An Isle of Tile

The opportunity to own one’s own island in this country is almost unheard of, but in the Lowcountry, among all the unique slivers of land, there are a few dramatic plots surrounded entirely by water. One such property—of of Headquarters Island—is not only beautiful for its land-scape but, after an extensive remodel, it is also a vision on the inside.

After choosing an impressive selection of tile from Palmetto Tile Distributors for their new Folly Beach home, the homeowners tasked Palmetto Tile’s manager, Jason Goldberg, with revitalizing a wide range of spaces (including four bathrooms, one powder room, one pool restroom, one kitchen, and one pool) in their second home of of Headquarters Island. Together, they chose a mixture of materials and fnishes to add visual appeal to every surface. 

And A Place to Call Home

When  their  youngest  daughter was  diagnosed  with  a  rare form of  lymphoma,  the McAvoy family was  living  in the northernmost stretch  of Mt. Pleasant, making  their  fartoo-frequent  drive  to  chemotherapy  sessions a real road trip. The family decided it was best to sell their home and move into a rental unit near downtown while they constructed a home closer to MUSC Children’s Hospital.  This  process  placed  a  burden on  their heart  for  other  families  traveling long  distances  to  take  their  sick  children to medical treatments; not only is the journey emotionally taxing, but it is also fnancially  taxing. Matt and Amy began a nonproft organization known as The Journey House, which  currently  funds hotel  stays close  to MUSC  for  families who need  the assistance. Their  future plan  is  to build a home  downtown  to  house  these  families.   

White Out

Exuding a nostalgic Scandinavian flavour, this open and airy home harnesses the best of this clean-cut style

Key Ideas

1. Brick walls are becoming the  hottest commodity as feature walls. Use strips of laminate to outline these coarse walls and make a stronger statement.

2. Claim the Scandinavian look with neutral doses of colour. Pastel, whitewashed and earthy hues all work well in creating a spacious and airy Scandinavian haven.

3.Be sure to select furniture with clean lines too. This helps with furnishing the space with an uncluttered feel.

4. Use fooring to expand the visual size of an area. A long strip of tiles or homogenous fooring from one zone to another can elongate the space effectively.

5. Move the vanity out of the bathroom if there are two people sharing it. Have double sinks so both users can wash up at the same time.

Sleek Sanctuary

Modern design strokes imbue this flat with an idyllic holiday feel

For the couple living in this HDB fat unit, the design of the interior makes their home the perfect place to unwind after a day’s work. Mesmerised by the stylish yet homely feel of service apartments on their trips abroad, they wanted to recreate that feel in their own apartment. To achieve that, they engaged John Chan from Genesis ID and in a mere fve weeks, they were presented with a service apartment-inspired house to call their own.

Doused in a soothing shade of dark brown and laid with marble fooring, the communal space is a vision of relaxation and elegance. Separated into two zones by a full-height display cabinet that provides storage and also doubles up as a divider, the living area features a zone for watching television and another zone for entertainment and games. When not in use, sliding glass panels conceal the screen and other entertainment peripherals.

Sensuous Spaces

This one-bedroom shoe uni is a definite show-stopper with its open versatile living areas, streamlined cabinetry, luxurious detailing and sensuous lighting. 

There are many occasions when it is simply not possible to physically enlarge your home, especially

when you live in a purpose-built block of apartments. However, inspired thinking can hlp you use the space you do have to best effect, at the same time creating the illuson that your home is much bigger than it really is. In this show unit, an edgy, urban vibe is cetainly felt by the palette of cooli idustrial colours of gaphite greys, black and ash browns. The living area is kept simple wit minimal furniture like the 60' inspired wooden-framed sofa filled with comfy pillows in a myriad of grey stripes and a sculptural tree-trunk, which also acts as a side table. A rush of playful colours is introduced by a floor rug which provides a vibrant energy to space. Not only that, accessories, like the framed black and white piece of art, are stylish must-haves for blank walls. 

Rugged Simplicity

Primary elements of loft houses are applied in small doses to create a cosy apartment with a raw edge

Inspired by the edgy industrial feel of loft apartments, the young couple of this four-room fat wanted to recreate that atmosphere in their new home. With that understanding in mind, the designer team from Exin went about to accomplish this task.

In one and a half months, this new apartment was transformed into a cosy and functional home for the pair of newlyweds. Whites, browns and textured surfaces have been cleverly applied in appropriate areas to create a warm, natural look that  can  easily  be  jazzed  up for entertaining.

