Open plan home layouts can appear boxy and lacking in structural design features, so how can visual interest be added? In this home tour, created by designer Guan Pin from Asia, we take a walk through an apartment decked out in a palette of white, grey and woodtone decor. Different areas of the home have been defined with the dependable tricks of using furniture at right angles and laying down area rugs; it’s around the perimeter of these pieces where we find added features that work to break up what would otherwise be an expansive flat wall or a run of repetitive windows, features which keep the eye moving.
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Beginning in the lounge area, we can instantly see that although the amount of furniture in the contemporary room is quite minimal, there is still plenty going on. The sofa design itself has its very own layering, with an integrated side table. A tall floor lamp with a large drum shade overhangs the modular sofa, bringing elegant height and structure. A richly stained wooden coffee table takes centre stage against a pale grey area rug.
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An entire wall of regimented windows have been given a very unique treatment. Panels of grey window blinds float at random heights and depths, where each one is set in a different position to its neighbour. The effect is an architectural look that provides a level of privacy and light control.
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Opposite the run of windows, a wide-spaced slatted wall has been constructed to partially screen the kitchen from the living room. The slatted design is echoed by a wooden end table over by the sofa, and more subtly by the ridged surface of a large charcoal coloured planter.
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Varying materials have been selected for the furniture in the lounge. The pale grey softly upholstered sofa has been teamed with a pair of simple wooden Scandinavian style chairs, which are of a different hue to the wooden coffee table. The varying tones help prevent the scheme from falling flat.
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To the side of the living room, a home study area has been created with a wooden desk that has a single chair at either side. A matching wooden tray acts as a spot for keeping refreshments within arms reach. Above the desk, a trio of white pendant shades elevate the area.
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A selection of house plants have been dotted around the place to add a flash of colour and life.
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Beyond the partial slatted wall, the kitchen also holds a dining area, defined by copper dining room pendant lights arranged on one fixture.
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The dining set has levels, with a low profile bench placed at one side of the table and four chairs arranged at the other.
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The slatted wall plays with light and shadow over the kitchen-dining room. Gloss fronted grey cabinets and glossy white fridge-freezer reflect the vertical linear pattern.
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Wooden and copper interior elements add a large amount of visual warmth to a cool neutral decor scheme.
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Behind the eating area, the kitchen is a collection of grey and white volumes arranged at differing heights.
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The view from the dining chairs is another selection of contrasting storage units. Cutting through the centre of the end units is a large built-in fishtank. The illuminated aquarium landscaping matches with the greenery of the house plants.
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The dining table is flanked with a white kitchen island.
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The boundaries of where the kitchen begins and ends are blurred due to multitude of storage units that cover every solid wall of this home, in an array of finishes. Only the central island is clearly defined, with a generously sized modern fruit bowl.
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Concrete slabs cover the walls of the entryway, giving it a weighty industrial ambiance in contrast to the airy white walls within.
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Behind the home office, a large metal framed shelving unit holds a multitude of wooden shelves and cupboards.
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The shelves are peppered with a collection of decorative vases, ornaments, pictures and house plants.
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The lower cabinets hide away all of the paperwork so that the home interior is comprised of carefully considered layering rather than being carelessly cluttered.
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Placing low hanging desk lighting in front of the tall chunky shelving unit creates great depth at this end of the open plan room.
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The large display unit overhangs the window but the open ended design allows daylight to filter through unobstructed.
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Built-in storage space is backed with charcoal grey paint, which makes it appear deeper than its actual proportions, and helps the lighter coloured cabinet construction materials to crisply stand out.
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Textured wooden flooring runs throughout the entire space.
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In the master bedroom, a deep divan bed has a floor lamp at its side, situated as a reading light. Wooden panels run the full width of the headboard wall, creating a feature on the plain wall.
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Display cubbies are integrated into the bedroom closets.
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A second bedroom holds an unusual platform bed design that extends beyond the end of the mattress, almost like a stage. Beneath the platform there is a selection of hidden storage. A bedside unit is also integrated onto the ‘stage’, as a buffer between the bed and the window. A separate bedside stool holds the bedside table lamp.
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In this room there is also a layering of monochrome pattern, in the artwork, the decorative scatter cushions and the bed runner.
