From daylight engineering to resort-level upstairs suites—these five maisonettes show how to scale impact, not just square footage.
28 September 2025
If you love to entertain, this one’s your mood board. Most lower-floor walls are hacked for a free-flow kitchen-dining-living, with a sculptural staircase as the showpiece. It’s built in solid plywood and surfaced with Pandomo, an epoxy-like surface treatment that’s most often used for commercial projects.
Planter boxes and a built-in dining settee piggyback on the stair structure (smart real estate), while a Caesarstone countertop ties the palette together. Upstairs, two rooms merge into a generous master; even the bathrooms swap to unlock storage and better flow.
Project by Linear Space Concepts. Read the full story here
When in doubt, move the dining. This 1,650-sqft home relocates the dining to the double-height balcony to harness daylight and create an uplifting “heart of home.” Sightlines are managed with a brown-tinted mirror + frosted-glass divider that filters light while preserving privacy.
Efficiency doesn’t kill elegance: a simple, connected kitchen run extends into the living console, while an artificial skylight turns a once-dim stairwell into a feature. Upstairs, the balcony becomes a study—calm, compact, complete.
Project by Ofthebox. Read the full story here
The big swing? Staircase repositioning. By rotating the stair to face the foyer—and sculpting it into a gentle curve—the flow finally makes sense. A dynamic faux skylight above the stairs changes light to mimic the weather, brightening what is normally a dim stairwell.
The social zone gets a practical glow-up: walls come down, a generous island goes in, and a hidden pocket-door coffee/bar station keeps clutter out of sight.
Project by Puromuro Studio. Read the full story here
Colonial style done with restraint—think bamboo blinds, monochrome palette, and Peranakan-pattern tiles that continue into the kitchen for visual continuity. Shaker cabinets and marble-inspired surfaces dial up the heritage-meets-modern balance.
Upstairs is where it gets clever: the master entrance is repositioned so a walk-in arrives first, and there’s even an upstairs pantry for late-night drinks. Small moves, big daily quality-of-life uplift.
Project by Darwin Interior. Read the full story here
This Jurong West duplex reads like a resort downstairs—open plan, breeze-block zoning, curved arches, shaker cabinetry refined with slim profiles—but the real unlock is on the upper floor. Plantation shutters, traditional balusters and a four-poster master create a “mini-suite” vibe.
Two bathrooms merge to fit a bathtub; the vanity shifts into the corridor for shared access (smart for families). Bedrooms are resized to carve out a dedicated family lounge—false beams, a faux fireplace, and symmetrical storage make it feel intentional, not leftover. Even the staircase softens into undulating curves with step lighting, reinforcing the calm-retreat brief across both levels.
Project by Insight.Out Studio. Read the full story here
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