House Tour: Warm wood tones and interesting textures fill this one-bedroom condo unit in Eunos
By Home & Decor Team -
Inspired by a book he had just read by organising consultant Marie Kondo — The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up — homeowner Alwyn Hui knew he had to design his home in a way where he kept only “the things that spark joy”, a quote from the book that resonated with him.
Facing the challenge of having limited floor space in his one-bedroom apartment, which he shares with his partner, Alwyn approached long-time friend and designer Si Jianxin of Wynk Collaborative to help design his new home.
Designer Jianxin was inspired by the tactility of materials in the design of this home, and chose various textures and recurring colours to break up the linearity. Laminates in deep blue and petroleum green shades by Lamitak were chosen to compliment the warm wood tones of the veneers selected. Georg Jensen thermo jug from Inhabitant.
How did you know that Wynk Collaborative would be able to fulfil your design needs?
I knew Jianxin from back when we were in national service. Our views on design were often similar, and we are always brutally honest with each other, so we could skip all the niceties. Jianxin will not refrain from dismissing my suggestions if he thinks they won’t work, regardless if it’s because the design may look aesthetically unpleasant, impractical, or a waste of money.
What was your brief?
I wanted something simple yet bold, that’s not a run-of-the-mill design. There wasn’t a particular style we were going for, because I didn’t want to be restricted by that. Jianxin showed me a few pictures of home interiors; one of them focused largely on textures, colours and choice of materials, and that inspired me. There were also two requirements I had. Firstly, I wanted to have high cabinetry for storage; the 3.2m-high ceiling in the apartment made it possible. Secondly, all wires had to be concealed.
To maximise storage space and take advantage of the high ceiling, overhead storage cabinets were added throughout the living room and open-kitchen. A moveable ladder was installed to allow access to the shelves, while creating a design feature in the living room. To complement the colour scheme, Alwyn chose Castlery’s Tracy sofa in charcoal and Grafunkt’s Trigg coffee table. Anglepoise lamp from Inhabitant.
To ensure the kitchen remains a focal point, while blending with the rest of the home, Jianxin chose Rice’s matte blue mosaic tiles. Fritz Hansen Series 7 counter stools in Oak, from W. Atelier, complement the wood tones of the cabinets, while Living Phenomenon’s matte black faucet completes the sleek countertop.
What were some of the challenges you faced during the design and renovation process?
For me, the challenge was trying to visualise the end product. We spent many weeks looking at the renderings, and there were times when I had doubts. However, once construction started, everything fell into place.
Although the total renovation cost of $70,000 (excluding furnishings) exceeded our initial budget of $50,000, the results surpassed my expectations. It was something I knew I wanted, but would never have been able to achieve without the help of Jianxin.
As a playful way of adding accents to the home, features such as the door handles were chosen in brass.
The existing marble and wood fl oors in the living room and bedroom were kept, with a strip of brass used to separate both spaces; this offers a tactile experience when the homeowners come in contact with the material.
Shades of blue continue into the bedroom space, with the homeowners’ choice of artwork and soft furnishings including the curtain. Anglepoise lamp from Inhabitant.
The home garden has also become a showcase of your love for plants.
Yes, one of the reasons why we selected this first-floor unit was because of the outdoor private enclosed space (PES) that came with it. The unit came with a turf that was actually grown in a large planting bed. I wasn’t keen on keeping and maintaining the grass so I chose gravel instead, which is easy to maintain and aesthetically pleasing.
It has become one of my favourite parts of the home, as there is always something to work on, new growth to marvel at, and the plants make me happy.
I’ve lost count of the number of plant varieties I own. Some of them include popular houseplants like monstera deliciosa, monstera obliqua, ficuses such as the fiddle leaf fig or lyrata, ficus elastica, snake plant or sansevieria, and spider plant. I also have dedicated areas for orchids, ferns, a frangipani tree, a few varieties of cacti and succulents, and a railing just for air plants. There are also edible plants like rosemary, mint, basil, lavender, lime and bay leaves.
I also have a dwarf red flowering gum tree or eucalyptus ficifolia, which I brought back from Sydney. The tree has been specially grafted to survive the humidity in the tropics.