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Room Tour: A 'Great Room' Hits the High Notes With Pattern
A great colour palette, rich textures and prints blend beautifully in the Great Room concept where living and dining merge
Chiquit Brammall
14 September 2016
Design journalist and freelance editor. Dollhouse architect. Serial renter.
Open-plan living-dining spaces are not unusual in Singapore – the ‘common hall’, as many are used to calling them, is the typical response to the limited floor area of our apartments. Cameron Woo, principal designer of Cameron Woo Design took inspiration from the Great Room concept to transform this shared space into something its house-proud owners could entertain, as well as raise their young family, in.
Room at a Glance: Living-dining room
Who lives here: A couple in their early 40s, expecting twins
Location: Apartment in Marine Parade
Designer: Cameron Woo Design
A Great Room is a multi-purpose space that combines traditional room functions, for example the living room, family room and study all in one. Most apartments combine the kitchen and dining, or dining and living areas. In this home, it’s the dining and living areas that have been blended together.
“Instead of separating the dining and living rooms, there is continuous flow between the two spaces which resembles a Great Room concept. In the event of a big party or gathering, the furniture from the dining area can be pulled into the living room,” says Woo. Seating in the living area, in fact, is positioned so that it’s open to the dining area, rather than visually separated. The expansive area rug also connects the two spaces.
Who lives here: A couple in their early 40s, expecting twins
Location: Apartment in Marine Parade
Designer: Cameron Woo Design
A Great Room is a multi-purpose space that combines traditional room functions, for example the living room, family room and study all in one. Most apartments combine the kitchen and dining, or dining and living areas. In this home, it’s the dining and living areas that have been blended together.
“Instead of separating the dining and living rooms, there is continuous flow between the two spaces which resembles a Great Room concept. In the event of a big party or gathering, the furniture from the dining area can be pulled into the living room,” says Woo. Seating in the living area, in fact, is positioned so that it’s open to the dining area, rather than visually separated. The expansive area rug also connects the two spaces.
Colours and prints also tie the two areas to each other – neutrals with a luxe metallic glimmer and elegant blues; ikat weave prints and on-trend chevrons. Woo’s textile selection for the bespoke furniture and furnishings “was very important in providing an Asian context to the contemporary interior as well as address the client’s need to use practical fabrics that could be easily maintained”. His team used outdoor fabrics (surprise!) to address the practical needs of the parents-to-be. To give the room impact and instil the South East Asian sense of place, strong patterns such as the ikat weave on the seat cushions of the blue armchairs and dining settee were used.
Woo took a pair of flamboyant fashion prints from his own collection to dress up the wall behind the sofa – their colours enhancing the fabrics used in the space. They also add an edginess and vitality to the sophisticated South East Asian style of the house.
Read about the ikat weave
Woo took a pair of flamboyant fashion prints from his own collection to dress up the wall behind the sofa – their colours enhancing the fabrics used in the space. They also add an edginess and vitality to the sophisticated South East Asian style of the house.
Read about the ikat weave
The brass base of the white lacquer cabinet on one side of the dining area complements the contemporary twin chandeliers of this great room. It is a china cabinet that Woo purchased in the US for the client to store glassware and tableware for easy access when entertaining. The chinoiserie-inspired bamboo moulding on the cabinet doors was chosen for its to its Asian sensibility and international appeal.
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