Project by: Arjan
Cost: $80,000
Tasked with incorporating a mix of Peranakan, Japanese and Mid-Century themes, Arjan had successfully brought together different elements from these themes to create a beautifully designed home with personal touches.
Before – Living Room
After – Living Room
“A lot of inspiration came from the 1950s, which is considered Mid-Century, as well as from Japan,” Arjan shared. “Hence, a lot of the colours were kept bright and airy to gel with the Japanese theme, while adding in a sprinkle of Peranakan colours since it can be quite heavy.”
The architectural detailing on the floor is made up of a solid wood perimeter border around the marbled flooring. To break away from the usual feature walls commonly found in homes, a feature ceiling was created to add texture to the space.
“I find that feature walls tend to make the space a bit crammed, cluttered and dark,” he said. “So I tend to prefer creating feature ceilings instead as adding texture gives a more dramatic look.”
“As there are a lot of things happening within the small apartment, adding texture also helps to zone the space to keep the rest of the place simple and straightforward.”
Before – Dining Room
After – Dining Room
“The art piece that you see on the wall of the dining area was actually a gift from me,” Arjan shared. “There’s a sunrise, and it kind of symbolises a new beginning for my homeowner since she had moved back here from Japan and this is her first home since moving back.”
The custom dining table is extendable and can seat up to 6 persons when fully extended.
Before & After – Kitchen
In the kitchen, customised carpentry and a change of flooring tiles were done due to the small space that Arjan had to work with. “We tried a new profile on the bottom cabinet as we wanted to streamline it, but added texture to it as we did not want it to look too flat,” he said. “The handmade brass handles and wood base were used to give off the Mid-Century vibes.”
The top cabinets were kept white to keep the space as open as possible.
“For the floors, we used terrazzo tiles and decided on yellow flakes to add that Peranakan touch to it,” Arjan explained. “The idea is that when you walk in, you are able to see heaviness from wood and texture but colours make it spacious and light.”
Before & After – Bathroom
In the common bathroom, Japanese-inspired tiles were matched with white subway tiles to give it a Japanese feel.
To see more of Arjan’s work, visit his profile at The Happitat.
