CELESTE’S DREAM HOME
Type: HDB 4-Room, Singapore | Home to: 2 Adults
Designer: Celeste
“Japandi”
To enjoy a retreat in the comforts of her own house, Celeste opted for a ‘Japandi’ concept for her resort-like dream home. It perfectly marries Scandinavian design and the wabi-sabi philosophy, assimilating the simplicity and the appreciation for the imperfect with the common theme of minimalism into her abode.
The Pavilion by GSiD | Bajo El Sol Beach House by Kelle Howard | Urban Kitchen Design by Hannah Gooch Studio
The functional living spaces evoke a sense of timelessness and minimalism by combining the austerity of clean lines with homely touches. Albeit residing in a concrete jungle, Celeste sought to incorporate various textural and raw elements into her home to mimic the appearance and tranquillity of a natural environment. Additionally, the salient unrefined finishes of the materials are embraced in all their beauty to encompass the philosophy of wabi-sabi.
Material Palette
Through the deliberate layering of textural and natural materials, it paves the way for a relaxing environment in Celeste’s dream home. The use of raw, varying-toned beech wood and unrefined edges throughout creates a harmonious and organic appearance.
Her house also employs an earthy palette of creams and browns, with splashes of green to spice things up. The calming colour scheme reinforces a pleasant setting, replicating the unforgettable feeling of a resort getaway.
The Transformation
A key factor for Celeste’s ideal house layout is a spacious communal area to accommodate social events, from small gatherings to large parties. It led her to knock down the walls of Bedroom 3 to transform the space into a place of socialising and family gatherings.
Even though she believes home is a place of rest, her apartment needs to include a dedicated space for the work-from-home days. Thus, she converted Bedroom 2 into a study room to contain all work-related activities in one area.
The introduction of a curved island was a nod to the unique existing structure, which features curved walls in its layout, and takes the edge off the sharp angularity of the space.
Celeste envisions her dream home to resemble a sophisticated resort; a retreat from the routine stress of life is the pinnacle of respite for her. Entering her house, it is a tactile treat from floor to ceiling with the textured walls, fluted panels and linen blinds of a natural colour palette. Coupled with furniture made mostly from natural materials, the entire apartment is a relaxing, cosy refuge. A false ceiling enables additional lighting while hiding the trunking.
The modern black steel frame offers subtle segregation in the living areas for various home activities, maintaining a harmonious connection with the black-framed doors and windows positioned throughout the house. The black accents add a contrasting colour to the space, keeping it from being too whitewashed. The use of glass keeps the space open and connected while demarcating the different areas of the apartment. Lastly, the tile choices used for the flooring and island countertop incorporate the wabi-sabi philosophy.
Celeste included a mural as a feature wall to spice things up and give the space a unique character. The nature-inspired visuals of the mural introduce an ebb and flow into the space of the house. Airy, light and bright, her dream home is a relaxing oasis just waiting to be made a reality.