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Houzz Tour: Black Turns an Ordinary Apartment Into a Head Turner
Dark walls paired with warm browns make an impeccable impression in this family home
Black is often misrepresented and assigned qualities like gloomy and claustrophobic. Enter this three-bedroom apartment, designed by Akihaus Design Studio: it’s a shining testament to the space-enhancing qualities of black.
In what seems like a contradictory move, Puah turned the walls black with ceramic tiles. “I know [that] many have issues with black as they feel it makes a space feel constricted but when designed well, the cosiness outweighs the perception of the walls closing in,” he explains.
The 3-metre long tiles don’t just bring depth and definition to the home, they also address practical issues. Due to their length, there are no horizontal joints (the ceiling height varies from 2.75 to 2.9 metres). Timber panelling which comes in a maximum length of 2.4 metres would have had unsightly joints. The precise cuts at both ends of the tile enabled a crisp termination point when the wall meets the floor and ceiling, eliminating the need for skirting.
Tiles: Rice Fields
The 3-metre long tiles don’t just bring depth and definition to the home, they also address practical issues. Due to their length, there are no horizontal joints (the ceiling height varies from 2.75 to 2.9 metres). Timber panelling which comes in a maximum length of 2.4 metres would have had unsightly joints. The precise cuts at both ends of the tile enabled a crisp termination point when the wall meets the floor and ceiling, eliminating the need for skirting.
Tiles: Rice Fields
Lighting is a key element especially with dark interiors and this space was lit like an art gallery using recessed track lights that can be adjusted to highlight the art. The white ceiling sits asymmetrically to visually cue the dining and living room more to the right, closer to the windows.
Though black is not top on most people’s minds when it comes to neutral colours, it is just as versatile as white as a backdrop for artwork. The homeowners had several large scale artwork (including a trio of photographs of their children as infants) that Puah placed to stand out in the dining area.
A gallery-style hanging system where the art is not attached directly to the wall was installed to offer flexibility and for practical reasons as well. “After spending so much on the walls, why would anyone want to nail or drill into it to hang art?” he asks.
A gallery-style hanging system where the art is not attached directly to the wall was installed to offer flexibility and for practical reasons as well. “After spending so much on the walls, why would anyone want to nail or drill into it to hang art?” he asks.
The bar opening offers a look into the kitchen, which is a stark contrast to the inky darkness.
Puah points out the subtle association between the kitchen and living room: “The same black tile was used for the backsplash and the laminate [cladding the kitchen cabinets] is also used in the custom TV console.”
As a result of removing the storeroom and yard, the new kitchen has to double up as laundry area (washing machine in the island unit) and storeroom. The tall cabinet below the microwave stores a mahjong table and four chairs while the owners’ luggage is stowed in the island.
The private spaces are clearly distanced from the dark, sophisticated and modern social space through a warmer palette of materials. Here in the children’s bedroom, a ‘box’ of teak strips carves out a cosy sleeping area and recessed wardrobe.
The master bedroom employs the same teak strips but the application is different. The strips are of random lengths and laid horizontally.
The wardrobe doors are finished in the same light laminate as the kitchen and TV console.
By removing the shower cubicle, the architect was able to fit a dual vanity. The new shower is on the right, where the old bathtub was. The marble-look homogeneous tiles are matched with white taps and shower fixtures from Hansgrohe.
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TELL US
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Who lives here: A couple with three young children
Location: River Valley
Size: Approx. 118 square metres (1270 square feet)
Project duration: 6 months
Creating functional spaces was the architect’s top priority. “My first take when I saw the space was to regularise or even out the space for comfort,” says architect Lawrence Puah. That involved ironing out misaligned walls and getting rid of uncomfortable corners.
Sharing top priority was improving the amount of light flow. The existing kitchen was the one space in most dire need of light as it was completely walled in. By combining a powder room, storeroom and (service) yard with the kitchen, he gave the family a super-sized kitchen that benefits from daylight from the yard window, light from the dining room via a bar counter and from the living room through the wide doorway.