The Chic Home: Modern Manhattan in Singapore penthouse
This duplex penthouse in Cairnhill Circle is the holiday home of an Indonesian businesswoman and her family.
SINGAPORE – A duplex penthouse in Cairnhill Circle is the holiday home of Indonesian businesswoman Silvia Kurniady and her South Korean husband, both in their 40s, and their teenage son and four-year-old daughter.
The 3,993 sq ft unit was over a decade old when Ms Kurniady bought it. It was in its original condition, with minimal work done by the former owner.
To overhaul the home, Ms Kurniady enlisted the help of her friend Eddy Kuswandi, design director of Singapore-based firm Enoch ID, whom she had worked with on a previous home.
The double-volume private lift lobby is now a single volume space, with a home office directly above it on the second storey.
The design team removed the kitchen walls, combining the dry kitchen with the living and dining areas into one bright, airy open-concept space.
The kitchen island extends into a dining table.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Mr Kuswandi also added a kitchen island that extends into a dining table. Echoing this long, linear element is a mirrored wall that extends across the kitchen and dining spaces, reflecting the view of the city beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the balcony.
A curved sofa from Dutch brand Leolux sits in the living area.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
In the living area, a curved sofa from Dutch brand Leolux, which the home owners acquired in Seoul, and a pair of Lido chairs from Italian brand Minotti, are set against a panoramic backdrop of the city skyline.
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There are two bedrooms on the first storey: the daughter's room and a guest room. These were reconfigured and the bedroom entrances reoriented to make better use of a dead corridor space outside the bedrooms and the powder room.
The bed in the daughter's room can be moved to one side to create more room for play.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
The daughter's bedroom has a salmon-pink theme established by the abstract wall covering behind the bed. Elevated on a platform, the bed can be moved to one side to create more room for play. There is built-in storage in the bedhead, plus wall-to-wall wardrobes for clothes and toy storage.
Two single beds accommodate the couple's parents or siblings when they stay over.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
A pastel green and grey palette sets the guest room apart. Two single beds accommodate the couple's parents or siblings when they stay over. One side of the room's L-shaped bay window is a settee overlooking the city, while the other is a combination of a shelving unit and a ledge for hand luggage.
Blown molecule glass on the wall of the master bedroom injects dynamism.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
On the second storey, the master bedroom exudes a tranquil ambience with its light neutral palette. The headboard wall features bleached oak panelling with blown molecule glass that injects dynamism into the space, as it appears to glide across the wall.
One side of the bay window has a lounge chair for relaxing or reading. On the other side is a low cabinet with an open, full-height bronze steel-and-glass shelving unit.
A vanity island stands in the middle of the master bathroom.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
The master bathroom and walk-in wardrobe were opened up, with the shower box, water closet, twin basins and walk-in wardrobe pushed against the walls. This freed up space in the middle for a vanity island.
The son's bedroom is decked out in grey and brown tones.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
The son's bedroom is decked out in grey and brown tones. The space previously opened to a roof terrace, but Mr Kuswandi converted the space into a study-cum-wardrobe to better suit the teenager's needs.
The roof terrace offers a view of the Cairnhill area.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Outside, the roof terrace offers a view of the Cairnhill area all the way to Marina Bay. Mr Kuswandi raised the platform and built in an L-shaped sofa bench, with the tiered design and steps adding interest to the otherwise flat terrace.
'The planter box continues on into a dining table and a reflective pool,' he says. 'I also took into consideration the fact that this is a holiday home, so the design and the plants should be low-maintenance.'
The renovations took eight months and were completed in 2022, with some delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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