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Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Black-and-White-Inspired Home is Fit for Entertaining
Their old black-and-white house ambience is replicated in this apartment so the owners can continue entertaining
When the owners of this ground-floor apartment bought the unit to move into from their rented black-and-white house, they had two requests: “We like to entertain and therefore wanted a kitchen that could fit all our appliances as well as be a show kitchen. We also wanted light and cross-ventilation. The overall design brief was to maintain a feeling of luxury, calm and brightness with the functionality of two guest bedrooms.”
“Amar, the husband, requested [that] we create a bar area for him to entertain in style. The dining/living area was pretty tight, so to ensure we cleverly utilised the space without crowding the layout, we decided to custom-build one for him,” Chin-Geyler says. To do this, a non-load-bearing wall was partially hacked open, through which the designers created a peek-a-boo bar niche. A muted pewter laminate was used for the bar cabinetry, paired with a taupe marble-look countertop for a masculine look. Toned-down deep blue hues run through the furniture and soft furnishings, expertly layered with textures and tasteful gold accents for an elegant yet relaxed ambience.
The design duo expressed the black-and-white house theme in the dining area through the colour palette. The custom-built display cases framing the kitchen particularly bring that black-and-white look.
“When working in a limited colour palette we always like to layer as many textures as possible. In this case, we used a combination of wood, glass, metal, coarser textiles, and gold accents to create a contemporary but still inviting space. Lighting is integral to the set-up since the colour palette can skew quite cold and minimalist – we complemented the overhead lighting with table lamps, floor lamps, and even shelf lighting to retain the feel of a cosy home without extensively drawing on colours or more organic elements” says Chin-Geyler.
“When working in a limited colour palette we always like to layer as many textures as possible. In this case, we used a combination of wood, glass, metal, coarser textiles, and gold accents to create a contemporary but still inviting space. Lighting is integral to the set-up since the colour palette can skew quite cold and minimalist – we complemented the overhead lighting with table lamps, floor lamps, and even shelf lighting to retain the feel of a cosy home without extensively drawing on colours or more organic elements” says Chin-Geyler.
Metal-framed glass sliding doors allow the kitchen to be enclosed so that heavy-duty cooking fumes don’t permeate the rest of the house. They remain open when the owners entertain so that the kitchen – particularly the custom-built island – can serve as an extension of the dining area. The bespoke kitchen island even has a pull-out worktop for extra space for either food prep or entertaining.
The kitchen’s colour palette is black, white, and grey, layered with a touch of copper through the pendant lights, and natural wood, to blend with the dining area harmoniously.
“It was imperative to us that the kitchen remain a part of the open-plan living space. We selected the floor tiles and materials for the island, countertops, and cabinetry to bounce around light, creating a spacious, bright, and fluid space,” says Chin-Geyler.
The kitchen’s colour palette is black, white, and grey, layered with a touch of copper through the pendant lights, and natural wood, to blend with the dining area harmoniously.
“It was imperative to us that the kitchen remain a part of the open-plan living space. We selected the floor tiles and materials for the island, countertops, and cabinetry to bounce around light, creating a spacious, bright, and fluid space,” says Chin-Geyler.
“Monila, the wife, travels a lot for work so we wanted to create a sumptuous bedroom for her. The bedroom originally was very dark, and, as it’s not a large space, we wanted to find ways to make it feel brighter but also cocooning because the bedroom is supposed to be a restful, tranquil space,” Chin-Geyler says.
“To lighten the feel of the room, we first replaced the closet doors with a glossy laminate with a very subtle print to reflect light around the room. To continue the goal of brightening the space, but create a luxe, cocooning feel of a bedroom, we replaced one of the panels with a smoky mercury mirror,” she says. A marbled wallpaper, which Chin-Geyler explains is a very light agate, also increases the luminosity in the room. “As with the rest of the house, we kept to a restrained colour palette, but we lightened it in the bedroom, using greys and taupes instead of black and white. We also chose an oversized rug to break up the heaviness of the wooden floor.”
“To lighten the feel of the room, we first replaced the closet doors with a glossy laminate with a very subtle print to reflect light around the room. To continue the goal of brightening the space, but create a luxe, cocooning feel of a bedroom, we replaced one of the panels with a smoky mercury mirror,” she says. A marbled wallpaper, which Chin-Geyler explains is a very light agate, also increases the luminosity in the room. “As with the rest of the house, we kept to a restrained colour palette, but we lightened it in the bedroom, using greys and taupes instead of black and white. We also chose an oversized rug to break up the heaviness of the wooden floor.”
The ensuite master bathroom had a bathtub that the designers removed, replacing it with a spacious shower with storage niches. The new finishes, which include white and grey marble-like tiles and white and pewter geometric print tiles continue the same colour palette from the master bedroom.
One guest bedroom was decorated using furniture from the couple’s previous master bedroom. Arete Culture gave the pieces a refresh, and added rugs, lighting, and soft furnishings in a palette of greys and teal. When the wife’s mother visits, she sometimes stays for months, so this room was designed exclusively with her in mind.
The other guest bedroom doubles as an entertainment and study room (as well as a guest bedroom). “Our clients did not want to have a TV in the main lounge/communal zones so we converted this bedroom into a TV/entertainment room-cum-occasional work zone,” says Chin-Geyler.
Recognising that the husband would spend the most time in this room, the Arete Culture duo designed it to feel more like a gentleman’s suite, “choosing darker laminates and deeper colours for a masculine feel. A feature wall in navy offsets the marble-like laminate of the media unit opposite. Darker woods and rich leather accents were chosen for the study, paired with soft LED lighting, gold trims, and soft furnishings in deep red velvet, tangerines, browns and charcoal.”
Recognising that the husband would spend the most time in this room, the Arete Culture duo designed it to feel more like a gentleman’s suite, “choosing darker laminates and deeper colours for a masculine feel. A feature wall in navy offsets the marble-like laminate of the media unit opposite. Darker woods and rich leather accents were chosen for the study, paired with soft LED lighting, gold trims, and soft furnishings in deep red velvet, tangerines, browns and charcoal.”
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What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, save the story, and join in the conversation.
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Who lives here: A couple originally from India, with their dog and helper
Location: Bukit Timah
Type of property: Private apartment
Size: 3 bedrooms
Project duration: 11 weeks
Designers: Caroline Chin-Geyler and stylist Jeannette of Arete Culture
Charged with the challenge of renovating the apartment was Arete Culture founder Caroline Chin-Geyler and interior stylist Jeannette. “During our initial first few meetings, they shared how they love to entertain and would have groups of friends come to their sprawling black-and-white home. They were concerned their new home would not offer them the space to indulge in this.”
The Arete Culture duo reconfigured the layout, gutted the whole kitchen and bathroom, changed the flooring, and created extra storage for the homeowners throughout the apartment.