The kitchen is popularly known as the heart of the home. This is certainly the case with this compact apartment in Oasis Garden, recently designed by Home Guide. Not only is the open concept kitchen much larger than one would expect in a home of this size, with ample storage and table top space, but its cabinetry in a lush shade of forest green makes it the home's most distinctive design feature.
The deep forest green effortlessly adds character to the space and balances the white tones in other areas of the house and is peaceful yet rich at the same time. The overall look is further enhanced by luxurious matte gold used for trimming along the island unit and suspended light features above.
Neutral-toned peranakan floor tiles in the interior of the kitchen add depth and elongation to the space, as well as adding character and breaking up the solid green of the cabinetry.
With the kitchen being the major design statement in this home, the living area takes a step back with more muted earthy colours.
The living area features a large bay window that allowed for additional built-in seating space to be used when hosting guests.
To ensure the TV feature wall does not look too bland beside the statement kitchen, vertical lines were designed into the wall and distinctive woodgrain-design laminate was used for the storage space to add texture.
As a final personal touch, a custom display cabinet was also made specifically to display the Lego-loving homeowner’s extensive collection.
A second, smaller living area with it's own TV was created beside the balcony, designed to allow simultaneous hosting of different groups of friends, allowing both husband and wife to have their own private spaces for entertaining. This also allows one to entertain in the main living area while the other can watch TV or work with privacy.
Space was carved out for another TV console completed with glass bi-fold doors for privacy and sound suppression and a couch for guests to gather comfortably. The space also features a standing table that allows some work to be done as well.
In the entrance, we designed custom cabinetry for shoe storage and display pieces. As the entrance hallway is slightly narrow, a lighter shade of laminate for the cabinetry and light strips were used to brighten up the space and make it less dark and dull. A dark tinted glass was also installed on the opposite side of the hallway to give a further illusion of spaciousness.
In the master bedroom, ample natural light floods in through a large bay window, allowing the use of slightly darker and stronger colours. We created a simple yet bold bed head in navy blue and added an abstract wallpaper above to style up the room with an interesting optical illusion effect.
Simple yet functional storage cabinets were installed on the opposite wall to the bed plus a built-in bedside table/bench seat. Dark tinted glass is used as a decorative panel at the foot of the bay window to add depth.
The key feature of the master bathroom is the striking black marble-inspired tiles used for the shower recess, complemented by taupe coloured tiles and cabinet laminates. The final finishing touch of the black bordered shower screen completes the modern luxe look of the bathroom.
The couple's teenage son's room was a small space that we had to work around to ensure sufficient storage and maximum functionality. Our well-resolved solution was to create a storage platform bed to utilise all possible space. Equipped with a desk, a conducive space was also carved out for study, while display shelves were also custom-designed for the child's personal Lego collection.
Due to the layout and position of the window, not much natural light enters the common bathroom, making it slightly dark. To overcome this, we used strip lights beneath the bathroom vanity to brighten up the space and coloured geometric tiles to further enliven it.