‘When I design,’ says William Chan, founder and lead architect at the Singapore-based studio, Spacedge Designs, ‘I like to erase the previous layout and plan the new space based on the homeowner’s priorities.’
It’s an approach seen to best effect in this 47 sq m public housing flat in Singapore’s Bukit Batok neighbourhood, for which the client, a dyed-in-the-wool minimalist and LEGO afficionado, gave Chan free creative rein.
Given the size of the flat, Chan decided to pare down the interiors, replacing bedrooms and demarcations with a series of low maintenance, laminate cuboid cabinets that hide storage areas for kitchen, wardrobe, fridge and washing machine, while leaving functional spaces such as the shower and bed completely open.
‘I wanted a continuous and organised flow of a continuous open space with no obstructing walls and doors. Rather than having individual rooms, this was, I thought, the ideal solution for a single occupant in a small flat.’
The severity of the design is offset by surprising moments, such as a neon orange wall disc, a feng shui diktat; and a slender wall-to-wall blue metal light tube that doubles as an art installation. ‘I don’t design more than what is required and that, to me, reflects sustainable design.’
Chan’s greatest sleight of hand, though, is a bijou gallery, hidden behind a sliding cupboard and kitted out with backlit shelving, for the owner’s prized collection of Lego Architecture Series.
For Chan, who is currently working on a co-living project in Singapore and a hotel in China, this project has been a timely opportunity to challenge what he describes as the impersonality and rigidity of typical layouts, particularly in public housing flats.
‘Everything from the layout, design, and furniture to the lighting, homeware and artwork have been carefully assessed and curated, taking into account the owner’s specific needs in terms of his lifestyle and day-to-day use of the home.’
INFORMATION
-
Discover a futuristic bar in Shanghai with mad-scientist energyPenicillin opens in Shanghai with a clinical steel and concrete design by LC Studio alongside its trailblazing, sustainable cocktails
-
This cardboard and rope chair seeks to redemocratise design with ‘joyful frugality’Wallpaper* speaks to architect Nipun Prabhakar of Dhammada Collective about the studio’s latest project, ‘Paper Tube, an open-source chair made from discarded cardboard tubes and rope
-
The Sinclair name is back, attached to a pocket-sized games console with an educational edgeGrant Sinclair’s name is freighted with early computing history. Wallpaper* tapped up the British inventor to find out more about his new GamerCard console and other innovation
-
Vincent Van Duysen ‘inspired by modernism’ for Molteni & C’s outdoor furniture debutMolteni & C goes alfresco with two new collections and reissued classics, bringing its signature elegance to the great outdoors
-
First look inside Centurion New York by Yabu PushelbergCenturion New York is an expansive new space for American Express’ ‘black card’ members. Its interior designers Yabu Pushelberg give us a tour
-
Is this the most beautiful office in the world?Parisian creative agency Art Recherche Industrie’s new HQ translates a 19th-century landmark into a chic open-plan office worth leaving home for
-
Designer James Shaw’s latest creation is a self-built home in east LondonJames Shaw's east London home is Filled with vintage finds and his trademark extruded plastic furniture, a compact self-built marvel
-
Taschen tantalises with new edition of Jorge Pardo’s ‘Brussels Lamps’German publishing house Taschen launches a limited-edition series of five ‘Brussels Lamps’ by Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo
-
Edra’s outdoor furniture is an ode to the seaDesigned by long-term collaborator Jacopo Foggini, the ‘A’mare’ collection of outdoor furniture mimics shiny water, and was named 'Best Disappearing Act' at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
-
Peep inside Luca Nichetto’s Pink Villa in Stockholm, part studio, part showroomWelcome to the pink house that is the new Stockholm home to Luca Nichetto's team
-
These papier-mâché lamps combine craft with sustainabilitySustainability and fine art are the driving inspirations behind ‘resolutely maximalist’ London lighting designer Rowena Morgan-Cox of Palefire
