Home Tour: A 40s couple’s 1-bedroom condominium in River Valley
Space planning and attention to detail are key to making the most out of a compact apartment.
By Lynn Tan -
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When WL was looking for a new apartment, he was drawn to the River Valley area for its proximity to town and the river. The 47-year-old works in sports and entertainment and his office is now a short cycle away. “I cycle to work if I am office bound for most of the day. Sometimes I even cycle to and from meetings with clients,” he says.
Downsizing from his former 1,200 sq ft home gave him the opportunity to declutter. As an organised person, he likes to have everything in its place and loathes seeing exposed wires and loose objects. Sharing the 527 sq ft apartment with his partner, Rachel, who is in her 40s and who works as a regional sales manager meant that they had to carefully plan for their storage needs, including space for WL’s two foldable bicycles and three electric guitars.
When it comes to space planning challenges, who better to call than the interior design team at Artistroom. Having designed WL’s former home, they are familiar with his preferences and needs. As for WL, he shared that he is a happy repeat client and lauded their attention to detail, right down to planning and designing every shelf and cabinet according to what he wanted to store in them. He also appreciates their prompt updates and follow-ups even after he has moved in.
Who Lives Here: A couple in their 40s
Home: A 1-bedroom condominium in River Valley
Size: 527 sqft
Interior Designer: Artistroom
Entrance Foyer and Kitchen
Artistroom added built-in cabinets along the wall next to the main entrance, angled so as not to encroach into the entrance foyer’s circulation space. They are cladded in grey laminates that match the existing kitchen cabinets. Each specific item gets its own designated storage space- from the cleaning robot and shoes to the vacuum cleaner, mop, ironing board and ladder.
As WL and Rachel seldom cook, the small kitchen is not an issue and they mainly use it to prepare coffee. The coffee machine takes pride of place on the kitchen counter and WL was very particular about having the wiring concealed. He also wanted the dishwashing liquid and soap dispensers mounted onto the kitchen counter. To achieve this, the contractor had to cut three holes in the existing marble countertop. There was a likelihood of the marble cracking, but this was a risk that WL was prepared to take.
Dining Room
The dining area is located in between the kitchen and the living room. A curved built-in banquette and an organically shaped Ferm Living dining table from Grafunkt that forms an irregular, imperfect circle is an ingenious pairing that makes efficient use of the compact space.
A Lambert & Fils Hutchison 02 Suspension Lamp above the dining table helps to further define the dining zone from the open plan kitchen and living room. This is also Rachel’s preferred work-from-home area on days when she does not have to go into the office.
Klay Copenhagen
WL believes that art and plants bring a place to life. He chose three wall art pieces from Klay Copenhagen to enliven the dining area. Each unique piece is handmade using speckled clay and the wave-like forms inject the space with dynamism and fluidity.
Full Height Mirrors
Full height mirrors cladded over existing storage across from the dining area help to give the impression of a more spacious interior while providing useful and much needed storage for WL’s foldable bicycles above the washing machine.
Living Room
The Artistroom team relooked the existing living room layout and flipped the location of the television set to the opposite wall, which is adjacent to the dining area. Doing so allowed the dining banquette to continue into the built-in television console so that the two read as one cohesive unit. All the wires are neatly concealed and there is even a sliding compartment integrated behind the television to house WL’s PlayStation.
Extended Wall
WL wanted to keep the sofa from his previous home, but as it was longer than the back wall of the living room against which the sofa would be positioned, the Artistroom team had to extend this wall, which separates the living room from the bedroom. This may come across as an extravagant move, what with the hacking and other wet work and the bedroom door also had to be replaced with a narrower one. However, this provided the opportunity to not just extend the length of the wall, but also to widen and box it up to incorporate additional storage accessible from the bedroom.
In order to preserve the generous floor-to-ceiling height of the apartment, WL decided against having any false ceiling above the living area. This meant that the audiophile could not mount speakers in the ceiling. He eventually had the Sonos speakers mounted on the wall on either side of the sofa, but made no compromise with regards to concealing the wires within the new storage wall between the living room and bedroom.
Bedroom
A built-in headboard was something that WL insisted on for the bedroom as he feels that a standalone bed gives a makeshift feeling. The Artistroom team designed a customised curved headboard with side tables that echo the dining banquette, integrated with uplighting. It sweeps across the bedroom to meet the new full-height, built-in wardrobes. The Tempur bed system is elevated on a low platform where WL stores his electric guitars.
The new storage wall between the bedroom and living room offer ample additional storage within the bedroom, as well as space to mount a television set. At the top left corner is a Nemo Mini Lampe De Marseille wall lamp from Made and Make, named after the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille designed by Le Corbusier.
Two abstract prints adorn the wall above the bed. Most of the artworks within the home are of abstract prints and plants. WL chose them according to his personal preference and also to complement the interior in terms of shape and colour.
Balcony
The balcony is where WL enjoys his morning coffee before starting his day. A balcony table and chair from the Hiray outdoor furniture collection from Kartell, along with plants, make this a great space for chilling while soaking in a view of the city.
The design and renovation took about six months to complete and the couple moved into their new home in December 2024. Although they have been living in the apartment for less than a year, they are planning on moving and have already shortlisted a unit nearby. “We love this location, but find this current unit size a little small for two people. About 800 sqft to 1,000 sqft would be more ideal,” WL comments.