30th January 2019 | IN PROJECT OF THE WEEK | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedInThis week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a modern-day luxury home that manages to combine both old-school opulence and contemporary cosiness under the same roof. Superior air ventilation incorporated into the interior of this property allows it to feel larger and more spacious. A stark contrast to the dark and cramped image of a pre-war house. The house is equipped with three bedrooms, which are hosted on the upper levels. Sticking to the modern European theme, the first bedroom features a soft, neutral palette, enhanced with soft blue furnishing & a semi open wardrobe. The second bedroom comes with a softer, baby blue accent, a sleek, custom-made wardrobe / dressing table as a nifty space saving highlight, as well as a hotel-like bathroom with arabescato marble feature wall. Warm, earthy tones blanketed the final bedroom with a restful atmosphere, a clear glass door wardrobe and an en-suite bathroom. Company: NEVERMORE Project: The Irrawady House Project Location: Penang, Malaysia What was the client’s brief? For this project, our objective is very clear, we wanted to make the 15 foot wide pre-war terrace house open plan, to break away from the traditional pre-war house layout. Therefore we divided the space into 2 zones; the common area for the ground level and then personal and private spaces for the first floor. With this chosen layout we were able to maximise the usage and fulfil all the needs and requirements of the clients. On the ground floor, as we enter from the main entrance, we are greeted with the pantry and bar counter clad in beautiful Italian marble, complete with a pair of Reza Feiz’s Bride’s Veil bar stool; the space serves as a pantry / bar to offer space for storage and entertainment as one of the client’s needs and requirements for the design. The living space is housed further in the middle of the house; to be some distance away off the main road. The dining is located beside the living space right under the skylight; where ample day light is cast into the interior; perfect for energy saving through-out the day. As for the kitchen, all necessary facilities of a fully equipped kitchen are held within the smallest possible footprint at the end of the open layout. A hidden door leads towards the back yard which consist of the laundry and powder room. The room also features a sculpture-like spiral staircase fabricated in mild steel and finished with special rust. On the first floor, with the chosen layout, we are able to maximise the bedroom sizes, equip with bathroom for each room which typical pre-war houses do not have. Generous panes of glass are utilised to turn ordinarily opaque walls transparent, providing generous views in some surprising places. In one of the bedrooms, the bath is rendered in the manner of a boutique showcase, with generous stretch of windows putting the freestanding tub on display in the air-well with a fully imported Italian arabescato marble feature wall as the backdrop. For the guest bedroom, we wanted created a sense of privacy, it is located 10 feet away from the other bedroom and can only be access via the spiral staircase located at the far end of the house. The monochromatic basis of this bedroom is enhanced for eye pleasing variety with the introduction of greater range of wood tones in fabrics and architectural finishes. What inspired the interior design of the project? The elongated living room is connected with the kitchen, dining area and open bar area as the decor features a modern twist to classical European designs. Fitted with a daring open staircase, this bold design is further enhanced with the selection of large circular pendants & imported Italian marble counter. Gold finishes are thrown in to the interior design to elevate the overall look with a hint of glitz. Meanwhile, the living room, dining area and kitchen enjoy the warm glow derived from the skylight feature, giving the space a natural comfort, bathed in natural light. What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project? Dealing with structural issues which related to the creation of the column-less, open plan interior within a typical pre-war terrace house; to resolve this, we came up with an “i” beam steel support to withstand the weight of the cast concrete flooring on the first floor. Also, the spiral staircase was not installed without difficulty as it had to be pre-fabricated at the workshop and then reinstalled at site. What was your team’s highlight of the project? For me this is definitely the results of the open plan layout! Also other elements of the interior design like the cantilever bath tub, the use of skylights throughout, the spiral staircase finished in rust paint, and a gorgeous moooi smoke chair! Why did you enter the SBID International Design Awards? We wanted to see where would stand on an international level and thought the SBID Awards would be the best platform for this! Questions answered by Chuah Say Yang, Creative Director and Chong Su Min, Design Director of NEVERMORE If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a unique and inspiring home that pushes boundaries with a sophisticated balance of layers, click here to see more. We hope you feel inspired! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire NEVERMORE | SBID International Design Awards 2018