Permanent staycation at home

HAVING lived in rented apartments for the past few years, Celine Tan and Alexander Mordvincev had a checklist in mind when they were looking to purchase their first home.

It had to be near Tan’s mum, big enough for their young son Nikolai to grow up in, and “most importantly, the space had to have potential”, says Tan. She is a partner at The Ate Group, a communications firm, and he is a coach with Singapore’s national swimming team.

Their search led them to a 1,646 sq ft home in Bedok that was completed in 1994. The original apartment had 4 bedrooms, a long corridor at the entrance, and looked its age. But the couple were confident that interior designer Stacey Leong would be able to weave her magic and transform the home.

The couple didn’t want to keep anything in the old apartment, and Tan jokes that Leong, who runs her eponymous firm, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.

“We wanted a home that immediately makes you feel relaxed once you step in, and have a luxurious and hotel-like feel,” says Tan.

Leong says: “Luxury in homes is anything which feeds your soul and keeps you grounded and connected to your surroundings, fuels interactions, inspires movement and enhances rest.”

She adds: “Luxury is warm and cocooning, less about sharp, edgy and cool, and definitely about comfort and detailing.”

For the couple’s home, luxury is found in the layers of materials throughout the space, creating a soothing cocoon for rest and escape, says Leong.

The corridor is now a foyer, with a metal and glass screen at the end, which gives a sneak peek into the dining and living rooms. Adjacent to this screen are metal and glass sliding doors which open to the dry kitchen.

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To demarcate the common areas from the three bedrooms at the back of the apartment, Leong installed a set of glass and metal bi-fold doors. All these doors and screens have arch motifs in their design, a trick Leong uses to distract the eye from the apartment’s low ceilings.

 “The rhythmic use of metal and glass screens punctuates the transitions from each space, visually delineating the important spaces, bouncing light and creating vignettes of the apartment from various angles,” says Leong. “We added design pauses in the way of hallways, art walls and plant corners so there was space for their prized pieces to breathe.”

Leong is no stranger to clients wanting a hotel-like feel to their home, where there is a blurring of lines between the home and the outside world. 

“Nowadays, the modern home needs to fulfil the comforts of home, convenience of the office and chic vibes of a hotel resort,” says Leong.

To create the hotel-like feel, Leong used materials such as marble and solid oak, while neutral colours such as taupe, tobacco and grey help to declutter the space. Designer and clients were also unafraid of playing with proportion and scale. 

Taking centrestage in the dry kitchen is a 2.8m long marble-clad island, picked for its light grey veins, which Tan quips remind her of shaved white truffles.

It is at this island where Tan bakes, preps for meals and does floral arrangements. More often than not, guests also retreat to the island for desserts. “It is not often that apartments have such big tables, but being bold with scale lends drama and flair to a space,” says Leong.

She adds that even the dining lamps from Marset are larger than what is fashionable these days but they still add interest to the space. Leong suggests that homeowners splurge on the best lighting they can afford. “It’s the finishing touch that never fails to deliver,” she says.

The lights also draw attention to the dining table, which was designed by Leong and custom-made by local furniture brand Martlewood.

The table is a gift from Tan’s mum, following a family tradition where parents will either give their children a dining table or the matrimonial bed.

The couple love to entertain and their dry kitchen is well-equipped to make hosting easier. There’s an alcove at the side, with an induction hob, so food stays warm throughout the meal. A small sink by the side means light cleaning can be done, without having to step into the wet kitchen. Besides the mandatory wine fridge, the kitchen is also equipped with two ovens, to save on cooking time.

“We enjoy having friends over, and want to have the space as comfortable as possible, so no one ever feels they have overstayed their welcome,” says Tan.

To make the space feel more casual and relaxed, Leong uses little details such as adding many soft textural elements like a custom bamboo rug and linen drapes that puddle an inch longer. “This is essentially a space for barefoot lounging on weekends, yet versatile enough to be glammed up for an evening soirée,” says Leong.

On fitting out their first home, Tan says: “We were smart with our budget. We listened to advice. Among the most important being that we should only spend on things that we can take with us, or pieces that would form the foundation henceforth.”