SINGAPORE – Luxury retail stores are being designed to feel like the elevated version of a dream home, with plush furniture in elegant spaces that welcome customers to linger while they shop.
This three-bedroom West Coast condominium apartment shows that a residential project can incorporate elements borrowed from the luxury retail realm to create a stylish family home.
Designed by studio Wolf Woof, the 1,066 sq ft apartment is home to a couple in their early 40s – both working in the banking industry – and their two sons, aged 10 and eight.
The couple’s design brief was for a modern luxe home with maximised storage spaces and displays for the wife’s massive collection of crystals and gemstones.
Founder Carmen Tang came up with the idea of designing the space like a high-end jewellery boutique. This required removing an entire galley kitchen, including its carpentry – a bold decision for a unit in a newly built condominium – and a utility bathroom.
“We were attracted by Carmen’s unique designs,” says the wife, who started collecting crystals and gemstones when she was 18 and has now amassed a collection “large enough to open a boutique”.
One side of the opulent foyer is dressed in geometric metallic tiles, and the other features a smoky mirrored finish. An artificial green wall lends a biophilic touch, while a gilded brass table lamp and water feature add soothing light and sound effects.
Around the corner, the space opens up to the living, dining and kitchen area, reimagined as a domestic “jewellery boutique”. The palette comprises dark and metallic shades in a wealth of textures.
Dark vinyl flooring demarcates the dining and kitchen area, which features white sintered stone that stands out among black carpentry and also a hidden door that leads to the utility and laundry area.
Opposite the kitchen island, the crystal and gemstone collections are displayed in custom fur-lined glass cases and wall-mounted storage cabinets with porthole accents.
Paired with velvet-upholstered barstools, these display cases also serve as a bar and a secondary surface for working.
On the other side is the living area, anchored by a custom television console framed with a black-and-gold geometric pattern and crocodile-textured wallpaper.
A plush leather sofa, cowhide rug, brass-finished lighting and glossy black filigree wallpaper complete the opulent look.
The balcony next to the living room has been turned into a workspace for the husband, with Ziptrak blinds which can be lifted to let in fresh air when needed.
Elsewhere, the wife’s workspace has an overhead display for more crystals and gemstones.
The master bedroom features more display cases for the couple’s bags and accessories, and a sumptuous selection of soft furnishings in black and gold.
A challenge was ensuring that the sons’ bedrooms gel with the overall vibe of the apartment without sacrificing their personal styles and making sure they could grow into the spaces over time. Ms Tang achieved this via a slew of dark finishes that serve as a canvas for the boys’ knick-knacks.
The interior transformation, costing $110,000, took four months to finish and the family moved into the home in January.
- This article first appeared in Home & Decor Singapore. Go to homeanddecor.com.sg for more beautiful homes, space-saving ideas and interior inspiration.
