Opening up a Riversails penthouse for cooking, gathering and light

Spanning close to 2,000 square feet and paired with a generous roof terrace, this penthouse in Upper Serangoon enjoys sweeping views and abundant natural light. Yet when interior designer Georgina Foo of Studio GIN&G first encountered the space, its spatial experience told a different story. Despite its generous footprint, the apartment felt unexpectedly constrained, with an original layout that placed a long, enclosed kitchen at its centre – effectively compressing the living area into a narrow corridor.

“The redesign began not with form, but with the rhythms of family life,” says Georgina, noting that for the owners, home is a place of gathering and quiet conviviality. Meals are rarely solitary, and evenings often unfold through the simple rituals of preparing food together and welcoming friends who drop by.

The spatial experience of the home is revealed through carefully considered transitions. Upon arrival, a lowered timber volume wraps the entrance zone in warmth, creating a moment of compression that contrasts with the openness beyond. As one moves further inside, the space gradually releases into taller white volumes filled with daylight, amplifying the sense of expansion.

To support the convivial and tight-knit lifestyle, the once-enclosed kitchen was opened entirely, dissolving the partitions that once separated it from the living and dining areas. By removing the restricting partitions, a fluid communal landscape emerges. Living, dining and dry kitchen now unfold as a continuous sequence of spaces, allowing movement and conversation to flow easily across the home.

At the centre of this new arrangement sits a dry kitchen and bar that functions as the social heart of the apartment. More than just a functional workspace, the island counter has become the natural gathering point where everyday cooking becomes part of the shared atmosphere.

The design also acknowledges the realities of a busy household. While light cooking and informal meals happen at the indoor bar, heavier cooking was relocated outdoors to the roof terrace. Here, an open kitchen allows the family to entertain with ease while preserving the calmness of the interior spaces. The terrace extends the living experience beyond the apartment walls, transforming into a place where meals stretch into the evening and the skyline becomes part of daily life.

Inside, the material palette reflects the elevated setting of the penthouse. A light and breezy palette allows the daylight to soften the interiors while framing the owners’ collection of Scandinavian furniture classics and artworks gathered from their travels. “The space becomes a quiet gallery of lived experiences,” notes Georgina.

Moments of subtle richness are introduced through accents of Fiore di Pesco marble, particularly within the living area. The stone’s delicate veining adds quiet visual interest while maintaining the calm character of the palette. Rather than relying on bold contrasts, the design favours gentle layering, allowing materials and textures to reveal themselves gradually.

Through these thoughtful interventions, Studio GIN&G transforms the Riversails penthouse into a home defined by openness and easy sociability. The redesigned layout allows cooking, gathering and conversation to unfold naturally, while daylight and distant views anchor the experience of the interior.

Studio Gin&G
www.gin-g.com
www.instagram.com/studioging

Photography by Finbarr Fallon

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