The couple had even hosted 40 people (prior COVID-19) for movie screenings in their 4-room home!
“I drew inspiration from a colleague during my reservice, he had a home theatre as well,” says Brandon, the artist who lives in this 4-room BTO flat with his wife and one-year-old son. “The projector technology cost around $2,000, what you’ll normally pay for a 90-inch television – but it’s a decent investment since we get a much wider screen out of it.”
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And, there’s the additional benefit of adaptability as well – once the couple retracts the projector, the ‘theatre’ returns to its normal state: a Scandinavian-inspired living room that places emphasis on both “form and function”, which is a concept that’s also applied in other areas of the 92 sqm home.
About himself and his family
Brandon (B): Hi, I’m Brandon and I live here with my wife, Tan Yin, and one-year-old son. We’re both artists, now working from home [laughs]. My wife is a 3D designer in an advertising firm, while I am a game developer for Ubisoft.
About the home’s concept
B: We did some homework to find out which style we preferred before approaching any IDs. The main idea was to build a ‘soothing’ space; something simple and clean that also provides comfort after a hectic work day.
On changes made to the living room
B: We needed a lot of storage space for our son’s toys and our own collectibles, which is why the living room is outfitted with built-ins that span from floor to ceiling. The settee/theatre area has niches and compartments in both its columns and underneath the seats – that’s where we stash our books and projector when they’re not in use.
When asked why they decided to place an additional cabinet behind their sofa, Brandon shared that they didn’t “have a lot of space in the foyer between the household shelter, dining area and entryway, so building one there is out of the question.”
On changes made to the dining area and kitchen
B: The kitchen was open-concept in the original floor plan, but grease and smoke produced when we cooked concerned us since it’s practically merged with the dining area. In the end, we used glass sliding doors to partition both spaces as it doesn’t cover up our line of sight.
Though the family home’s colour scheme is “relatively pale”, they decided that they should have colour accents, but they “didn’t differentiate it much and kept it subdued”.
B: Having handles in the kitchen is rather troublesome – your clothes tend to get tangled as you move about. It’s just not a very pleasant experience and that’s why we kept to a seamless look.
I wanted to use glass for the backsplash but my wife and May, our interior designer from Meter Square, vetoed my decision saying that it’s outdated [laughs]. Instead, we used a marble-look tile that gives off a much classier feel. I think it pairs well with our quartz tabletop.
To unify the spaces, May helped the couple replace the original cabinet covers (on the left) with the wood used to fashion other features in the home.
On changes made to their spare room
B: Rather than converting the spare room into a walk-in wardrobe, we used that space to build a study – it was a must for us because Tan Yin does traditional art on A3 canvases, and we needed to find a storage solution for those.
May constructed a special cabinet on the left (of the door) for us – it has a depth of 70cm compared to the usual 60cm, so that’s where all the canvases go now.
The study is “conducive” and has enough space for “huge monitors for doing artwork” as the couple now works from home.
On changes made to the master bedroom and playroom
B: We kept to a light palette and flushed all our cabinetry to the walls because we wanted the house looking as spacious as possible – using wood-look vinyl throughout would just defeat the purpose as it might make the spaces look darker. It’s why we applied it in selected areas like the playroom, study and master bedroom.
“For visual continuity, we reused the same blue shade in the dining area for the master bedroom,” shared the homeowner.
B: To create a safe space for my son, his playroom only consists of a bed and a carpet. But, we did spend 3 days, around 8 hours per day, to paint up a mural for him. We just wanted to give him a personal piece of art.
About working with Meter Square and May
B: We used the Qanvast app as well as other platforms to find and connect with interior designers. We wanted to find someone that suits our design intentions best – I think we shortlisted around three before deciding to work with Meter Square.
I found that some of the ideas pitched to us were not very practical, and that’s why Meter Square stood out more – not only was the design nice and functional, the lady boss’, May’s, processes were really good, very structured. All the prices are declared in black and white too, which I really appreciate because I get to see the cost instead of getting just a rough gauge. It’s really ironed out.
Before purchasing any furnishings, the couple often consulted with May to see if it would be a great fit for the house as well.
May was especially efficient. The renovation was completed in 3 weeks – she was really great in coordinating the whole project, we didn’t have to be very involved, and working with her put our minds at ease too.
To sum up
B: Aside from the convertible home theatre, we have a few other spots in the home that we really love – the study is one such case. From the ambient lighting to the expansive work station, it’s really conducive space for us, especially now that we’re working from home. That’s why I feel that the money we spent is worthwhile.
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