fbpx WALK-UP APARTMENT : MOVING HOUSE - Open Studio
MOVING HOUSE
joo chiat
MOVING HOUSE
joo chiat

TYPOLOGY
RESIDENTIAL
AREA
120 SQM

Movement is key in this apartment set on Joo Chiat Road. Perched at the topmost floor of a low-rise apartment building built in the 60s, Moving House is an aspirational first home to a young couple and their two dachshunds. Circulation was worked into an end-less loop with no cul-de-sacs, a unique feature that is different from typical layouts where each room is usually a dead end. This purposeful intervention amplifies the amount of space serving the fast-paced lives of the couple, centered around meaningful spaces in an organic flow.

Crafted as a monochromatic respite from the visual noise of the streets, the layout was spatially reorganised to prioritise the quieter rear area for private spaces, while moving the communal spaces to the front to absorb the hustle bustle of the main street. The aesthetic direction of this walk-up apartment reflects the client’s aspirations of living in a New York loft as well as respond to the shop house site context, drawing contrast of old textures with new modern surfaces.

Moving is manifested both in the spatial configuration and in its emotive sensibilities, evoking the senses through the use of textures & material, light and sound.

 

Feature: Living the loft life, Design – THE BUSINESS TIMES

Feature: House Collectors 老屋新藏家 EP2 | Philip/Cheryl: Movement Is Key – YouTube

Conversational and activity spaces were located to front the main street.
A textural double-volume core acts as the visual and spatial anchor.
A niche carved out to house a mini-bar. Raw textures are balanced with modern matte surfaces.
Passageway between the living room and home theatre. This transitional space is greeted with a river-like basin.
The mezzanine suspends over the kitchen island allowing culinary showmanship.
The dining table balances over the 3-metre kitchen island creating a subtle architectural order to the space.
Under the mezzanine, the dining area imbues intimacy to a space meant for deep, meaningful conversations.
Organised mess is made possible with considerate detailing elevating daily functional needs.
Warm and cool surfaces create textural contrast between this concrete top and titanium-coated stainless steel base.
The dramatic floating black kitchen bar spanning 3-metres.
The sculptural spiral stair form lends its elegant efficiency.
Diffused lighting was employed throughout the house to create hospitable, atmospheric spaces.
Porous metal mesh increases visual connection to lower spaces while diminishing the mezzanine volume, expressing soft industrial flair.
A custom staircase and dog slide forms a simple transition to the bedroom, embracing circulation as a dramatic entry/exit.
Soft cuboidal volumes coupled with textural pleats form a calming and relaxing backdrop to the bedroom.
The glass wardrobe is a free-standing volume, encouraging an end-less loop through from bed to bath.
As a stunning showpiece, the glass wardrobe elegantly separates the sleep area from the ablution area.
The ablution area was designed in consideration of adjacencies and movement, with pitstops for one to perform their dressing up/down ritual.
Glass surfaces for wardrobes contrast sleek with raw against the textural granite finishes in the bath area.
Sandwiched between the wc and shower stalls, the vanity area borrows natural daylight and overlooks a private tree-lined street.
Considerate detailing enables a functional, yet clutter-free vanity area.
Wrapped completely in a black granite finish, abundant daylight pours into the newly positioned dual-shower stall.
The Moving House is shaped as an aspirational first home finished in a dark monochromatic palette as a visual respite to enhance the colourful character of the neighbourhood.
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