Living Guides - Decor & Design Ideas
By Willy Wilson | Mar 29, 2010
Photography: Eujin Lim
A poetry of juxtaposition
Designer Rajdev Singh (right) and contractor Simon
Fritz Hansen’s Swan chair and ethnic rugs make an unlikely couple.
But as interior designer Rajdev Singh has proven, such juxtaposition is sheer perfection, given a perfect dose of lighting and an understated dark setting.Singh, together with contractor Simon Lebon, have successfuly pulled off such an odd look in their recent project.
But they credit their client, who prefers to remain anonymous, for this remarkably stylish condominium unit. “Having a client who knows precisely what he wants definitely made it easier for the designer and the contractor to complete the project,” says Singh, who is the principal designer of Neue Design. "I wanted the whole construction to be done with regard to my art collection, while maintaining a comfortable, homey atmosphere," says the owner, who is an art enthusiast.
After nine months of painstaking design and construction, the team unveiled a spacious condominium unit that pampers the owner as well as his art collections.
A premium project Every inch of the décor and design in this unit reflects the owner's personal taste. “I wanted a big space, with a clever layout that doesn’t sacrifice spaces unnecessarily,” he says. The original layout of his 3,050sq ft unit featured three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a powder room, a kitchen, a dining and a living room. Post renovation, the unit consists of a bedroom, a library a study and a studio. Meanwhile, the bathrooms, powder room, kitchen, dining and living room stayed intact, although a major makeover was done to each of them.
The project was scheduled to be completed in three months, but it took nine before the unit was ready to house the owner and his art collections. "We spent two months on design and seven months to do the construction works," Lebon explains.
"The homeowner loves textures. Therefore he is very meticulous when it comes to materials used for the house," says Lebon, "And we spent a significant amount of time sourcing for the materials that he wanted."
As far as the design is concerned, Singh claims that he only focused on three things: elegance, comfort and practicality. “He wouldn’t buy my idea if it just for the sake of the design,” says Singh matter-of-factly, “There’s a reason for every design decision in this unit.” Naturally, one would question his decision to have a rather unusual colour scheme for the house. Not only is the unit tiled in dark maroon granite and unforgiving black onyx, but it is also dominated by dark walls. Sure, it scores high in creating a dramatic effect. But other than that, is it advisable to ‘live in the dark’?
An abstract painting set against a red wall and a Thai sculpture depicting mythical bird Garuda
“Well, the colour that you see here in the dining room is a combination of a few different colours that the owner blended himself,” Singh explains, “It is his personal choice. For this particular case, it works.” Singh further explains that a darker colour scheme emphasises the characteristics of the art pieces featured, while rendering a cosy atmosphere. “I personally like the darker colour scheme, which makes the entire place feels warm and comfortable,” the owner comments. "I don't mind the premium price. But rough walls, patchy bits, bumpy floors and most importantly, bad lightings, are simply unacceptable for me," he continues.
The owner, who is also an expert in theatre lighting, advises that without a perfect lighting system, one can forget about having dark walls in his/her house.
When asked about the cost of the entire project, the owner said he could not remember precisely. But Lebon claims that the construction cost alone was no less than RM350,000.
From Saporiti to Hanuman One would encounter Fritz Hansen’s Swan chairs at the hallway the minute one walks into the unit. At the end of the hallway is a stunning Giorgio Saporiti’s Super Roy sofa, which is placed agianst a sliding door and a Louis Poulsen’s signature Artichoke lamp to boot. Open the sliding door and one would be welcomed by Richard Frinier’s Hemisphere collection for Dedon.
Giorgio Saporiti's Super Roy sofa and Louis Poulsen's Artichoke lamp
Despite being an European furniture galore, there are a lot of unexpected Oriental twists in this lavish unit. Rare Iranian rugs, a gilded Tibetan death god sculpture, an antique canopy bed and two 750-year-old low chairs from China are positioned next to Danish and Italian furniture. Such unexpected juxtapositions temper the owner’s masculine aesthetic, which is evident in the raw concrete feature walls and intimidating sound system in the living room. Exquisite Ramayana sculptures, painting and feature walls further tone down the owner's tough guy traits. Superbly depicting the owner’s favourite episode from the Sanskrit epic, they are bespoke pieces made by respected Balinese artists Suwicak and Wayan Tutut. The owner, who grew up listening to Ramayana story told by his grandmother, admits that the moral of this legendary epic is etched on his mind. “Ramayana is not just an ordinary story. It contains rich and deep devotional messages behind its beautiful narrative,” he gushes. These feature walls, paintings and sculptures are positioned as such that they link as one story. It starts at the entrance of the unit and ends at the owner’s bedroom.
When asked to pick his personal favourite piece, he chooses a teakwood sculpture of Hanoman rescuing Shinta. “When you observe this sculpture closely, you can almost hear Hanuman roaring in victory as he carried Sita out of Ravana’s world,” he enthuses.
There are a lot of cultural mishmash in this lavish condominium unit, all of which speak of the owner’s love for design, travel and all things premium. Ramayana sculpture and feature walls are some of the owner's personal favourites
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