterful contemporary furniture, art and decor pieces to take centre stage.

A wire hanging system was also installed to allow the homeowners the flexibility of displaying and moving around their paintings.

 

Master 03 copy

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Master bedroom

Departing from the dark ambience, the private areas such as the bedrooms are accentuated in honey-hued wood tones. Lawrence shares that wood was intentionally used to create a warmer atmosphere that better suits the intimate spaces.

In the master bedroom, the raised platform (where the bed is situated) is made using teakwood strips, which continue up the bedhead wall onto the ceiling – resulting in a C-shape cocoon-like sleeping area.

 

Children's Room 03 copy

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Children’s room

The junior bedroom also features a similar enveloping structure, with teakwood strips covering all four sides and also concealing a series of wardrobe doors.

 

master bathroom copy

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Master bathroom

The master ensuite also underwent major renovation works. Lawrence redesigned it to accommodate a double vanity, and removed the bathtub to create a more spacious shower area.

 

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Akihaus_River Place_Plan_After

 

Akihaus Design Studio

www.akihaus.com



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