SINGAPORE – Stepping into this Upper East Coast Road apartment feels like being transported to the Mediterranean for a summer vacation.
The predominantly white interior – comprising microcement flooring, limewashed walls and a gypsum ceiling, along with curved details in the walls, ceiling and carpentry – is reminiscent of the Greek islands.
Home-grown lighting establishment Sol Luminaire’s co-founder Joseph Ho shares the 2,044 sq ft, three-bedroom condominium unit with his wife Evon Chng, fashion director of digital creative agency Beastcorp. They moved into the home at the end of 2021.
Both creatives in their 30s, they wanted their home to reflect their personalities, provide plenty of space to display souvenirs from their travels and be cat-friendly to accommodate their five felines. Senior interior designer Rei Ye from local firm Arkhilite took all these into account when overhauling the apartment.
A private lift opens into the entrance foyer, which boasts a white palette and rounded ceiling and edges. A frameless door, one of many in the home, leads to the living area, where an L-shaped sofa provides ample seating.
With sliding glass panels on three sides of the living room, there was limited space to build a feature wall for the television set. The designer finally opted for a projector with a retractable screen to save space. The sliding glass panels on this side of the living room were converted into fixed glass. At the bottom is a console that neatly conceals cables.
The living room is illuminated by slanted cove lighting and the floor is finished with engineered white oak. The semi-alfresco dining area occupies the widest corner of the balcony, next to the entrance foyer and living area. The trellis has been covered up to provide shelter for the dining area.
The cabinets of the open kitchen are finished in a similar colour to the floor and walls, which allows the Fleur de Versailles marble to stand out. Used on the kitchen island, counter top and backsplash, it serves as the focal point in the kitchen.
Being in the lighting business, Mr Ho was very particular about the lights, many of which were imported. The recessed lights in the living room were selected for the concave detailing in the ceiling drop panel. The 2700K light tone, instead of the usual 3000K or higher, is softer and gives the space a cosier ambience.
Hanging in the stairwell is a trio of Makhno Studio’s Khmara pendant lights from Galerie 5 by Sol Luminaire. The handcrafted clay lights, which come in varying lengths and sizes, resemble museum artefacts. Balustrades are cast into the stair wall on either side, with more lights embedded in the gaps.
As fashion lovers, the couple converted the two bedrooms on the first storey into his-and-hers walk-in wardrobes, leaving the remaining bedroom on the second storey as their master suite.
The curved ceiling and feature wall, created from fibre to resemble a rock face, give the bedroom an organic, cavern-like quality. The room opens to a roof terrace that makes for a tranquil chill-out space.
- This article first appeared in the September 2022 issue of Home & Decor, which is published by SPH Magazines.
- Get the November and latest issue of Home & Decor now at all newsstands or download the digital edition of Home & Decor from the App Store, Magzter or Google Play. Also, see more inspiring homes at https://str.sg/wrGK