Nordic Calling

Unpretentiously warm and welcoming, this bachelorette pad’s quiet Swedish style is livened up by dashes of cool blue

Key Ideas

1.Blue is a cool shade so it is very complementary to an all-white colour scheme. It will instantly switch the mood from cold to inviting. 

2. Brighten up dull and petite kitchen spaces with the use of vivid hues  and implement some open shelving. An entire kitchen of closed cabinets will box up the space and make it  look narrow. 

3. Keep multi-purpose rooms versatile with portable furniture. This home’s study room features a desk that slides along the window niche so the settee can be accessed as a spacious reading corner.

4. For a lighter and roomier feel, go for low-lying furniture so it doesn’t hinder your line of vision.

Modest Allure

A simple combination of warm tones added with dashes of glamour create the perfect home for this family of four

At frst glance, this 1300-square-foot condominium unit appears to be a typical modern home. But take a closer look at the attention to detail put into this cosy space and you would notice subtle hints of luxury. Since this apartment located at Loyang is home to a married couple with two children, a welcoming atmosphere is defnitely in line. But above that, the family loves to entertain guests and wanted a distinctive touch, prompting designer Jesper Low from Arc Defne to throw in a unique mix of materials like mosaic tiles and glass. 

Introduced to Jesper by a friend, the homeowners were familiar with Jesper’s design capabilities and hence, confdently left the overhaul project in his hands. Upon entering the home, the subtle glamour is injected with textured wallpaper in a slight shimmer lining one end of the wall. On the other side, full-length black-tinted mirrors create visual space and interest for the dining area. A sparkling ceiling light is also chosen by Jesper to brighten up the space. 

Chocolate Pleasures

Earthy browns and peaceful creams are great colours for interiors. They can be stylish and elegant and match with many other colour schemes.

In this condominium residence, we beleive that designers Sunny Chow and Tony Tao of Sky Creation Design Sdn Bhd, created these beatiful interiors with delicious inspirations from a cup of cappucino with wiped cream, white and dark chocolate, a slic of marble cheesecake or even new leather seats in soft cream and tan colours. All throughout the interior, the primary colıur scheme do not stray away from cream or brown. In the living area the cream is almost white, and the brown almost black, whereas in other spaces, such as the master bedroom, the two colours more pronounced and almost identical. 

Metropolitan Flair

Developer extraordinaire Bolton Berhard merges Manhattan chic and Scandinavian serenity in this apartment beauty, located in Puchong.

This spacious apartment starts off with a stunning view of the living and dining areas, from a sleek neutral sofa surrounded by chrome-finished tables, to a dining table sheathed in gleaming surfaces and flanked by siz crisp white designer chairs. We absolutely adore the stylish mid-century TV bench in a rich shade of honey, a perfect juxtaposition to the contemporary yet ethereal looking drapes which allows plenty of natural light in. But we must admit, the ultimate scene-stealer would be the striking feature wall, a 60's inspired medley of wood, black marble and mirrored surfaces, all placed randomly to create a lively artwork of colour and texture. 

Contemporary Hideout

A soothing Balinese vibe with a modern twist marks the style of this light-filled home

What makes a home a sanctuary for the soul? Is it the aura of calm that envelopes your senses as you relax into a plush sofa or is it the furnishings that evoke memories of a faraway holiday destination? To the owners of this three-bedroom condominium, it is a Balinese theme interspersed with modern design elements that provides a tranquil haven for them. Designer John Kow from Rhiss Interior gave this theme an eclectic twist which is most evident in the shared living and dining area. 

The walls are adorned with wallpaper with a coarse texture akin to that of natural pebbles and one of these wallpapered walls also serve as a living room feature after being fanked symmetrically by two veneer frames. Continuing the horizontal patterns of the frame, the area near the bay windows is installed with dark brown timber blinds to make it more conducive for relaxation. The base of the windows is deliberately left untouched, letting natural light pool at the bottom for a sense of lightness to the space. 

Double Vision

Decorating Ideas

No matter if your home-decorating budget is sky high or, well, limited to somewhere around the tree-tops, achieving a stylish home is never out of the question with these fabulous picks

Foyer 

Go for hardy decor in this high-traffic area; think heavy-duty yet easy-to-clean surfaces. 

Living Room

Start with neutral-coloured basics like couches and rugs. Then, flesh out the decor with accessories that are dear to your heart to create a room with soul and personality. 

Holiday Homecoming

Dressed in finesse, this petite weekend home is the epitome of hotel luxe

Key Ideas

1. It’s common now for the dining, living and kitchen to share the same space so setting a consistent design lingo in this open-plan area is important. Use similar materials and fnishes but in different shades to introduce some visual distinction.

