Behind The Screens

LIKE A MAGPIE attracted to shiny objects, passersby who walk past this ground-floor apartment at Tiong Bahru often slow down and do a double take.

In an area where most of the SIT flats have more conventional window grilles, this apartment has grilles with a golden patina. The brass screens, placed behind four large windows, and mounted on aluminum and steel frames, form a diamond pattern. On some days, those who walk by just see these screens, and if they are lucky, the screens are opened and they get a sneak peek into the apartment. "It is quite amusing sometimes to watch people casually walk past, then retract their steps and look into the apartment," says the owner, who works in branding and advertising. "I don't really mind it."

The screens were designed by Quck Zhong Yi, a partner at interior design firm, A Solid Plan. Mr Quck says that since the apartment's four windows are a rarity (most of the other apartments in the area have fewer), he wanted to highlight them. Mr Quck also designed sash windows for the apartment, which again are rare in Singapore, and so were tricky to build.