Singapore may be known as the Garden City, but it’s no lie that the country is also a growing urban jungle of concrete skyscrapers. Amidst the rat race of life, one could be forgiven for seeking a refuge of calm in one’s home━and this architect’s self-designed 4-bedroom condo unit, lined in veneers of oak, is just that.
Breaking down the 4th bedroom to create an extended living space
Image credit: Forge Studios
Knocking down the walls of a home does two things: it creates more open space, which in turn brightens the home. In the case of this 1,400sqft apartment, the 4th bedroom was transformed into an extension of the living room.
The ID firm which executed this architect-owner’s design, Forge Studios, managed to secure additional tiles from the developer to replace the flooring of the bedroom, seamlessly merging the spaces. Look to the ceiling, however, and you’ll find an oak-lined false ceiling that subtly demarcates them, whilst giving the home an understated sense of luxury.
Image credit: Forge Studios
Besides the ceiling, the rooms are also cleverly segmented with two standalone wooden pillars that also house decorative nooks on one side, and bookshelves on the other.
Image credit: Forge Studios
That’s not their only function━they conceal sliding wooden doors which then give the family an option to close off the room.
Making a statement with boldly veined granite
Image credit: Forge Studios
The entire home is done up in carefully bookmatched oak veneer sheets, reminiscent of a ryokan, but standing out against the soft wood is the granite wall of the extended living area. Veined with bold swirls of black and white, the feature wall brings to mind moving sand art, adding movement to the stately tranquility of the room.
Image credit: Forge Studios
One might assume that the granite wall is just that━a feature wall━but in reality, it extends out to reveal a multi-purpose table.
Image credit: Forge Studios
Measuring in at 3m by 1.6m, it comprises 2 matching stone slabs that required precise cutting so as to ensure a seamless finish whether the table was extended or tucked back into the wall.
The same granite lines the counter beneath the window that looks into the kitchen from the corridor, creating a cohesive look throughout the home.
Image credit: Forge Studio
Image credit: Forge Studios
The use of granite extends into the master bedroom, where it was repurposed as a lift-top cover for a set of chest of drawers in the master bedroom, while a corresponding leftover piece was cut out into an integrated tray for knick knacks.
Ryokan-inspired wooden windows & walls
Image adapted from: Forge Studios
Balancing out the abundance of solid surfaces in this condo are Japanese lattice windows and doors━known respectively as renji-mado and koushidou. The windows, in particular, conceal the home’s air conditioning units so the white units don’t stick out like sore thumbs.
Before and after the renovation.
Image adapted from: Forge Studio
Rather than having the walls of the home’s corridor clad in sterile, clean oak veneer, the homeowner decided to add texture through the use of thin oak strips, placed so they create the look of wooden panels lining the space.
Image adapted from: @forgestudiossg
Elsewhere in the living room, the clean, minimalistic space is headlined by a custom-designed TV console that mimics the Japanese lattices of the doors and windows. Wide-spaced lattices create a display shelf on one end of the TV; narrow lattices hide any wires and set-top boxes in the wall-mounted console. Contrastingly, the display ends in an angled shelf against the window━simple, yet elegant.
A hidden study in the master bedroom
Image credit: Forge Studios
While we’ve seen many homeowners carve out space for walk-in wardrobes, this homeowner decided to do the reverse. The walk-in wardrobe that came with the home was cut down, creating a WFH nook within the same space.
In the same way that other less visually aesthetic parts of the home were concealed, this workspace has also been hidden away with a fold-and-hide oak door. Closed, it blends right in with the rest of the home, looking just like yet another cupboard or wood panelled wall.
Architect’s oak-lined, self-designed $180k 4-bedroom condo
Costing a whopping $180k in renovation works, it’s no surprise that the carpentry alone made up $120k of this budget. While this homeowner took it upon himself to design the entire flat, and left it to the ID firm to execute, you can also take inspiration from this wooden sanctuary to create your very own.
For more condo makeovers:
Cover image adapted from: Forge Studios
Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news.
