Images courtesy of John Heng

When an Indonesian homeowner decided on a retrofit, he engaged renowned interior designer Peter Tay once again. Tay has been given the carte blanche to transform the bungalow situated on Sixth Avenue into a modern family retreat. As this was a returning customer, Tay had previously executed a perfect interpretation of the client’s former home at BLVD property. Tay is no stranger to the world of fertile creativity and remarkable design solutions, he has been involved in many interior design projects and given Midas touch to the private abodes for key personalities and many other local celebrities, such as Fann Wong and Zoe Tay.

Embracing the Finesse Versatility

When the client had to identify the right interior designer to style his home, it was only natural for him to go back to the same interior designer and Tay was the obvious choice. The homeowner indicated a preference to incorporate contemporary aesthetics and “not commonly used materials as seen in other properties” into the bungalow, mentioned to Tay by his client.

The 7,430 sq ft two-storey bungalow is nestled on 10,544 sq ft of manicured gardens and the style of this private abode is inspired by elements of a luxury lifestyle. Amenities include an infinity lap pool for exercise, therapy and fun.

As the domicile is situated within a lush and leafy surround on Sixth Avenue, taking in the enviable views would be a capital idea. Tay designed the home to exude clean lines to further add to the elegance of the room’s design that is boxy and sleek while displaying linear forms.

With the floor-to-ceiling glass, exposes the interior almost completely to “open air”. The living room is seamlessly interconnected with the dining hall through the expanse of reflective surface to emphasise the extension of space and blend with the architecture’s vernacular.

Bespoke Design for an Exclusive Personality

“I think as an interior designer, it’s important to know your materials. I opted for treated steel which has a sexy, reflective surface. They are the same ones you see at Gucci stores worldwide,” says Tay.

The 8m by 4m feature wall that dominates the long dining hall is fitted with a huge mirrored surface so that when guests sit facing the reflective glass can enjoy a glimpse of the garden and pool, without having to turn their heads around, which is something worthy to tantalise the eyes during meals.

Also, the expansive dining space is appointed with a long, white Statuario marble dining table which had to be customised in Italy by a built-in kitchen specialist called Poliform Varenna. As the homeowner has a love for cooking and entertaining guests over the weekends, the open-plan kitchen features a bevvy of high-tech kitchen appliances.

In addition, the designer incorporated a limited edition Louis Poulsen “Artichoke” lamp as seen suspended from the ceiling. The limited edition lamp is made of 72 copper leaves that looms over the space, plus eight armchairs designed by Naoto Fukasawa for B&B Italia with “Papilio” upholstery to complete the modern dining table set.

A lot of small, ingenious details can only be derived from Tay’s experience, he says: “A lot of my work is based on customising and looking at things from a different perspective. I try to think out of the box to give good, purposeful designs to my clients.” The staircase pictured above features the handrail with concealed LED lighting.

Elements of Design

To enhance the living hall, Tay chose the “Hermes grey” marble flooring to dramatise the space. Leather-clad Flexform sofa and “Facet” armchairs designed by Bouroullec brothers for Gallic furniture brand Ligne Roset are added to the living hall. An Ecart (a furniture brand considered as the Chanel of furniture brands) “Lune” floor lamp illuminates the space with a soft spoken glow without blinding the eyes.

Through the Portal

On the second level houses three bedrooms and an open-concept study cum library. Rich textures and fine details can be seen on the Molteni & C wardrobe in the bedroom. The overall design exudes clean and crisp aesthetics without jettisoning function to evoke an atmosphere of intimate and cosy space.

Other unique features of this house are the doors; finding the doors leading to the bedrooms can be tricky for the untrained eye as they are made of tinted mirror for a more expansive view all around. So when going down the steps to the bedrooms, the doors become unobtrusive to form a large feature wall.

Customisation and personalisation are key to Tay’s brand identity and these two elements were best represented by the interior design language, brimming with thoughtful pride as seen illustrated by the well-planned spaces accompanied by a socialising nook for homeowners. His main goal was to create a perfect sanctuary primed for family activities all year round.