2. Aside from the tried-and-tested mirror trick to enhance the visual size of a space, shiny surfaces like marble fooring and glass can also accentuate the illusion.

3. Opt for sliding pocket doors for small spaces. It eats up less foor area when pulled open and can conjure a more airy feel.

4. Borrow some hotel-inspired elements such as the silver letterings to mark each room. It is sure to add some class!

Back to the Future

Thoughtful remodelling and restoration work unearths the charm of a bungalow built in the eighties

In the midst of the rapid growth and development in capital, preservation does not always happen naturally. Buildings are torn down to make way for new ones that bear no trace of their old structures. Concerned that this architectural amnesia was eroding our heritage, interior designer James Yong took up the challenge to transform a hillside bungalow built in the 1980s while retaining its original character.  

  

The house slants shyly away from the road at a 45-degree angle, resulting in maximised usable building space and added privacy. By contrast, the garden’s design is not what one would call demure. Flamboyant tropical palms in giant pots as well as iconic modern outdoor furniture pieces transform the once unspectacular grounds into a stylish hangout spot. 

A Touch Of Class

Luxury beckons in this two-bedroom apartment unit which is decked out in simple yet sophisticated touches

For most people, the storage space within the home is just as important as any other aspects of a home. And so it came as no surprise when renovating their new home, the young owners of this two-bedroom apartment unit wanted to maximise the space. Designer Daniel Loi of Space Defne was tasked with the apartment’s design and unperturbed by the limited space, decorated the interior in accordance to their storage needs while accommodating to the owners’ style preferences. 

The style of the home is a  simple concept: modern, luxurious with artful arrangements of furnishings and a clever utilisation of colours. To create a bigger entertaining and relaxation area, the living and dining areas were combined into an open-plan space, while keeping the other areas of the home such as the sleeping quarters private. The owners wanted a neutral backdrop, thus walls were painted and wallpapered in white while the foors were laid in pale marble tiles. The background of white walls is complemented with a large TV console in black stucco fnish. 

Chic Sophistication

Classic meets experimental to create a country-styled home that surprises

A European favour marks this 4-room HDB fat unit even before you step foot into its premises. Wood decking lies at the doorway to welcome guests. It is reminiscent of a verandah and the proud owner of this Scandinavian-inspired haven is a bachelorette. Engaging the design team from Renozone, they spent seven weeks transforming the place into what it is now.

For a look that is more country, the fooring of the entire apartment is clad with a timber-like laminate fnish. The walls in the living room and bedrooms are plastered with foral-themed wallpaper to play up the element of countryside living. In the kitchen however, the design moves to one that stems from the raw industrial look.

Malibu Marvel

A luxury duplex apartment in Malibu is the closest thing to perfection with gorgeous aesthetics paired with practical functionality.

Completed in 2009, the 800m² duplex apartment was designed for a young enterprising businessman. On the lower floor, the central idea was to enhance the living area so as to provide maximum integration among the spaces, as is the case with the gourmet kitchen, integrated with the dining-room. Likewise, the stairwell and elevator casing thst provide access to the upper floor were designed in glass, so as to integrate the living-room to the media room and the exterior, where we find the exterior, we find a bold swimming-pool, also built from glass, after thorough superimposed structure and load-bearing calculations. Glazing theelevator case and the clear glass steps on the stairs proved to be major challenges in the design of the apartment. 

Modern Artistry

These modern duplex condominium interiors designed by Nu Infinity unite classy, relaxing styles with a luxurious, upper-class feel.

Acquiring a well-executed modern interior design can result in a really exclusive and luxurious look in a home. This posh residence in Damansara Heights boasts of an array of neutral coloured designer furniture, with a mix of lavish materials and a touch of contemporary to achieve a really elegantly designed home. 

Ultra-luxe Chelsea Apartment

Luxury is brought to a whole new level in this gorgeous Victorian triplex in London. 

This expansive 600sq m triplex resides behind the façade of a Victorian ‘grande dame’ in Chelsea. Purchased as a shell and core of 3 floors, our international client engaged the services of SHH to transform the apartment into a glamorous contemporary haven for him and his family. "Although the floor plan was generous, there were some major challenges to work around” explained Architect Guy Matheson. "The first of these was that there was very little natural light on all floors, including the upper floor, which is also whrere visitors first enter the apartment. We therefore took the unusual decision to ocate the master bedroom on this storey to ensure that the main living quarters on the central storey below benefited from the apartment's major light source - the outside garden. To maintain a dramatic sense of arrival, however, we made the doors to the bedroom suite ‘disappear’, so that the focus instead is on the central stair, which we moved to its present location and which draws visitors’ eyes straight down through the space.”