Room Tour: Raw Openness Defines This Bedroom

Daylight accentuates the deconstructed elements and modern additions to an open-plan bedroom

Verlaine Marquez 20 June 2019

Houzz Singapore Contributor. Former editor for a home and design magazine for five years, and now a full-time freelance writer for various online and print publications for the past decade and counting. Part-time crafter, wannabe gardener, and breast cancer thriver.

Houzz Singapore Contributor. Former editor for a home and design magazine for five... More

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The challenge that designers of small apartments face is creating living spaces that maximise every square inch available, without making the home look and feel too stuffy. The owners of this three-room HDB flat sought the help of 0932 Design Consultants to transform their place into a neutral, commodious space to house their collection of vintage furniture and display items. The team responded by bringing out the best features of this 40-year-old unit and employing a modern industrial theme in an open-plan concept. Now, neutral tones envelop the spaces and light spreads throughout the home. The master bedroom, in particular, takes the open concept a notch higher, having a mere exposed structural beam and sheer curtains to subtly define the space.

This home won the Gold for Residential Design – Best Apartment Under 1,000 square feet category for Singapore in the recent Interior Design Excellence Awards (I-DEA) 2016, the annual event organised by the Interior Design Confederation Singapore (IDCS).

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Room at a Glance: Master bedroom
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Queenstown
Size: 893 square feet (83 square metres)

The master bedroom is a study in lightness and simplicity. Much of the natural light that filters into this space and the adjacent living area comes from this lone window, hence the open concept approach. The false ceiling was raised to expose a structural beam, allowing a gap where light can pass through, as well as become the TV console and open display shelf.

Ample storage was the other priority which the design team fulfilled by building a platform bed, full-height wardrobe and bookshelf to utilise every inch of space. The choice of pale wood laminate for the cabinetry enhances the warm and homey atmosphere.

As the unit came with the existing off-centre window, the team installed venetian blinds to “balance” the headboard wall.

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Maximising natural lighting brings to the fore the combination of different types of materials: preserved mosaic tiles, grey homogenous tiles, exposed brick wall, industrial screen and metal detail, says the design team. The modern industrial feel is harmonious throughout the spaces, but the shift from dark tones in the living/dining/kitchen area to the pale tones in the bedroom bring about a clear distinction of the functions between the areas.

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The team also introduced soft curtains, which are concealed in the full-height wardrobe, to physically sectionalise the master bedroom and to contain cool air from the air conditioner when the non-sleeping spaces are not being used.

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A work desk-cum-display area is slotted between the wardrobes. More vintage items such as the couple’s collection of old-school cameras and a retro swivelling armchair add personality to this area.