Home tour: A modern Singapore apartment inspired by black

EHKA Studio designs a beautiful monochromatic apartment that draws inspiration from the timeless appeal of Singapore's black-and-white bungalows

Bright, clean-cut, and with a touch of the ambience in a black-and-white bungalow—that was the brief for the overhaul of an existing apartment at Ardmore II given to EHKA Studio by the client who works in the finance industry, and whom travels widely and bakes in her spare time. The homeowner worked closely with Amoz Boon, assistant director of EHKA Studio, who spearheaded the project. Boon took an architectural approach to the interior design of the 2,100 sq ft apartment. "On a planning level, we distinguished the public and private zones of the house through our use of materials. Black veneer and white marble floors for the public zone, accentuated by fluted glass and brass highlights; white-washed timber laminate and herringbone floors for the private areas."Don't miss: Home Tour: The Stiletto House in Singapore is all about the curves

Stepping out of the private lift, one is immediately greeted by a rattan bench in the foyer that invites you to take a seat after you remove your shoes. "The rattan adds a soft texture to the material palette and is a callback to the materiality of the colonial era that the owner desired." adds Boon. To its left, a wall-hung shoe cabinet dressed in black veneer and topped with a contrasting white marble slab sits quietly to the side. A picture frame displaying a map of Mount Nisekoannupuri in Hokkaido takes centerstage on the countertop, illuminated by tall wall lights on either side. Passing through the main door to the right, the spaciousness of the open-plan dining, living and dry kitchen areas is arresting. Side-lit by a balcony to the right, the room is washed in daylight, bringing vibrance to the black and white colour scheme whilst casting soft shadows against the dignified collection of European furniture.

Read more: 10 Good Class Bungalows in Singapore with beautiful interiors

There is a Victorian sense of orderliness and propriety that sets this black-and-white scheme worlds apart from the many monochromatic apartments out there. Nothing is over the top; classical mouldings have been refined to angular beadings for the built-in carpentry, and the selected Poliform Concorde dining table, Gubi Masculo dining chairs, and Paso Tri floor lamp are designed with sturdy angular frames that simply and elegantly express their construction. A brass-plated Leaves pendant chandelier designed by Kateryna Sokolova from Bolia hovers beautifully above the dining table, with its sculptural grace injecting a touch of gentility into the room.Read more: Home tour: A modern Asian house in Singapore with a unique roof

"She bakes a lot, so we decided to turn that into a feature of the dry kitchen by using full-height fluted glass doors to enclose the pantry. There's a hint of what's behind the glass, especially with the backlighting, without creating too much visual clutter. We also applied the same material to the doors separating the wet and dry kitchen and sliding doors in the study to get more light into the interior; [the apartment] used to be quite dim." says Boon.

Moving past the living room, a brightly lit corridor leads to the study off to the left and the master bedroom all the way to the end, where a vase rests within a wall niche and serves as a point of interest.

The master bedroom is the antithesis of the entrance hallway. Where the latter was bright and uplifting, the tenor here dims to a slow melodic nocturne enveloped by walls in the shade of midnight. A matching custom-designed bedhead wraps itself around the mattress like a cocoon, framed in black and balanced by honey-coloured rattan paneling and twin opal Menu TR Bulb wall lamps designed by Tim Rundle. This is a bedroom that is, to all intents and purposes, a serenade dedicated to sleep.

The adjoining master bathroom is lined from floor to ceiling in soothing, sand-coloured travertine. EHKA Studio has thoughtfully transformed the typical vanity countertop into a spacious dressing table by lowering its height, selecting a wide above-counter basin, and articulating the mirror cabinets as a pair of tall portrait mirrors lined on both sides with slender wall lamps. It is a splendid space for morning rituals and setting aside the day's challenges when winding down for the night.

Much has been written about the unique genesis and qualities of Singapore's colonial black-and-white bungalows, which are a hybrid of English Tudorbethan architecture and the Malayan Plantation House designed for naturally ventilated tropical living. As fascinating as these scholarly investigations are, perhaps the most germane lessons this cultural icon holds for us today are its attention to comfort and quiet luxury, qualities that don't go out of fashion. And with this project, EHKA Studio has successfully captured that spirit and adapted it for modern city living.

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