Living @ Rumah Beacon

346

Modern Luxury
Condo
~1,100 sqft
3 br
Living with Friends

A general white scheme was chosen to keep things simple and let the artifact and furniture collection stand out. The floors tiles are polished glazed porcelain tiles simulating natural stone that strengthen the modern luxury theme. Detailing was an important consideration - from the 0.15mm grout line between tiles to the requirement for shadow gap in the ceiling and between the built-in shoe cabinet and wall. Except for the shoe cabinet, all other furniture in the living room is movable for flexibility to reorder the space in future. To give the illusion of depth, cove lighting along the length of the living room was created, and with the use of Philips Hue lightstrip, the living room is transformed into a fun space with 16 million light colours to choose from.
In the foreground is a candelabra* by Stoff Nagel standing on the Slit Table** by HAY. The LG Posé TV beside was selected for its clean all-around design and gallery feel. Further down the wall is a copper statue (Untitled - Jesus Holding Sheep II) by renowned Singaporean sculptor and arts educator - the late Brother Joseph McNally, who founded LASALLE College of the Arts and whom McNally Street is named after. *The candelabra comprising 7 individual Candle Holder pieces stacked on the Stand is a Danish relaunch of a 60s design icon. The stackable approach allows for the addition of more Candle Holder pieces to create unique configurations. It was sourced from Tokyo and Seoul as Stoff Nagel is unavailable locally. **The beautifully simple yet distinctive design of HAY’s Slit Table is inspired by origami. By folding the plate frame underneath the tabletop to form the table legs, the art of folding paper is represented in steel, and in doing so a slit emerges where the two edges meet, thus giving the table its name. This table in polished stainless steel (mirror) finish had to be indented and had a 4 month waiting time!
For convenience, a full height shoe cabinet with a niche stands by the doorway, and the doorway is lit by recessed downlight which can be controlled from a switch in the shoe cabinet’s niche and from another switch on the wall outside the bedrooms. To maintain the general white scheme of Rumah Beacon, the inside face of the main door was painted white since condominium by-laws do not allow the original main door (finished in birch) to be changed. Special attention was given to details and therefore, Formica’s ColorCore Brite White laminate was chosen for the shoe cabinet. For ColorCore laminates, the color goes all the way through the material, and it comes in dimensions of 1.22m x 3.05m; thereby eliminating ugly dark edges and the need for joints. To mitigate the interface between different finishes of the cabinet and wall, a vertical shadow gap was introduced. Above the piano is a signboard carved with the words “hiap huat” (協發) which means “collaborate to prosper”. Hoon (雲) refers to Yunxiao County where the ancestors came from. This signboard was specially commissioned for Rumah Beacon and references a long-lost signboard which used to hang in the home of Ye Ye and Ah Ma. This signboard is also sized and positioned such that it covers the unsightly bomb shelter vent.
The niche in the shoe cabinet hides the intercom and light switches, and the LED lightstrip’s reflection against the all white niche turns it into a light box; providing diffused lighting to the doorway. Having a niche by the doorway has been very useful as items needed upon reaching home (e.g. hand sanitizer and AC remote control) or when leaving home can be placed there.
Another view of the living room looking towards the balcony, separated by glass sliding door and floor-to-ceiling day curtains from Drapes Studio which help soften and accentuate the height of the space. Ripple fold sewing style requiring additional fabric was used to achieve a more premium look. When the curtains are drawn, the living room appears larger as the floor level of the balcony was topped up to match the living room and the same glazed porcelain floor tiles were used. The balcony can be converted into an indoor space by the press of a button to activate the motorized blinds.
Giving the general white scheme of Rumah Beacon that pop of colour is the limited-edition Ligne Roset 50th anniversary Togo* small settee upholstered in “La Toile du Peintre” from Maison Pierre Frey. The contemporary tapestry with large graphic pattern and vibrant colors reinterprets a work by artist Heather Chontos. Mum chose this piece as she felt it was super comfortable and the upholstery was unique. Next to the Togo is the Panthella Floor; providing atmospheric illumination to the space. The designer and architect Verner Panton (1926-1998) created Panthella together with Louis Poulsen in 1971. Panthella stands out as one of Panton’s most significant design icons with its organic shape that mirrors the softest of light. Panton intended to create a light where both the stand and the shade served as a reflector, combining it with the organic shapes the Danish designer is known for. The cushion covers called “Kampong Gelam” and depicting icons from the precinct of the same name are from Onlewo. *The Togo is one of the most iconic sofas ever designed by Michel Ducaroy in 1973 for Ligne Roset, each piece is hand sewn in the small French village of Briord.