ALEX, the name of the micro-apartment as well as its owner, is a utopian space for a bachelor who loves minimalist design. It is a conversion from a 47 sqm public housing flat in Singapore that featured the standard compartmentalized areas for living, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Spacedge Designs re-engineered the space in a way that responds to the bachelor’s lifestyle. The bachelor had also requested a space to build and display his Lego Architecture Series models.
In working with small spaces, the designers explain that firstly, there is technically no need for doors within the flat. ALEX thus has all the functional zones required for working, sleeping, playing, cooking and bathing – but without any of the conventional physical or visual demarcations. All internal walls were removed from the existing flat to start clean.
To create openness, functional spaces are expressed as a series of structures, taking the form of cabinetry, with a unified design language. The profile of these structures and their openings were carefully calibrated for a sense of order and proportion. In order to ensure easy maintenance, the structures were complete with wood-look laminates rather than solid wood.
Although the design appears simple, the designers explain it required extensive detailing so that the structures appear clean and crisp. Against this backdrop of simplicity are several functional design features that pop out. A wall-hung coin bank was spray-painted neon orange to meet fengshui requirements. Further to this, customized lighting is attached to a 32mm diameter round blue metal tube that goes from wall to wall.
‘Less is more; I don’t design more than what is required,’ says project designer William Chan.
