Studio Seven

After a few months and changes along the way, the apartment is finally ready.

The wash basin at the masterbedroom walk in wardrobe was installed with a floating cabinet below. The doors to the cabinet are covered in mirrors making the wash basin appear to float.

More shopping was done along the way for items like smaller pieces such as rugs, table lamps and getting the pond setup with a proper filtration system.

It has taken longer then initally expected to complete this home but it was well worth it. Thankfully, the owners were able to move in before their planned date.

Every area of the house has been thought through and the details have made the design of the home aestatically pleasing and comfortable for the owners.

It’s been more than 2 months and the floor standing pedestal wash basin for the masterbath has still not arrived.

After a few calls and being informed of shipment delays, it was time to request a refund or change to another model. The missing wash basin is causing quite a bit of delay as there was initially some carpentry work to be done behind the basin.

The sales person at the shop was kind enough to allow us a change of the wash basin and tap selection at no cost. This time around, the wash basin and tap was in stock and was delivered the next working day.

Due to the new wash basin, the design of that area will now have to be changed. It’s back to the drawing board for now.

The main renovation works have been completed and the last few weeks have been busy looking for the remaining accessories.

Things are starting to slow down a bit as it’s difficult to find an item that fits in exactly as what we envisioned the home to be.

It’s important to have the initial design concept well thought through and fixed. The bigger pieces of furniture and built in items are bought and fabricated.

After that, as the renovation progress, the smaller items like rugs, curtains and lighting fixtures are sourced to complement the original design theme.

Over the last few weeks, there has been a few sales going on starting with the Great Singapore Sale spanning the months of June to July. More recently, many places were having a National Day Sale over the 9th August long weekend.

We found dining chairs, coffee table, rug, wall lamps and a timber ladder for placing towels in the bathroom. Just what we wanted.

Also, during this period on a short holiday to Bali, we bought a nice painting to give the house a subtle splash of colour. Table runners and place mats were also plentiful. Some of the wood carvings are nice but did not fit the design theme. Would definately return if there is another house with a resort and asian theme to design.

Next shopping trip will be drilling down to even smaller bits and pieces like trays for keys, vinegar and oil bottle, flower vase and more.

The carcass of the wall hung cabinets are completed and hoisted in place. However, some service pipes have to be relocated first to maximise the space within the cabinets.

After the top cabinets are completed, the bottom cabinets are slowly installed. It is a more time consuming process due to the unique detailing. Magnetic spring push to open catches are installed for the drawers. Hence there is an absence of door handles and large gaps between door panels.

A few additional electrical sockets have been added at various places. The false ceiling is opened to lay wiring for the sockets.

After the electrical works have been completed, the false ceiling and a slightly damaged partition wall to the store room is repaired.

The whole house is painted white while the tiling works are in progress at the kitchen. A splash of lime green is chosen for the balcony to add some life to the house.

However, after the initial 1st coat, it seemed a little too overwhelming. The wall surrounding the window is then painted white.

After the painting is completed, the tiling works are completed in the kitchen. Site measurements are taken for the carpentry works in the kitchen.

The study room and guest room timber floor is sanded and re varnished. However, the varnished used created a glossy finish. This exposed the uneven surface due to objects that have dropped on the floor. The glossy finish makes the timber look like those typically found in a school sports hall.

After a discussion with the contractor, a risk is taken to grind the entire timber floor. If the floor has been grinded before, the unsightly base layer might become exposed while no alternative to rectify except redoing the entire floor.

Thank goodness the timber floor came out alright after grinding. A matte finish varnish is used resulting in a soft glow enhancing the natural look of the golden teak wood.  

The hunt for various items continues while the renovation is in progress. Sometimes, it is so frustrating to have an idea for the space but not being able to find the right product in the showrooms.

This week was spent hunting for a wash basin for the common bathroom and walk in wardrobe area in the master bedroom.

After exploring the many shops in IMM at Jurong East, we still could not find the shallow rectangular wash basin with a side mount tap for the common bathroom. The shallow wash basin is to allow a more generous space for movement and handling the laundry as the washing machine is also located in the common bathroom.

The final choice was a smaller rectangular wash basin with clean right angles instead of the usual large gold fish bowl curves.

Instead of the usual wash basin that sits on a timber cabinet that is all the rage these days, we decided to look for a sculptural pedestal sink. This will make the small walk in wardrobe area feel bigger and uncluttered.

The top choice is the Agape Pear floor standing wash basin by Patricia Urquiola. A cheaper alternative was found at one of the many shops along Geylang/ Jalan Besar Road. It is floor standing but requires a wall mount as the bottom tapers away.

It was also at this same shop that we finally found the original wash basin design we wanted for the common bathroom. Hard luck that the shop we bought the rectangular basin at IMM does not have a return policy. Oh well, now we know where to find it if we ever face with another project with the same requirements.

The first step before any works begin is to properly protect the existing finishes. Flooring is protected with carton box material.

