Room Tour: It's All Drama in This Open-Plan Living-Dining Space
Want to make a statement? Try potent colour and pattern combos with strong shapes
Having seen their designs in various forms of media, the owner of this house approached Design Intervention when her husband and her purchased a terrace house. She wanted “a striking colour palette, and referenced many such images from some of our recent projects,” says Nikki Hunt, interior designer and founder of the firm. “But this was a much smaller space than the projects referenced and I was conscious of the risk of overpowering or overcrowding the space with too rich a design. The challenge for this room was to deliver the drama the client was looking for while maintaining a light, open feel,” Hunt adds.
The designers used a base palette of soft lavender, cool blues and gentle greys. “These colours provide a cooling backdrop to which we have added stronger hues and patterns to give a depth to the design,” says Hunt. Two tones of lavender, Gala Glitter (NP PB 1462 D) and Solitaire (NP PB 1466 9) by Nippon Paint, are used as stripes and blocks of colour on the walls, adding depth to the design. The designers then framed the colour blocks with mirrored trim to simulate architectural mouldings. “This gives the room a glamorous, yet contemporary edge while the reflective quality helps expand the space visually,” Hunt explains. The ceiling is painted an icy blue, Bright Steel (3177) also by Nippon Paint, for a receding effect.
Furniture shapes and proportions were carefully considered and custom-designed to make the room feel larger. “The client had asked for a dark, dramatic sofa,” says Hunt. As the biggest piece of furniture, the designers felt a dark sofa would overwhelm the room. “Instead, we used a lighter tone for the sofa front and kept the proportions low and streamlined. By adding a contrasting animal print fabric for the back and sides, we still gave our client the drama that she was hoping for.”
Furniture shapes and proportions were carefully considered and custom-designed to make the room feel larger. “The client had asked for a dark, dramatic sofa,” says Hunt. As the biggest piece of furniture, the designers felt a dark sofa would overwhelm the room. “Instead, we used a lighter tone for the sofa front and kept the proportions low and streamlined. By adding a contrasting animal print fabric for the back and sides, we still gave our client the drama that she was hoping for.”
More drama is achieved in the dining area, with the capiz (windowpane oyster) shell chandelier. Hunt says: “It is deliberately oversized to make a strong design statement. It draws the eye to the back of the room, visually expanding the space. We used strong colours on the dining chairs for the same reason. The dining area is the darker part of the room as all the windows are in the front. The strong colours add life and brighten the darker space. As you enter the house, your eye is drawn to these strong visual elements at the back and this visually expands the room.”
The dining chairs and sideboard are a bolder, warmer teal to subtly contrast against the lavender and icy blue. “The teal fabric on the chairs has a subtle animal print which adds richness,” says Hunt. The backs of the chairs are covered in a black floral fabric by Christian Lacroix. “It adds an unexpected touch of whimsy and combines all the colours used in the home.”
The dining chairs and sideboard are a bolder, warmer teal to subtly contrast against the lavender and icy blue. “The teal fabric on the chairs has a subtle animal print which adds richness,” says Hunt. The backs of the chairs are covered in a black floral fabric by Christian Lacroix. “It adds an unexpected touch of whimsy and combines all the colours used in the home.”
Echoing the watery ambience that they had created for the living and dining areas is a seascape painting hung above the sideboard. “I saw this painting when I was browsing an accessories store and knew that it was just perfect for this space,” says Hunt.
This project was shortlisted for Global Award for Best Living space at the London-based Design et al‘s International Design and Architecture Awards.
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Who lives here: A family with two teenage sons
Location: Yio Chu Kang
Designer: Design Intervention
As with the terrace house topology, the living and dining areas are adjoined in the open-plan configuration. “The room was originally one long space; we added an archway detail to give some definition to the room,” Hunt, who worked on this project with designer Kylie Tan, says.