Families find it difficult to anticipate the changing needs as they go through different life stages. This home however, is designed to be future-proof.
8 March 2017
Home Type: 3-bedroom condominium
Floor Area: 1,150 sqft
There’s no denying that buying a home in Singapore is expensive. As such, many of us are content to just build a nest and raise our family there. But we don’t usually think about the long term when renovating the home. Families find it difficult to anticipate the changing needs as they go through different life stages. Priorities and interests may evolve, and the home needs to keep up with and adapt to these changes.
When this family of four first got the key to their new apartment at The Tampines Trilliant, there were some issues that needed to be addressed. They roped in Chanel Cheah from AC Vision Design to customise a host of solutions for the family.
Firstly, earth tones are found throughout the home. It’s a palette that keeps the place looking open yet cosy. And while space may be a constraint for the homeowners, the design team utilised the balcony that’s connected to the living area to open up the floor space.
Customised carpentry also added more storage and display options to the home. Niches were built into the feature wall of the living room, together with a wall-mounted console that leaves the floor uncluttered. The dining area also benefits from the customised booth seats. The bench is set against the wall, which frees up more room for foot traffic in and out of the adjacent kitchen. These seats also hide cabinets along the stretch of wall.
In many ways, the main living space presented a number of issues. Because of its layout, strangers outside the house can look into the home when they’re passing by. To rectify this problem, Chanel constructed a partition to block off the view. This partition also functions as a shoe cabinet and display shelf. The expanse between living and dining areas is now more cohesive and pleasant to the eye.
Like the rest of the apartment, the children’s bedroom is also fitted with plenty of storage. The design team explored unconventional solutions, doing away with the traditional bed-and-bedside-table combination. Here, the bed is placed perpendicular to the window and tucked into a corner against the wall. Instead of a bedside table, a padded seat by the window stretches across the window.
The owners requested for additional storage in the master bedroom aside from the wardrobe. “Because of the small master bedroom, we needed to think beyond the usual storage solutions for this space,” says Chanel. Boxy storage elements would make the bedroom look even smaller. So, the design team proposed a wall of storage units behind the bedhead, which gives the bedroom a clean and streamlined feel. Every panel opens up to reveal ample storage space.
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