As the existing wall paper is damaged and does not fit within the design theme, it’s the first to go. Next, the partition walls and kitchen cabinet is removed.

It was discovered at this stage that there used to be a glass panel separating the kitchen from the living. The partition and swing door defining the store room from living was a later addition together with a partition wall to replace the glass panel.

This store room is to display the owner’s collection of vintage computers. It also serves as a possible helpers room in the future. As such, it was decided to replace the partition wall with a frosted glass panel. This will allow light to fill the store room. A window was added and swing door replaced with a sliding door for better air circulation and efficient use of space. 

Part of this glass panel separating the store from kitchen is not frosted allowing the placement of an LCD monitor. With the use of a wireless keyboard and mouse, online recipes can be accessed from the kitchen. The owners can also catch up on the news and weather updates while having a quick breakfast in the morning.

With the space planning resolved, the fun part begins as the hunt for furniture, accessories and finishes begin.

Colour

To prevent the house from feeling dark due to the extensive use of wood on the floor and wall, white is chosen for the walls. Various shades of gray can be found in the choice of colour for the sofa and accent walls around the apartment.

In the kitchen, white colour tiles are chosen for the walls, top hung cabinets and work top. A timber look laminate is chosen for the lower kitchen cabinet doors to prevent the kitchen from looking too sterile. White colour backed glass is used for the back splash.

Detailing

To create a home that is both modern yet warm to touch, the balance of timber, metal, glass and stone elements come together and bring out the qualities of each material.

Timber threshold is used to hide the metal plate of the glass door floor spring to the master walk in wardrobe.

White natural stone is more susceptible to staining. It is also difficult to obtain a pure white look and grains in the wrong places. Large homogeneous tiles are used to maintain the look without damaging the environment through the process of obtaining the stones.

Metal is used to contrast the timber laminate and tiled work top. Aluminium strip is used to terminate the edges of the timber doors for the kitchen cabinets. The edge of the work top is finished with stainless steel.

Furniture

The selected sofa and bedframe does not have visible legs or handles. The sofa is fully covered in leather with a convertible back. The head rest can be flipped up when watching movies creating a deeper and more cosy seat. When lowered, the low back allows the entire living room to look and feel more spacious.

In the master bedroom, the bed frame is fully padded continuing the clean lines and soft to touch theme. The cover is removable for dry cleaning.

Other pieces of furniture have been reused where possible. The dining table originally with black metal frame has been resprayed dark gray to match the other furniture and colour theme.

The granite top from the existing kitchen is reused as a worktop in the storage/ display room.

Kitchen

Position of stove and sink is swapped to avoid rising steam and smoke from cooking to stain the top hung cabinets. It also allows more storage as existing cooker hob takes up space from the top hung cabinet.

The washing machine is relocated into the common bathroom together with the water heater. It creates a clean spacious kitchen that is easier to maintain. Moreover, the water heater or washing machine may leak if it breaksdown and it would be terrible if the water damages the kitchen cabinets. By moving the washing machine into the bathroom, more worktop space is created.

Dining

As a young couple, there is no need for so many bedrooms hence the utility room turned dining is maintained. A row of wall hung shoe cabinets are mounted and creates a side board to place drinks.

Living

The arrangement of the sofa subtly defines the large living area into two parts. An area for watching television and a place to lounge. A low back sofa will keep the living room looking open while defining various scale of spaces for entertaining guests. 

Master Bedroom

The existing partition shielding the basin and bathroom makes the room feel smaller although it creates more privacy. The wash basin area is also very dark. Concerned that the built in wardrobe may not be enough and to fufill the dream of most young couples these days for a walk in wardrobe, a new glass walk in replaces the partition wall. The frosted glass panels allow light into the wash basin area.

Due to budget constraints, the wall separating the wash basin and bathroom may be removed to open up the space further at a later stage. The existing bathrooms remain untouched. 

The Housing Development Board (HDB) introduced the Executive Apartment (EA) for people upgrading from a 4 or 5 room flat. A 5 room flat means 3 bedrooms, a future study and the living room.

An Executive Apartment has 3 bedrooms, a utility/ study and a much bigger living and dining. This particular EA has a floor area of 144 sqm which is quite big in land scarce Singapore. Executive Apartments are the largest type of flats from the HDB besides jumbo flats.

The previous owners have installed parquet flooring to the living, dining and 3 bedrooms. The utility room has been removed to form part of the living creating a spacious and open layout. Frosted glass doors in timber frame have been installed together with various built ins. The balcony has a water feature and timber deck.

Items that are showing it’s age are the wall paper to dining area, kitchen cabinets and some partition walls. Although the kitchen looks good from the outside, the area under the sink is already starting to rot.

The existing interior design of the house gives it a modern asian feel with the gold wall paper, timber walls, dark wood with frosted glass and motifs on the mirror frame and glass panel.

The new owners are a young couple and wanted something modern and clean. The design should be timeless, easy to maintain and most of all comfortable to live in.