How An Interior Designer & Magician Husband Crafted Their Dream Home | Singapore

We wanted a house to feel like an escape from the fast-paced and sometimes frantic Singapore life. So we blended themes from resorts and hotels to give us a little oasis. We intentionally wanted to create wide open spaces with a modular design that allows for hosting groups of friends. We often get guests telling us that they never really want to leave We wanted to create a space that reflects our interests, but also didn't want those details to be too obtrusive to the design. So we created a home which works aesthetically first, then allows the details of our personality to be discovered as you move through the space, with little homages to our interests throughout. Hi, I'm Kenneth. I work in tech. Hi, I'm Denny and I'm an interior designer and I designed our house. We've been staying here for about eight months. It's a 990 square feet four-room flat and it's located in Tampines. We wanted spaces for us to be together while being able to work on our projects apart. For example, the art room and studio blend into each other, allowing us to be working on different projects at the same time and still being close by. The open style kitchen with an island allows for Demi to work at the dining table while I prep and cook meals. Here we have the entrance cabinet and I really like this curved door that we did. It functions as a storage and the finish is a lime wash finish that matches our living room wall that Kenneth and I did together. And on this side of the wall, I did this DIY plaster art and it's inspired by Werner Bronckhorst. On the other side of the cabinet, we have another curve that matches in sort of a yin and yang fashion to the other one at the front. We also carved out a little niche here in the cupboard to display artwork. The pedestal below it also functions as a bit of storage for all my little magic tricks. The current artwork we have is called Slow Dance by Wonder Machines and this is what it looks like when I switch it on. Our dynamic is very separate but together. We like to be doing different things but still feel each other's presence. So we designed the common areas to feel connected but easily distinguishable. For example, I can be sitting in the dining area and speaking to Kenneth while he works in the studio. We decided to have mostly loose and low furniture in the living room to host more people and enjoy time together as a couple. Another reason was the beautiful morning light that would flood the home, complementing the lime wash paint and brightening up the whole home. And so, to create more texture with the light, we decided to choose sheer curtains and blinds to create these streaks of light. To allow the space to visually appear larger, big tiles were used throughout the common areas of the house to reduce ugly ground lights. The secret sauce to making this space look huge was actually taking the walls and shifting them back a little bit and that gives the common areas a lot more breathing space. We also customised these nice floor-to-ceiling glass panes to allow more light to flow into the house. We also ended up having this nice long table that's actually made of two different tables. One custom table for Demi and my standing desk. We didn't want the walls and the tables to be flushed with each other so we shifted it into the middle to give ourselves a bit more of a collaborative studio space. We initially wanted the bookshelf on this side of the wall but when we hacked the wall down we realised, oh, it lets a lot more light into the house this way. So we ended up putting the bookshelf over on this side. Half of the bookshelf is Demi's stuff and the other half is my stuff. Demi's table is custom built to fit the size of a floor tile as well as fit her ergonomic chair for people with restless legs. The design of her desk allows it to blend seamlessly with my standing desk. Oh look, there's a Rubik's cube here. Let me just solve it for you really quickly. There we go. The bookshelf contains a material library for Demi with reference pieces for her interior design work. We also have a shelf dedicated to items from our wedding. A wedding magazine we made that was given to guests, designed like a coffee table magazine. As well as a deck of cards that we designed with little easter eggs like our faces on the cards. We also have a display of playing cards that are designed either by friends or have a special meaning to me. Some were actually designed and sold by me. Right beside our studio, we have this little corner here which is my favorite corner of the house. It's my art space where I do my painting, my crafts and sometimes I want some privacy, I close the door up. And on the inside, I have this little corner here where I do my readings and my inspiration for interior design and sometimes over here, I also do my stretches, my yoga and I have a great view outside. And on this little corner here, I have some paintbrushes, my brushes and even a light I got from Stack. Above our dining area, we have two shelves with some pottery which I made myself. We also have a little optical illusion among the art, a 3D interpretation of the rabbit and duck optical illusion which also doubles up as a salt and pepper shaker. So the island tabletop matches the limestone floor tiles and making it feel seamless. The island has also been very useful for us for kitchen prep, so it also functions like a great spot for Kenneth when he stands and performs magic when hosting. The exterior common areas have a beach resort feel to them. We wanted the bedroom to feel a bit more like a luxe hotel. The walkway to the master bedroom is divided into two different flooring types, vinyl and tiles. We wanted to give a feeling of warmth in the bedroom to complement the black elements which switches in contrast to the gold and beige themes outside. When you enter the bedroom, you are greeted with a tall odd-shaped standing mirror that gives a bit more visual depth to the bedroom. The artwork also helps break up the corners of the room. Demi loves the brush strokes and colours on this piece. To me, it looks like an abstract Tyler the Creator in his Igor era. We also carved out a space from the other bedroom to create a walk-in wardrobe. This opened up the space and helped us avoid a claustrophobic bedroom. The bathroom was a very important element for us. We wanted it to feel like a luxury hotel and took design inspiration from the warehouse hotel with its fluted glass panels and black frames. Making the door and walls glass also contributed to the open feel of the bedroom. We shifted the entrance of the bathroom and extended the vanity to give us a lot more countertop space. The backsplash features a Japanese pottery tile which contributes to the elegance of the bathroom. We also used these tiles in the shower niche for a seamless design. When designing a home, I think it's important to think about two main things, having a purpose-built home and filling the space with your own personality. Now that we've been in this space for close to a year, I think we've achieved our goal of having a quiet little space away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Sometimes I think we did it too well and it's hard for us to want to leave home. Designing this house really gave us the opportunity to collaborate with each other and showcase our creativity. It's really like a great exercise for collaboration between our two styles together. Having our own space for creative pursuits has definitely given us more vigor to make and craft.