As first-time homeowners, Timothy Cheng and Elaine Lin were open to exploring various ideas for the interior design of their marital home. The unit was brand new, so interior designer Ruth Tan of EightyTwo had a lot of freedom with the concept.
Style-wise, the couple preferred something contemporary. “We find the industrial style too heavy and Scandinavian, too minimalist; something in-between would be perfect,” says Timothy, who is in his early 30s and works in the legal field. He and Elaine, a nurse in her late 20s, did not want a monotone interior, so they were very excited when Ruth’s proposal incorporated colours.
AT A GLANCE
HOME: A 5-room BTO in Sengkang
SIZE: 1,216 sq ft
WHO LIVES HERE: A young couple
Interior Designer: Eightytwo
Homeowners Love Colours
“I love colours and like to experiment with contrast. They add depth and character to a design when complemented by the right details, finishings and other decorative elements,” says Ruth.
For example, the entrance and the living and dining areas may serve different functions, but they come across as one seamless space.
A small, circular, mustard-coloured seat at the entrance contrasts with the deep green wall, and it is part of a series of built-in cabinets and top-hinged storage compartments that continue along the living room’s back wall.
Plenty Storage Compartments
Suspended above the floor, these storage compartments go right around the corner and continue below the living room windows before turning another 90 degrees and morphing into a TV console.
The entire installation forms a C-shape that wraps around the spaces like a sweeping arm embracing them.
Rounded Curved Walls
All the corners of this built-in feature, as well as most of the edges of the walls, are rounded, which is one of Ruth’s design signatures.
It is not purely for aesthetic reasons, though. For instance, the wall with the TV mounted has a boxed-up detail that terminates in a rounded edge to conceal unsightly cables.
Two-Toned Curved Ceiling
The use of colours and curves extends overhead where Ruth designed a dual-coloured, double-layered, curved ceiling feature over the entrance foyer and living and dining areas.
The light yellow, a similar shade of green as the living room wall, and the different heights of the ceiling add depth and contrast to the spaces.
Semi-Enclosed Kitchen
The green powder-coated sliding and fixed glass panels separating the semi-open kitchen from the dining area sync with the overall colour scheme.
“I cook quite a fair bit, so a semi-enclosed kitchen is more practical,” Timothy points out.
There are more colours and curves in the master bedroom and en suite bathroom.
Bold Colours for Bedroom
The bedroom introduces a bolder combination: blue-green and coral on the built-in wardrobe and ceiling.
The master bathroom, like the common bathroom, has a pop of light yellow on the vanity counter that is the same shade as the ceiling feature in the living area.
The curved details on the vanity tops, washbasins and mirrors in both bathrooms relate back to the main concept.
The mustard grout against the green tiles in the common bathroom always surprises new visitors.
Renovation Cost: $70,000
The couple spent about $70,000 on the renovation, excluding furnishings.
Despite the considerable amount of time to perfect the curved ceiling feature, the renovations took about two-and-a-half months, and the couple moved in a few days before the circuit breaker began.
For Ruth, the project took the play of curves and colour contrasts to unexpected realms. “I enjoyed the process and the challenge of knowing that the homeowners entrusted me to execute it well,” she reflects.
Photography Tan Wei Tee, Art direction Kristy Quah.
This story was first published in October 2021.