A Scandi-Tropical Singapore Apartment
Right Angle Studio combined an abundance of tropical greenery and timber with a refined selection of Danish furniture pieces to create the Green House. We spoke with the studio’s founders Alex and Jay Liu to find out more about how they approached the project
Design Anthology: How did you first meet the client?
Alex and Jay Liu: The client reached out to us after seeing our work on social media and on our website.
Can you tell us about them and their lifestyle?
The clients are a young couple in their early 30s. They have a huge love for animals and greenery, and they sometimes do recreational diving to reconnect with nature.
What was their brief to you for the project?
They wanted to turn the 88-square-metre apartment into a bold and daring open-plan space, with more attention allocated to the communal areas where they intend to spend most of their time. They also requested a designated zone for plants and room for their rabbits to roam around.
What’s unique about the building and the location?
The unit is in one of Singapore’s old estates, where the units around are at least 30 to 40 years old. The corridor leading to the apartment also reveals the building’s age, so we wanted to create a juxtaposition between old and new inside.
How did you approach the project—what design references did you try to incorporate?
After removing all the walls, we were left with one of the structural columns sitting in the middle of the new living room. The restriction sparked the idea of using the column to demarcate a green corridor that would separate the open space and give the respective zones their own identity. We also created a louvre design in this area as a key feature, hence the project’s name of Green House.
Please tell us a little about the material choices for the space.
We opted for a light palette for the already brightly lit space, including light oakwood and light stone finished.
Which features did your team custom design for the space?
The solid ash louvred panels are definitely a highlight of the space, standing as a main design feature and doubling as a sunscreen for the living area. We designed an integrated console to stitch the dining table, sofa, and planter box together to anchor the communal area. The planter also acts as a visual screen as you enter the house. We worked with a local bonsai master to meticulously curate the series of trees dotted throughout the home.
Do you have a favourite element or design detail in the architecture or interiors?
That would have to be the portal frame design, which is actually evident in most of our designs. It creates a pocket that accentuates and frames the space.
As told to / Suzy Annetta
Images / Jonathan Danker
