Luxury Homes: A striking duplex dwelling inspired by mid-century modern stylings

After having experimented with various home designs such as industrial and vintage styles in the past, J-sen Ong and his family decided on a Mid-Century Modern-influenced home with a neutral colour palette. The family home is a 1,350sqf duplex three-bedroom condominium apartment, which J-sen and his wife share with their daughter and son.

Keeping surfaces such as the walls and ceilings white, many of the walnut-finished customised furniture take centre stage in the home.

The couple enjoys entertaining friends at house parties, and share many whiskey-drinking nights with them in the balcony so a dedicated "bar" is housed on the upper floor. "We also find whisky bottles especially charming. From the intricate faceted bottles of Hibikis to the retro-glam bottles of Macallan to the handsome sleek Auchentoshan, they make a beautiful spirits counter," shares J-sen.

"We like natural-looking furniture. We sourced our wooden furniture from vintage and flea stores like Noden and Hock Siong. We spent a long time selecting our furniture and imagining how they will look when put together. One of our favourite pieces is a vintage American oakwood credenza from Noden. This piece is made using solid 200-year-old oakwood that has been fully refurbished to its original 1960's condition," says J-sen.

The homeowners are collectors of vintage items, pottery and paintings. Many corners of the home are decorated with their favourite pieces, adding much character to the spaces.

Lots of cabinets and shelves were added in the kitchen to ensure there's enough storage for tableware and cookware.

About their display items and decor accesories at home, J-sen shares: "we love the unique glaze on our collection of vintage pottery, many of which cannot be replicated because of the ban on certain toxic glaze chemicals such as some types of selenium. We got many of them through friends in Germany, Netherlands, Poland and UK. They are not considered rare in Europe, but it seems like they are not common in this part of the world."

The couple loves their teak dining table and coffee tables, and decided to move them over from their previous place.