Variety is the Spice of Life
Some people are creatures of habit, while others prefer a little more variety. This 50sqm/538sqft apartment by Singapore and Malaysia–based OWMF Architecture is perfect for that latter group, with its flexible zones each designed to serve not only multiple purposes but also multiple moods. “The design idea”, Yong Sy Lyng, founder OWMF Architecture, told NTS, “was to have an industrial space where each of the spaces had a different feeling”. By giving a different spatial quality to the various zones of the home – the living room, for example, is “high and dark”, while the bedroom was kept “low and cosy” – Lyng and her team set the stage for a dynamic space, equipped to meet the changing needs or moods of any given day.
Mobili Station is located in Singapore’s Little India neighbourhood and is home to a creative who enjoys travelling, reading, and entertaining. For the redesign, they wanted to open the space up (“as open as possible,” in fact) to give themselves “maximum flexibility” – something that wasn’t quite possible in the existing design, which didn’t allow for much circulation or variety of use. Some simple adjustments to the layout, such as replacing the bedroom door with a curtain (doubling as a projector screen), swapping the loft staircase for a retractable ladder, and moving the blinds to the balcony’s exterior rail, really helped to open it up and transform the flow.
Maximum Flexibility
To achieve their other goal of maximum flexibility, OWMF Architecture minimised the amount of fixed furniture, instead opting for moveable or transformable pieces that serve multiple purposes. Take the custom living room table, for example, which can be used as a coffee table or a dining table when pushed together or as two benches for guest seating when split apart. When fixity was a necessity, the architects made sure the pieces – like the floor-to-ceiling bookcase or the bedroom platform – were generous in their storage potential. This way, the space could remain decluttered while also easily adapted to different functions like entertaining, yoga, working, or relaxing.
Part of the apartment’s flexibility, however, is found not in the furniture but rather in the different treatments of the zones. The living room, for instance, is grand, spacious, and a touch austere with a 6.9 metre-high ceiling and dark hues (specially selected to minimise the glare from sun). The concrete floor, black stain birch ply cabinets and bookshelf, and artisanal backsplash offer a subdued backdrop that makes room for thought and conversation. Just steps away, birch plywood occupies all surfaces of the bedroom, which is made extra cosy by its modest 2 metres in height. The room consists of a raised platform where storage, including the owner’s tatami bed (plus another for a guest) can be completely tucked away to let it double as a seating room.
In contrast to the dark hues of the living room or the natural wood of the bedroom, the bathroom was tiled in a light beige tone and has a feel of simple luxury with its custom artisan-made terrazzo basin. Last but not least is the loft, which in some ways is the most private area of the home. It is a space for the owner to escape and use how they please, whether that be working, making art, screening movies, or for “simply staring into space”. It is accordingly cosy and colourful, filled with soft furnishings, art, and a small desk for work. The loft is also where you’ll get the best view of the ingenious pulley storage system for the owner's bicycles, easily accessed from the entry.
Spatial Diversity
“When it comes to designing a small space, we believe in minimal fixed cabinets and functions; we use mobile and transformable furniture so that a single space can be used flexibly for multiple purposes”, said Yong Sy Lyng. “We also try to provide a diversity of spaces, so that the occupants are free to choose where they want to eat, work, and relax every day”.
