Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Cool Hookups for a Modern Scandinavian HDB Maisonette
Who knew that hooks could make a living space both utilitarian and edgy?
Designers can unearth the beauty in anything and for this maisonette, design director Raymond Seow from Free Space Intent turned to the most mundane of all things – hooks – to transform the space. Through clever repetition, he turned this common household item into an edgy ceiling installation. “We took style cues from the male homeowner’s occupation,” Seow says. “He’s a graphic designer and his work involves layouts and grid lines so the neat arrangement of hooks pays tribute to his line of work.”
While some areas of the resale home underwent an extensive overhaul (like the previously enclosed kitchen), Seow and the homeowners decided to retain the staircase. They felt that its old-school design details fit in well with the overall style, and only needed refinishing. Seow says: “Re-staining not only made the staircase look as good as new, it kept the renovation costs down.”
Knowing that homeowners have always dreamt of cooking in an open-concept kitchen, Seow took to demolishing all the boundary walls which enclosed the cook space. The next thing to do in the new open-concept kitchen was to demarcate this area from the rest of the communal zones. Using laminate finishes with light-coloured woodgrain for the walls and cabinetry, he outlined the space with an open and light-filled Scandinavian flair. Even the flooring of homogeneous tiles with a similar finish, makes a visible difference from the cement screed flooring.
An open plan layout for the kitchen also means the homeowners can cook and entertain at the same time. It is truly the heart of the home as it features an island which serves as a multi-purpose worktop for grabbing quick meals, prepping food or just chilling out with guests.
An installation of hooks spans across the entire home (even in the master bathroom) forming the highlight of the home. The design element combines function, edginess and unpretentiousness. The multitude of black hooks provide options for hanging air plants, or relocating the wiring of the hanging pendant lamps to wherever the homeowners need more light.
Seow utilised lengthy extents for wiring for the pendant lamps to allow the homeowners creative freedom to switch up the positions of their lights. The far-reaching black wiring also complements the black cornices, which discreetly conceals the unsightly wiring along the ceiling line.
Things are kept simple and pared-down in terms of colour use and design elements. A streamlined dual-sided TV console and wardrobe add to the airy and spacious modern Scandinavian style. The dual-function fixture also serves as part of the walk-in wardrobe, which shares the same entrance as the ensuite bathroom, and can be shut out via a sliding door.
The hook installation once again comes into play in the master bathroom, which is finished with cement screed and woodgrain-look homogeneous floor tiles.
Before concluding this home’s tour, it’s hard not to mention the striking Scandi-industrial details of the front entrance. Old-school ventilation blocks set the design language right from the beginning while the green plants extend a warm invite.
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TELL US
What did you find most striking about this home? Let us know in the Comments section.
MORE
See more Scandinavian designs
Who lives here: A married couple
Location: Resale HDB maisonette in Serangoon
Size: 157 square metres (1,700 square feet)
The colour scheme Seow implemented is decidedly neutral and uniform to establish the modern Scandinavian style the homeowners wanted. While it does fulfil the clean and modern Scandinavian aesthetic, the designer felt that it lacked a warm, homely feel. He says: “Design is all about balance. I believe in applying other elements like greenery and woodgrain to contrast the clean colour palette.” The touch of green and earthy accents does the trick in tempering the starkness of the cement screed flooring and off-grey backdrop to good effect.