Formula For Success

This silver winner of the Best Residential Design Apartment (2,001 sq ft and over) category at the Interior Design Confederation Singapore’s 2021 Design Excellence Awards is an open and airy home that exemplifies simplicity in design. Lynn Tan checks it out.

- Lynn Tan

The interior design of this home began with a simple brief from homeowners Kang Hien, a 43-year-old pilot, and his wife, a 41-year-old civil servant. “With two growing children, we needed plenty of storage. My wife and kids are also avid readers, so reading nooks around the house are a plus. We also wanted to incorporate the use of rattan,” says Kang Hien, who entrusted the interior design to Hsu Hsia Pin, a partner at EHKA Studio, who designed their previous home, which he recalled as “an enjoyable experience”. Knowing Hsia Pin since they were both 13 may also account for their good rapport.

Despite being designed by the same person, these two apartments couldn’t be more different. “We introduced many curved walls in the old apartment to reflect those of the grand piano that they owned. Although they loved the design, they gave up the piano, so we thought we should try something different this time without curved walls,” says Hsia Pin.

A lookbook the couple put together from books, the Internet, and images from their travels helped Hsia Pin create a space that blended Japanese lightwoods and Scandinavian furniture. The entryway features a screen panel that integrates plenty of shoe and bag storage instead of built-in cabinets to prevent clutter.