Case Study: 3 tips to frame your living room, ryokan-style

In this award-winning ryokan-inspired home in Bukit Batok, Goy Architects creates a linear living space with a raised platform and frames the space with timber to define the space from the rest of the apartment’s communal area. 

USE SURFACE MATERIALS TO DEFINE THE LIVING SPACE

Here, timber is used on both vertical and horizontal surfaces to softly demarcate the space from the rest of the open plan.

“The floor becomes part of the living room furniture, as the users will be lounging and sitting directly on it,” says Goy Zhenru, founder of Goy Architects. “I would advise clients to select a material that they feel good and comfortable with.”

MAKE IT MULTI- FUNCTIONAL

The space behind the sofa area is used for a study comprising a bookcase and a desk with chairs facing the TV where the keen hobbyists owners can do their crafts while hanging out in the living room.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Match the aesthetic of your furniture with the room to reduce visual noise. Goy Architects created custom furniture with lower proportion and complementary material.

“This would reduce the perception of elements within the space to create a comfortable space without being too cluttered,” says Zhenru. 

Photography by Jovian Lim, courtesy of Goy Architects.