Effortless style meets relaxed vibes in this tranquil walk-up apartment that’s home to SLOWHOUSE founder Bella Koh and her family.
18 April 2019
Home Type: Walk-up apartment
Floor Area: 2,000sqft
Text by Janice Seow
Photography by Wong Weiliang
Art direction by Betty Wong & Siti Nurfaizah
This rented 2,000sqft walk-up apartment in Bukit Timah is home to social media influencer and SLOWHOUSE founder Bella Koh, her husband designer/lecturer Terence Yeung, and their three-year-old daughter, Alessandra.
Bella shares that the family decided to make the move from their apartment in Tiong Bahru so as to give their daughter more room to run around. “She’s a hyperactive kid and the layout of our old place was a bit too narrow for her needs. My husband and I also wanted her to be close to nature,” she says.
This four-bedroom apartment was perfect for what they were looking for. Bella shares that they were drawn to the “the space, the living experience, the greenery and the architectural presence of the place.”
In this home, designer furniture from brands such as Poltrona Frau and Cappellini sit comfortably alongside budget-friendly furnishings. The kitchen cabinetry, for example, is a custom piece featuring IKEA cabinets and a concrete work surface. Says Bella: “Ikea offers a good range of accessories using Blum mechanisms, and at a reasonable price. The countertop had to match the cement plaster kitchen wall, and we wanted a clean aesthetic using minimal materials.” Brass accent pieces were then incorporated to create a refined look on a budget.
On the subdued colour palette, Bella explains: “The unit is quite bright, hence we muted the brightness by painting it a dove grey. This also matches the colour tone of the raw cement plaster finish in the kitchen and bathrooms. We then allowed the wood flooring in a whitewash oak shade to warm up the house again.” Dusky pink (in the daughter’s room) and a camel shade (in one of the bedrooms) were the only other colours used.
In the bathrooms, leftover Volakas marble and travertine from the couple’s Tiong Bahru residence were used on the counters, shower areas and thresholds. These go well with the brass fixtures and walls in raw cement finish to achieve a similar ‘raw luxe’ aesthetic that’s seen in the kitchen.
Like the rest of the apartment, the bedrooms are tranquil in muted tones, with cupboards original to the old apartment standing charmingly alongside contemporary designer furniture. The atmosphere is laidback, and the look effortlessly stylish and liveable. It’s the perfect home for an active kid to make it her playground, and for a family to enjoy the slow life.
SLOWHOUSE Interior Design
love@theslowhouse.co
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