In this apartment, we were inspired by the Japanese craft of Kintsugi that embodies qualities of time, frailty and strength. Its strong, monochromatic tones shaped the ‘vessel’, into which we inserted moments of shine and light for creates intrigue and poetry. Key to a harmonious narrative was the enhanced spatial and visual flow, nuanced surface treatments, as well as singular joinery and furniture.
Kintsugi means ‘joining with gold’. The centuries-old Japanese craft uses urushi lacquer and powdered gold to mend broken pottery, with the aim of is highlighting imperfections rather than concealing them. Time and emotion are also factors; the act of repairing prolongs the life of a beloved object while reminding one of human frailty.
When the private lift door opens to the vestibule, a circular, translucent custom artwork by Wynlyn Tan, ‘Opalescence VIII’ is framed at the end of a black leather-lined ‘tunnel’. The Singaporean artist’s fluid brush strokes of alchemised minerals and pigments on Plexiglas, amalgamated with daylight, present the first act in this theatre of kintsugi.
Spatially, how would this translate? We looked to Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s tome, In Praise of Shadows’, where a sliver of gold on a dark surface glimmers ethereally with a shard of light; material and light become dependent partners. The strong, monochromatic tones for the apartment, requested by the homeowner, shaped the ‘vessel’, into which we inserted moments of shine and light.
Act two is entered into via large sliding doors, placed symmetrically to align the first view into an open-plan lounge and dining area. Darkened woods, raw burnished metal and textured clay compose a cavernous communal space, interrupted only by slits of light and reflected surfaces that give clue to the rooms.
Curved lines in the ceiling and walls, as well as the furniture and joinery, remedy any awkward surfaces and movements through space. To the faceted dry kitchen island counter that came with the apartment, we added an armature of a dining table that also improves seating capacity in the lounge. Here, smoke and mirrors become a literal game in the dry kitchen shelving. Behind a smoke-finished, one-way mirror, a television screen appears with illumination and light. Likewise across the lounge, the smoke-finished mirror doors of a speakeasy-like bar bring a sense of enigma into the scheme.
The final act is the master bedroom – a literal ‘mancave’. A feature wall takes prides of place, coated with black quartzite-like texture paint to evoke the ridges and lustre of frozen volcanic lava. Bespoke black onyx plinths at the bedside, which reveal drawers at the push of a button, continue the little moments of drama through the home.
