Luxury décor does not have to be over-the-top to make a statement.
This loft apartment located Karpal Singh Drive, Penang Island, was previously used as an airbnb unit with a modern whitewashed theme. When the new homeowners took over, they approached Grazioso Design for a complete redesign of the 1,000 sq ft space so that they can have a weekend home to call their own.
“The young couple has a large liquor collection, so we suggested to have a concept with a touch of dark industrial feeling,” says interior designer Chuah Chern Chang.
Since the mezzanine level structure and the staircase were already made of steel, Chern Chang and his team decided to retain the existing setup. The flooring and bathroom tiles adopt a raw cement finishing. “This is to avoid reflection of the floor from the sunlight penetrate through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, so the house is a medium-dark tone,” Chern Chang explains.
The ample cement wall set behind the staircase is one of Chern Chang’s favourite parts of the house. “The wall finishing we use is a cement-like paint which looks so real, just like cement,” he says. Upstairs, the mezzanine is an open area for a queen-size bed and a simple clothes hanging unit.
The wine cabinet is in black and teak colour with a mix of gold-hairline laminate back panel so that it can blend well with the warm lighting and enhance the overall visual effect of the liquor. Also, the rest of the built-in furniture comes with a vertical lining so that it complements and visually increases the high ceilings even more.
Chern Chan points out the rain wood dining table to be the highlight of the living area. “We also placed the TV towards the full glass window so that the owner can have a different view sitting on the sofa, facing the sea view, and when the TV is not in use,” he adds.
While the 20 feet ceiling height is one of the apartment’s strongest features, it also proved to be a challenge in the renovation process, like building the brick wall against the TV that extends up to the top.
Photos: Grazioso Design
