House Tour: A whimsical home for gatherings with a round living room

It’s not often that one sees a round living room in a HDB flat — but this resale home, designed by Woon from Metre Architects, pulls it off perfectly. The airy, expansive communal area is surrounded by a gentle curve that hugs the perimeter, making it cosy with a sense of playfulness at the same time.

Since the homeowner likes cooking and hosting gatherings with friends, she requested that one of the bedrooms be removed to enlarge the living room. The curve of the room echoes the outer wall of the block at Compassvale Link. “Our intuition is to celebrate the curved perimeter wall by introducing an inner curve that gathers the space,” says Woon. The curve was also inspired by Chinese calligraphy, where a typical stroke starts with strength and tapers off with a lighter touch.

It’s not all just aesthetics, either — the curve provides plenty of practical space that is at times a display shelf, and at times seating, depending on how creative one gets. For this homeowner, the surface provides extra seating for when her friends come over. Woon also made use of the space beneath to add much-needed storage.

AT A GLANCE

Type of home: 4-room HDB resale flat in Compassvale Link

Size of home: 91sqm

Who lives here: A homeowner in her thirties

ID: Metre Architects

Website: www.metre.sg

The dining table is custom-made with the owner’s favourite terrazzo top.

A lack of corners in this space also means that the homeowner can move the furniture around according to her preferences, and since there is no designated “dining” or “living” space, every piece of furniture looks right at home regardless of the configuration, like this dining table.

Woon likens it to a ship that docks at different places along the concave bay of the curve. “It has a spontaneity that makes each gathering unique and unrepeatable, akin to the Japanese concept of ‘ichi-go ichi-e’,” he says.

Storage, seating, display — the curved frame offers a myriad of options. The space is furnished with pictures, plants, and wooden stools that are all gifts from friends.

While one part of the living room allows for the typical activity of watching TV, the rest of the space is for communal activities and conversation. The curve beside the television tapers off into a little display shelf, while the rest of the space is made whimsical and playful with the use of bright colours and wallpaper.

The homeowner’s favourite terrazzo makes another appearance in the kitchen as the backsplash. Here, the colours are bright and playful since the homeowner loves cooking with friends.

The bedroom, by contrast, is done in a muted palette for a relaxed atmosphere.

The curved theme is echoed in the bathroom’s mirror.

At night, the curve is lit up from beneath, emphasising the linear continuity of the space.