The look was conceptualised by Alvin Chua of Edge Interior, who had also designed the previous home. For this particular project, Alvin and Mr Chan gathered inspiration by visiting a café. Since the homeowners and their grown-up children all love to entertain, Alvin was tasked with the job of transforming the ground floor into a large, open-concept communal area where they could invite friends over for gatherings.

Part of the brief was to revamp the car porch area entirely. Alvin reconstructed the roofing, putting in a wood laminate ceiling and raised floor, and created a sitting area for the homeowners to entertain their guests.

This also serves as a visual transition to the rest of the home, which showcases plenty of raw elements such as concrete screed, plywood, and metal to fulfil the brief for an industrial look. “It was really important for visual impact,” says Alvin.

One of the biggest challenges was covering the walls and ceiling with concrete screed. “It needed to have a continuous texture,” he says. They also removed the false ceiling that the homeowner had put in, and the result was an elevated height that instantly made the space feel larger and airier. Instead of covering up the cable trunking, Alvin’s team painted it black for a graphic accent that pops against the concrete.

As the homeowners wanted a café concept, Alvin decided to put a peninsula island in the middle of the communal space. The island was custom-made to match the raw look of the interior – the team applied a waterproofing layer over metal plates, followed by a plastered layer of concrete. The island also features a wire mesh front and LED lights that highlight the area.

Alvin took care to bring in design elements that lend warmth to the space. A green wall just outside the dining area and plants above the island help to bring the outdoors in, balancing out the grey of the concrete. The team also decided to cover one of the central columns with red brick for a pop of colour that breaks up the monotony.

It was, all in all, a very collaborative project between the homeowners and designer. “We’re on the same page when it come to the design,” says Alvin. He even went furniture shopping together with the homeowners, giving suggestions on what to buy for a better fit. These included the dining table, projector, and even the artwork for the home.

The project took about three months to complete, and the homeowners were able to move in in November 2020. At a cost of $200k, the resulting look very much fulfilled the homeowners’ brief and gave them a space that they loved.

Art Direction: Nonie Chen
Photography: Phyllicia Wang

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