Hotel-inspired 3-bedroom condo apartment is couple's first home

Hotel-inspired 3-bedroom condo apartment is couple's first home

A matrimonial home is always extra special for a couple because it symbolises the beginning of a new chapter.

WHO
A couple in their 30s

HOME
A three-bedroom condominium in West Coast

SIZE
1,302 sqf

Chwa Poh Chuan and Tan Yijing devoted much time and attention towards the building of their first home together, sparing no effort in searching for the ideal property and an interior designer who was capable of delivering the “modern luxury, yet practical and comfortable” home of their dreams.

The couple first met Adrian Heng, principal consultant of Ottimo Spazi, when they were still house-hunting. “At the time, Adrian was selling his place and we went for a viewing. We were very impressed by what he did with the interior, and found out that he was actually an interior designer,” recalls Poh Chuan, who works in IT.

When they eventually bought an apartment, Adrian was naturally one of the candidates that the couple considered.

“We felt that Adrian’s selling point was his ability to customise and create a very put-together and harmonious look to everything in the house, from the furniture to the carpentry, and soft furnishings. This was something that we felt was unique to him,” elaborates Yijing, who is in the legal profession.

Without even looking at any 3-D renderings of his proposal, the couple decided to engage Adrian. “We trusted his taste and judgment, and we liked his portfolio, so we simply asked him to create something similar for our home,” says Poh Chuan.

With this mandate, Adrian set out to “design something stylish and chic, yet cosy and homely”. With the exception of the kitchen cabinets and finishes, as well as the flooring within the apartment, everything else – including wardrobes and bedroom doors – was taken down and redesigned, customised and fabricated by Adrian and the Ottimo Spazi team.

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The entrance foyer sets the tone for the rest of the interior, with its “hotel-inspired look”. An existing bay window has been converted into storage compartments, whose doors are seamlessly flushed with the wall. “The bay window looked into the neighbour’s air-conditioner ledge, so there was not much of a view worth retaining,” Adrian explains. Besides, the space has no lack of natural light from the balcony’s full-height sliding glass doors and the kitchen window, so sealing off the bay window opening would not compromise on the amount of light around the entrance area.

In the dining room, Adrian opted for a modest, square dining table that can accommodate Poh Chuan and Yijing, plus two guests. As the space is relatively small, he installed tinted mirror panels against one wall to make it appear larger.

For the living room, the designer had originally proposed two giant armchairs and ottomans over a round rug, but he eventually changed that to an L-shaped sofa according to the homeowners’ preference. This configuration helps define the living space and is complemented by a rectangular rug designed by Adrian, which makes a statement with its criss-crossing diagonal lines.

Like the rest of the house, everything in the master bedroom was designed by Adrian and custom- made. The apartment enjoys views from every room, spread across three facings of the property.

The master bedroom alone gets views in two directions – or three, if you include the view from the master bathroom. One feature in the master bedroom is the bay window, which Adrian accentuated by putting a frame around it.

“The master bedroom is our favourite space, especially the cosy settee that Adrian has created on top of the bay window. We can relax and read here while admiring the sea view,” comments Yijing.

Due to budget constraints, the homeowners decided not to hack the wall between the master bedroom and the adjacent bedroom to create a walk-in wardrobe. Nevertheless, Adrian designed its interior like a dressing room-cum-study, where a custom- made desk serves a dual purpose.

Having recently moved in, Poh Chuan and Yijing are settling nicely into their new nest. “We feel that the interior design reflects our lifestyle, taste and preference perfectly, and we really like how each and every room looks,” say the couple.

WHERE TO GO
Ottimo Spazi, www.ottimo-spazi.com

This article was first published in Home & Decor.

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