Life Imitates Art

A couple's favourite art and objects set the tone for their new apartment home.

- Isabelle Tow

The Brief

Well-known for their consistent language of clean-lined and unpretentious designs, as seen from their impressive and fast-growing oeuvre of interior works, Monocot Studio is often approached by homeowners wanting an imprint of their signature style in their abodes. For their uniquely bespoke twist, the owners of this Tiong Bahru flat presented Monocot's principal designer Mikael Teh with their collection of art, on which the visual tone of the apartment would be based.

Of the pieces, the largest, a Gauguin-like printed throw by Uruguayan artist Maite Garcia that the owners have displayed as a wall hanging in the living room, supplies inspiration for the apartment's colour palette. To allow the saturated hues of burnt orange, seaweed green, and straw in the 1.4m x 1.8m woven blanket to pop, Mikael maintained a tightly restrained backdrop, so that furniture pieces and accessories echoing those accent shades make a striking impression.

Monocot's affinity for honest and pared-back materials like raw plywood shows up in the cabinetry in the kitchen and bedrooms as well as the concrete screed and parquet two-toned floors. Enlivening this formulaic approach are statement features and a smattering of the owners' personal knickknacks-the terracotta kitchen countertop, an upcycled crate-tunedcoffee table in the sitting area, and kitschy collectibles from cigarette paper brands to music festivals that either adorn the walls or act as stylish throws.

Living room

The living room succinctly captures the apartment's design language: a blend of Nordic modernist sensibilities and Asian tropicality under one roof.

Sitting area