Bay windows are a welcome feature in homes because they brighten the interior with natural light and afford views of the surroundings.

However, when almost the entire perimeter of the home is surrounded by them, the lack of usable wall space becomes an issue.

That was the problem faced by the home owners of this four-bedroom condominium in Mandalay Road, and figuring out a solution to the challenge was one of the key considerations in their brief to Mr Lawrence Puah, design director of boutique interior design consultancy Akihaus Design Studio.

"Bay windows lined the entire apartment. So, one of our main design focus was to incorporate interior elements such as consoles, storage, counters and even a bed over the bay window ledges to reclaim precious real estate," says Mr Puah.

In the entrance foyer of the 1,850 sq ft apartment, a console, complete with a mirror and full-height storage, was built over the bay window area without obscuring all the openings.

In this way, the foyer still gets natural ventilation and light.

The feature establishes a sense of arrival when guests enter the apartment.

The console provides a place for the home owners, who are in their 30s and 40s and work in the finance industry, to stash their keys and shoes, while the mirror allows them to check their appearance before leaving home.

They live in the apartment with their two young children.

To avoid a cramped living room, a decision to convert one bedroom next to the kitchen into the dining area was made.

The setting has the feel of an American diner, complete with a booth seat built over the window ledge. Its depth was extended so that its proportions are more like those of a daybed - this is handy when guests stay over.

The platform is an important detail. To avoid a situation where those sitting on the booth seat have their legs dangling above the floor, the floor level had to be raised, says Mr Puah.

A bay window that runs the length of the living room has been turned into a feature wall that houses the television console, storage cabinets and display shelves.

Built-in storage running horizontally across the top and bottom not only conceals unsightly audiovisual boxes and cables, but also the beam.

The central section of the feature wall is designed as a solid backdrop for the television. It helps to prevent a backlit TV screen and blocks the less-than-desirable view of the facing block.

On either side are open metal shelves whose visual lightness provides an interesting contrast.

As space was a constraint in the kitchen, especially with a bay window along one side, Mr Puah aimed to create sufficient circulation space so he designed a counter-cum-storage to be built over the bay window ledge.

The depth of the ledge was slightly narrower than that of a standard kitchen counter, but widening it was not an option as that would encroach on the circulation area.

"Conventional sinks would not have fit, so we selected two medium-sized sinks and installed the mixer on the central divider between them, instead of the usual position behind the sink," he says.

Over in the master bedroom, bay windows make up the L-shaped facade.

Had Mr Puah gone with the typical arrangement of positioning the bed against the main wall, the remaining space between the edge of the bed and the bay window would have been too narrow, so he proposed that the bed be built against one row of the bay windows. The side tables provide extra storage and also house the audiovisual equipment in the bedroom.

The three-month renovation cost $200,000, which included repairing the large outdoor roof terrace.

The family moved into the apartment in January last year.

• This article first appeared in the July 2019 issue of Home & Decor, which is published by SPH Magazines.

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