Use Dark Finishes And Aluminium To Balance Style And Function

This condominium uses dark finishes and aluminium to balance style and function while meeting feng shui requirements and catering to the owners and their cats.

- Asih Jenie

Before shortlisting two homes that met their feng shui criteria, couple Eugene and Joslyn looked at 41 for-sale residential units. The couple finally purchased a 3+1 bedroom condominium unit in District 28, which is 200 sq ft larger than their previous BTO HDB flat.

“My feng shui requirements were very strict, you see,” Eugene shares. As a construction company owner, he also accounted for the property’s depreciation and value. Joslyn, who works in marketing, initially wanted a maisonette, but they decided against it as the renovation cost could reach $200,000.

Many of Eugene’s old home surfaces were white with marble veins. He wanted all dark finishes in his new home. Rei Ye, a senior designer at interior design firm Arkhilite, helped make his vision a reality. In their design brief, the couple requested an altar area, a walk in wardrobe, and cat-friendly features for their three Siberian tomcats, Luka, Loki, and Benny.

To fulfil this wishlist, Rei and Eugene cleverly reworked the floor plan with the input of the feng shui master. In the original layout, the foyer opened directly onto the yard. Rei closed that opening to make space for a solemn altar. While a former study and the en suite toilet are now a storeroom housing, among other things, Eugene’s extensive toy collection, the kitchen entrance has been repositioned to comply with the feng shui flow.