Home Tour: $70,000 All-black renovation for 4-bedroom condo in Queenstown for a couple in retail & energy
When you make sense of the space within those walls is when a house becomes a home.
By Lynn Tan -
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Having purchased this condo in Queenstown brand new, the homeowners, who work in retail and the energy industry were prudent in prioritising the interior works that they wanted and needed. They enlisted the help of interior designer Kelvin Teo, design director of Space Sense Studio and President’s Design Award recipient, who also designed their previous home.
Who lives here: A couple in their 40s and their two boys
Home: A 4-bedroom condominium in Queenstown
Size: 1,184 sq ft
Interior designer: Space Sense Studio
Concrete panels line the living room walls in this Concrete kitchen island in this all black and white 1,184 sq ft 4-bedroom condo in Queenstown.
Condo developer furnished
The existing layout was unchanged as it generally works for the couple and their two sons aged 10 and eight. Most of what the condo developer provided - from the built-in kitchen cabinets and peninsula kitchen island, to the built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms, were retained. All the bathrooms and flooring were also left intact.
Interior designer Kelvin’s approach was to focus on two key areas. Firstly, on the more practical side, he explored how best to maximise the spatial efficiency. Although the configuration of the various spaces and rooms remain unaltered, it was possible to better utilise the space, especially the bedrooms, due to their size.
“I tried to ensure that every inch of space is well-utilised by designing cabinets edge-to-edge and floor-to-ceiling,” he says. His skill lies in how he managed to pull this off without cluttering the apartment and still preserving a sense of spaciousness.
The all-black interior design theme continues in the son's bedroom.
Steel open shelves hang over the study table and bed in the son's bedroom.
Asymmetrical open shelves
The wall space in the bedrooms are used to advantage by erecting asymmetrical open shelves alongside closed cabinets that are not only functional, but also inject an artistic flair into the rooms. In the study room, the open shelves above the desk are constructed using slim, steel members that achieve the required strength while expressing a certain lightness.
Although the shelves are located in front of the window, by positioning them at a higher level above the desk, they serve their purpose without compromising on the view.
Textures and forms clad the kitchen island.
Textured interior design
Secondly, he addressed the aesthetics, which was about creating the right ambience for the home. The homeowners have a preference for concrete textures and the feel of metal, but did not want to go to the extremes of the raw, industrial look. What interior designer Kelvin did was to try and put together an interior that is modern, sophisticated and cosy.
“We did a lot of cladding, painting and concrete textures for the internal walls in order to achieve this,” he explains. “We also tried to keep the forms simple, but play up the textures,” he adds.
$70,000 Renovation Budget
Excluding furniture, the homeowners spent about $70,000 on the renovation, which took about three to four months. The family moved into their new home in early 2023.
Interior designer Kelvin has delivered the chic and stylish, yet functional home that they envisioned. “My design philosophy is very client-centric. Seeing the joy on their faces at the end of the day is my affirmation that the design works,” he concludes.