A home that’s made for new ways of living and working

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Text by Airis Abdullah

When a young couple bought this condominium unit in District 10, it felt small and dim despite its 1,270-square-foot floor area. The kitchen was enclosed, and a narrow 90-centimetre wide corridor led to the bedrooms. The couple, both in the IT field, engaged akiHAUS Design Studio to design their new home. They also collaborated closely with founder and design director Lawrence Puah in their purchase of furnishings.

Mindful of changes to day-to-day life during a pandemic, the couple wanted a conducive environment for working from home. Lawrence shares, “It is also a prerequisite now for many homeowners to have a nice background for Zoom calls.”

Since the owners do not cook often, Lawrence proposed hacking the kitchen. Now, the refrigerator is beside the sink, where a window looks out to an internal garden. He then designated the cooking area and appliances along another wall. The cooktop can be closed off when needed to form a standout feature wall. “This area is designed like a Swiss army knife of living space that caters to living, dining, cooking and working,” Lawrence explains, adding that a footrest was included for additional comfort while working. He also advised the couple to purchase bar stools with backrests and armrests.

The homeowners love concrete finishes, so concrete-look laminates extend from the dining zone and kitchen to the living area, covering the array of concealed storage cabinets. Concrete-look special effects paint and cement-bordered timber flooring in the master bedroom also produce a seamless flow.

The once-narrow corridor to the bedroom is now a comfortable 1.1-metre wide. Concrete patterns on one wall and ceiling, and the matte sandstone marble flooring, interlock with the vertical wood slats on one wall, much like a grey volume that has been hollowed out. “The design language is architectural, and we use it to tie the spaces together,” Lawrence says.

Lawrence believes that good design is in the details. He says, “Good design should include practicality and ease of maintenance.” For instance, he collaborated with a specialist when designing the ceiling feature to ensure that the cool air from the aircon units would not get blocked or cause condensation. A fresh take on furniture layout, such as to allow ease of movement in the master bedroom, was implemented.

Last but not least, his focus on “volumetric design”, as observed in the varying ceiling heights, gives the apartment a sense of expansion. In all, the combined dining area and kitchen, which is essentially the heart of the home, the clever concealment of storage solutions, and the rich visual textures of concrete make a stunning interior.

akiHAUS Design Studio
www.akihaus.com
www.facebook.com/akiHAUS.Design.Studio
www.instagram.com/akihaus.sg

Shop the Look
Kitchen countertop from Dekton by Cosentino
Concrete-look laminates from Lamitak
Bathroom wall tiles from Hafary
Special effects paint from Wallco

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