House Tour: A calming palette and well-planned space

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Lawrence Puah, the design director, reviewed a few of the properties Wen Shun and Charissa had shortlisted. Ultimately, they decided to purchase this three-bedroom unit in Bukit Timah after he offered them his opinion on which layout would be best for them.

Lawrence applied the same structural approach to interior design as he did to all of his projects. The interior was conceived as a series of interlocking volumes that he could add or subtract to produce a composition of solids and voids. It has been meticulously designed to pull you in as you move seamlessly from one space to the next.

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Let’s start with the kitchen located immediate to the left of the main entrance. An open- concept kitchen and dining area was created by hacking existing walls. The open kitchen is ideal for the couple because they rarely cook, so they don’t have to worry about smoke or grease. A generous island serves as a dining table for six, kitchen work surface, and a desk. Below are storage drawers.

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By using a consistent palette across different spaces, visual and spatial continuity is established. The wall that extends from the main entrance, along the kitchen-dining area, and to the windows in the living room, was painted with a special effects paint from Wallco.

In grey shades and patterns the paint were customised to match the cement-look of Lamitak’s Urban Slate laminates on the full-height kitchen cabinets and living room feature wall on the other side.

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The ceiling above the kitchen-dining area is covered with light wood laminates cut into thin strips, applied to plywood base strips, and mounted on the ceiling to mimic a timber strip effect at a fraction of the cost. In addition to adding dimension to a flat surface, the strips add depth.

This detail can also be seen under the island, on the feature wall recess, and along the corridor wall to the bedroom doors. As the ceiling height drops above the kitchen dining area and then rises towards the living area, you get a sense of compression and expansion, which further entices you into the house.

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One of the bedrooms is the couple’s master suite, one is reserved for their son, and the third is used as a study. Lawrence explored a few alternative options for these rooms. He created a few different possibilities without resorting to extensive hacking by repositioning some doors.

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Ultimately, the homeowners decided to use the room with the attached terrace as their master bedroom. Despite it not being the largest room, they enjoyed having a private outdoor space right outside their door. They give their son the largest room with the most windows, which are floor to ceiling on one wall and wrap halfway around the adjoining wall.

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Water seepage issues resulted in stains and damage to the floor directly below the windows in the 16-year-old condominium unit. Although the existing timber flooring in the bedrooms needed to be replaced, any subsequent water seepage could cause serious damage.

Lawrence initially proposed a full timber floor in the bedrooms, but he decided to change this by adding a cement screed border around the internal perimeter of each room. The cement-screed not only reduces any negative impact from future water seepage, but also ties into the style and material of the building’s interior, he says.

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The couple spent approximately $150,000 on the renovation, which took four months. In May 2021, they moved in one month later than expected due to the water seepage and drainage issues.

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Wen Shun and Charissa feel that their new home has a more “mature look” than their previous home, which was more Muji-esque. “We love the neutral colour palette, with its light, mid and dark tones of whites, greys, and blacks. It also incorporates the natural elements like wood and cement that Lawrence knew we wanted to use.”

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Every project is about pushing the boundaries for Lawrence. “Sometimes, I also push my luck,” he quips jokingly. Although some clients are receptive to his ideas, others may be hesitant at first. Ultimately, how he wins clients over with his designs is all that matters.

Photography: Vee Chin
Art Direction: Kristy Quah

This article was originally published in Home & Decor.