Transforming A Small Space Into a Haven Of Light And Luxury
In this design episode, we delve into the vision and process behind transforming a one-bedroom unit at Normanton Park into a cosy haven of light and luxury. Like many new developments, this unit has standard fittings, including floor tiles, a kitchenette, and a finished bathroom. Rather than replacing these developer-provided elements, we embrace them as a base, enhancing and elevating the home’s overall aesthetic.
Stepping Into Luxury Whenever You Get Back Home
The client is a single professional who works from home once a week and wants to enjoy a luxurious experience whenever he sets foot home. He travels frequently and has lived in plenty of spaces throughout the world. The objective is to incorporate parts of the elements he has seen and love into one entity. Hence, the essence of clean, straight lines, glossy finishes, simple geometric shapes and gold trimmings must be felt in every single part of the house. The result is a classy hotel feel that is synonymous with lavishness.
Making The Kitchen More Functional By Extending It
We extended the single-row kitchen into an L-shape to address the client’s needs, providing more countertop space and supporting a custom seating area for the new dining space. The dining space doubles as a workstation if working from home is required.
With the L-shaped kitchen now taking up a significant portion of the entire living space, it is crucial to use the existing colour tone as a baseline for our design work. We extended the kitchen’s modern luxury elements, such as rose gold trimmings and the glossy quartz countertop, to create a seamless, luxurious experience as you travel from one room to another.
Adding Luxury To A Simple Shoe Cabinet
Despite its simple design, the shoe cabinet is one of the first things people notice when they come in. The cabinet is made up of five separate parts that work together seamlessly. It includes a velvet seat, a tinted mirror, an open area with a laminate of marble with copper veins backing, a drawer for storing small items, and a niche at the bottom of the cabinet for storing slippers or a robot cleaner in the future. The entire piece is finished with an elegant gold trim that matches the kitchen. Lastly, all the switches in the house have been changed from white to silver champagne, which gives the home a more modern look.
Infusing More Elements of Luxury With The Use Of Texture And Gloss Surfaces
Surfaces with texture and gloss are often associated with luxury. For a touch of opulence, we installed a shiny, textured wallpaper with geometric designs throughout the house, leaving no corners unturned. The only exception is the wall next to the kitchen, which would be impractical due to the area’s heat and moisture. The treatment for that wall is a colour paint that closely matches the wallpaper. Additionally, we chose kitchen appliances with glossy finishes to uplift the luxurious look and feel of the space.
A Unique Feature Wall In The Living Room
To ensure consistency and familiarity, we used the same laminates and gold trimmings, along with fluted panels from the shoe cabinet, and incorporated them into the living space. Instead of a typical TV feature wall confined to one section, we utilized the groove lines to extend this focal point throughout the wall. A non-parallel design was purposely considered as it smoothens the transition from the kitchen to the dining and, finally, the living space. A slight touch of leather cushions in the seating area adds further texture against the shiny wallpaper.
While finishings play a significant role, good lighting is also necessary to make the area well-lit and provide ambience and comfort to a room. A dimmable cove lighting was selected to adjust the illumination against the reflective wallpaper. Downlights fitted on the ceiling were explicitly chosen with rose gold metal trimmings to match the kitchen cabinets. To ensure a functional workspace, the pendant light is tricolour and can instantly change the mood of the entire living space.
Bringing Luxury To The Bedroom
The bedroom’s wardrobe didn’t match the current theme, so the only option was to destroy the developer’s version and create a better one. Familiar elements such as gold trimmings, fluted panels, LED strips, velvet texture and marble laminates were used entirely differently for a new atmosphere. Despite the similar elements, the room feels intimate and refreshingly different simultaneously.
Elevating A Home That Is Functional And Aesthetically Pleasing.
A well-designed home is not about looking at images from magazines and social media and deciding which works. There is a significant thought process behind every project. Understanding lifestyle requirements, usability, and how we deliver a home is a personalised experience. We are happy that this unit at Normanton Park is now the perfect home for this single professional, and we know he will enjoy appreciating the intricacies of the elements we put inside this home and create beautiful memories staying there.
Article contributed by ProjectGuru
ProjectGuru is a Singapore-based interior design firm focused on creating personalized spaces that reflect each client’s unique story. Founded in 2014, it offers bespoke design services for residential and commercial properties. ProjectGuru stands out with its award-winning design expertise, including recognition from Qanvast Supertrust and SIDA awards. Known for fostering collaborative relationships with clients, the firm combines modern aesthetics with functional designs to bring dream homes and inspiring workspaces to life.