You can live large in a small space as long as you have planned the design properly, as Ms Carmen Tang of interior design studio Wolf Woof did for this three-bedroom condominium apartment in Upper Serangoon.
The owners, who are in their 30s and live here with their three-year-old daughter and Japanese spitz Miko, approached Ms Tang after seeing her work on Instagram and falling in love with the character of her designs.
Space was a premium in this 893 sq ft home, so Ms Tang had to consider the layout carefully and work out where to include ample storage, a key requirement in the design brief.
The design also had to be unobtrusive because the couple wanted a space with a Scandinavian look and natural textures.
Following a three-month renovation that cost $40,000, one side of the living area is now dedicated to cabinetry. Two full-height cupboards line the walls and, next to them, is a nook for a banquette sofa. Pull-out drawers underneath serve as storage while the bookcase turns the area into a cosy reading corner.
To break up the linearity and prevent the apartment from looking boxy, Ms Tang used plenty of geometric shapes to create interesting patterns, like the chevron lines on the full-height cupboards and wall lights in the shape of semi-circles.
She also added bright pops of colour and whimsical details.
On the cupboards in the living room, for instance, the handles are actually tiny wooden birds nestling in greenery. At the opposite end, taking pride of place is a retro-style television console inspired by the animation The Jetsons. Complete with antennae and a tulip leg, the set-up's tongue-in-cheek TV-in-TV concept is a talking point every time guests come to the house.
Ms Tang says: "The whole set-up is installed securely on the wall, so it's not just supported by the leg."
Typographic installations also lend the apartment a quirky feel.
Upon entry, visitors are greeted by a decal with the saying, "Happiness, health, etc." - with "etc" an acronym made out of the first letter of the family members' first names. "It helped to personalise the home so much more," says Ms Tang.
The family moved into the apartment in April last year.
There is also a concrete installation of the word "eat" and wooden decor in the shape of cutlery on the wall of the dining area. These touches create a carefree, relaxed ambience that is reminiscent of a cafe's.
The typographic installations and geometric theme continue in the rooms. The walk-in wardrobe is jazzed up with decals that serve not only as a delineation of the "his and hers" wardrobes, but also lend a playful touch with the icons of skirts, tops and jeans.
The master bedroom has a more relaxed ambience, though the theme keeps up with the rest of the apartment. Another concrete typographic installation sits over the bed while a geometric headboard lends visual interest.
Furniture with slim legs keeps the overall look minimalist - a must for smaller apartments. Their streamlined profiles ensure that the eye is drawn to the rest of the home's features.
Ms Tang says: "We kept the rest of the furniture simple and streamlined to avoid cramming too much into the space."
• This article first appeared in the May 2020 issue of Home & Decor, which is published by SPH Magazines.
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