Cosmopolitan minimalism meets colonial grandeur

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Cosmopolitan minimalism meets colonial grandeur

“Would my cat knock this display over or get injured with this furnishing?”

Creating a home for design-conscious kitty owners is always a tough task, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your apartment’s interiors for your furry friend.

The key to having a style meets functionality apartment for you and your feline friend in this cosmopolitan city is to go with a minimalist design that still comes with iconic features.

In coming up with the design for this apartment in High Street, Clifton drew inspiration from Japanese minimalism and colonial grandeur through the use of a simple palette of earth colours such as white, light brown, grey and light blue, and New York-inspired design features such as white brick walls and industrial lighting. Not only is the simple and cosy look cat-friendly, it also makes the apartment more spacious, while the apartment’s sleekness caters to the design-conscious young owners.

With a focus on strong construction details, one of the highlights of the apartment is a curved brick wall that comes with textured appearance. To achieve that, Clifton skipped the plastering process to give the home a more rustic and natural look. Not only is the curved wall aesthetically intriguing, the designer also took into consideration the aspect of safety for the young couple’s cat and future children.

To cat-proof the apartment, the furniture used are of appropriate height for the cat to jump off, such as the TV cabinet in the living room, which also doubles up as a “runway” for the beloved pet to “catwalk”. The furniture used is also made for simple cleaning, including the sofa made of cloth. The flooring is made of engineered wood, which, unlike solid hardwood, is made of several wood layers that are fused together under heat and pressure. Finished with Osmo Oil and its vegetable oil-based finishes, which are eco-conscious and internationally certified safe product, the flooring is durable and versatile, especially for pet owners.

Again, we see the white brick feature wall used in the study-cum-master bedroom, which is contrasted with a black study table and shelf. An especially unique feature of the feature wall is how it is a textured portion is blended with a brick wall section in an effortless rustic manner. Not only is this striking, it also gives a touch of grandeur, reminiscent of the black and white colonial bungalows in tropical climate colonies. The apartment’s cat is also not forgotten in the aesthetics of the design with the thoughtful touch of putting a cat sticker on the door near the knob.

The classic white brick wall is also extended to the washroom, bringing a cohesive throughout the apartment. The use of many mirrors and mirror cabinets create an illusion of infinite space, opening up the small bathroom area. A frosted glass panel is also embedded in the wall separating the bathroom and kitchen, which helps to bring in the natural light from the kitchen while maintaining the privacy of the occupants.

A simple Japanese design is used in the guest bedroom, which is not only soothing and easy on the eye, but also chic and feline-friendly with it being clutter-free and round edges used. The guest bedroom is intended to be a place for the couple’s parents to stay in when they come to visit. As such, unlike the rest of the apartment, there is more use of wood and a light brown shade, which creates an inviting and warm atmosphere for them.

A tiled wall, inspired by vintage British glossy tiles that are put together in a simple and stunning design, is the highlight of the kitchen. To complement the feature wall, minimalist grey storage units are used along with backlights, which make the kitchen feel cosy and seem bigger. Another space-saving feature is a table that is simple white dining table that can be hidden when it is not in use. Wheels are also attached to the table, which makes it mobile, giving more flexibility for the couple to move it around when needed.