Sticks And Stones

An artful exploration of utilitarian materials in this loft apartment leads to engaging design features and a seamless transition between the private and communal zones

- Disa Tan

While most people try to play it safe with their first property, married couple Paul and Cheryl defied convention with a truly odd-shaped apartment. The floor plan says it all. With rooms that fan out to soak up views of the outdoors, the layout presented a unique shape and an awkward disconnection between the communal zones and private bedrooms. The homeowners knew that they needed a designer who could step up to the spatial challenges and turn these oddities into shining features of the apartment.

Everything soon fell into place when they engaged Creative Director Dennis Cheok from UPSTAIRS_, whom they were confident could fully deliver on the design brief. He gamely ventured into the transformation with much ingenuity and foresight. He reveals, “In terms of spatial planning, each of the rooms was much too compact to the homeowners’ liking, and we were tasked to completely remodel the flow of the space to create larger spaces for entertaining, cooking, dressing and rest.”

A complete reshuffle in the configuration of the layout soon ensued. The design team started with a blank slate as they hacked away walls. “Having gutted the entire apartment, we reconfigured the spatial planning to flow seamlessly,” recalls Dennis. “We then created spaces and furnishings with multiple functions to maximize efficiency.”