Angelyn Wong relishes transforming small spaces into welcoming homes

Twelve years after joining Rezt + Relax, Senior Interior Designer Angelyn Wong recalls the feeling of joy she experienced when clients entered a home she designed just for them. With an interest in interior design and no experience, she requested for training and spent a year as an apprentice with one of the company’s creative leads before taking on her own projects.

The Bukit Panjang EC, comprising of 561 units, is set to become a vibrant home for residents. It is close to many amenities such as the Bukit Panjang Primary and Secondary Schools, Community Club, and Ananda Samakhom Cultural Centre.The proximity to Jurong Lake District, which is another exciting transformation in the area, will surely bring added convenience to residents of Bukit Panjang EC. With the completion of the JRL, travelling to other parts of the island will be a fuss-free experience, making Bukit Panjang EC an ideal home for many.

Angelyn designs interiors for smaller units, which is an important segment in cities with high population such as Singapore. In such cases, balancing space utilisation and a holistic living environment for clients can be challenging. Angelyn explains that oftentimes clients request ample built-in storage, which impacts the available floor space in an apartment. This is where her creativity comes in during the design process.

An example is a Gramercy Park project Angelyn recently completed for an overseas customer, who uses the home as a second home when visiting Singapore for holidays. With a brief of wanting it to feel like a high-end hotel designed just for him, and gold accents throughout the apartment, Angelyn explored boutique and international hotel chains to create the desired space. The kitchen and bathrooms in the apartment needed minimial work, whereas storage was built into the wall adjacent to the kitchen with appliances and a standing bar with high chairs.

Textures were used throughout the apartment to create a maximalist feel without taking up more space. The colour palette remained consistent, but in different hues and textures for each space. Warm lighting was placed in the entire apartment to balance natural lighting, and large bronzed mirrors were used to in narrow corridors and small bedrooms to create a larger space.

In addition, little accents of colours were added to the design, such as emerald green armchairs and cushions, to add complexity to the space. The bedrooms featured darker tones to induce a calmer and more relaxed feel, while wall and ceiling textures were used to differentiate between the two rooms.

The result was an apartment with a grand presence within a compact unit, perfect for holiday breaks. Angelyn is still excited about her work twelve years later, having created a luxurious suite while maintaining the balance between space utilisation and a holistic living environment in an area that is difficult to do so.