Creative couple’s five-room flat in Geylang makes the most of awkward angles

SINGAPORE – On the third floor of a low-rise block in Geylang East, sunlight filters in through leafy trees, softening the edges of a five-room flat defined by its unusual geometry.

The 1,431 sq ft resale flat, built in 1986, caught married couple Elliot and Jeanette’s attention with its unusual geometry.

“It was the acute angle that kind of sealed the deal,” says Elliot, a director of photography, about the triangular floor plan, where the building’s angles create irregular shapes for the dining area, balcony and what is now a study. He and Jeanette – who is a senior producer – declined to give their full names and ages.

“What drew us to the place is the greenery outside the house. Almost every window looks out to greenery,” he added.

The flat was overhauled by Elliot’s friend Ulrich Chia, who works at interior and architectural design practice Medium Specific.

Upon entering the home, visitors are greeted with an expansive kitchen, with a front-facing stove atop a large island. Mr Chia calls this concept “kitchen as threshold”, inspired by a restaurant he saw in Spain where the kitchen sat up front.

“When Elliot and Jeanette are hosting, it enables them to interact with their guests while preparing a meal,” he says.

The flat’s unusual geometry – its sharp, penknife-like corner – became the guiding motif of renovations. Mr Chia distilled the acute angle into details around the home, from the recessed handles of the kitchen cabinetry to the subtle lines and chamfers that guide the eye across the space.

Walls were removed to reveal the acute corner in its entirety, opening up sightlines from the front door to the farthest end of the flat. Parapet walls and carved openings connect adjacent rooms while keeping them distinct.

From the kitchen, the space opens into a dining area conceived for large gatherings. “Jeanette’s family is quite big – 12 people altogether, including us – so we wanted a very big dining table,” says Elliot. The table also doubles as a flexible work space when Jeanette works from home.

To give the room more presence, Mr Chia manipulated the ceiling plane. By lowering the ceiling along the entryway, then angling the cornice above the dining area, he made the space feel taller and more open. In the dining area, a chamfered bulkhead runs along the ceiling’s edge and conceals the air-conditioning unit.

Next to the dining area is the balcony, which was reinstated after the previous owners had absorbed it into the unit, and now has an auto-misting system for the couple’s garden. Here, terracotta tiles were chosen for their warmth and durability. A small window cut into the wall between the balcony and the study draws the eye diagonally across the flat.

Says Mr Chia: “This window frames multiple views at once: the greenery outside, the living area inside and the acute angle that defines the unit.”

The study sits at the flat’s most dramatic point, where the triangular plan converges into a sharp corner. Here, floor-to-ceiling shelves line one plane with books, while guitars, amplifiers and music gear claim the other. Elliot plays in a band, and this space doubles as his studio. A number of art pieces in this area are by Jeanette.

The living area is a hotchpotch of the couple’s spontaneous purchases, Carousell finds and personal keepsakes. A second-hand coffee table and a low, rust-hued sofa anchor the space.

Elliot says: “Our TV is moveable, so we’ll roll it out to the living room if we want to watch there, or back to the bedroom if we want to watch there.”

The flat’s two bathrooms were reworked with a restrained palette that balances warmth and utility. Says Elliot: “Jeanette designed the toilet near the kitchen because she likes more playful colours.”

The result is a common bathroom that feels textured and lively, with vertical brown tiles and a deep-blue counter lending rhythm and warmth. It echoes the terracotta of the kitchen and balcony while embracing a slightly more playful character.

The master bathroom, on the other hand, bears Elliot’s imprint. Large-format tiles in muted tones and integrated mirror lighting create a calm, pared-down backdrop. The clean lines of the vanity and basin prioritise clarity and function.

The design process was not without hurdles. “There had been major delays with HDB’s approval of the demolition works due to a structural stiffener embedded in one of the walls,” says Mr Chia. Apart from that, however, the collaboration between him and Elliot went smoothly.

The renovations took three to four months and cost $100,000, excluding furniture and appliances.