For an HDB apartment with a limited budget, we proposed the concept of ‘juxtaposition’ – accentuating the old with the ultra-modern. It is a rule that we know in our observation of spaces, that balance is everything. The old is not always boring, the new is not always exciting. The tension that comes from the interplay of both is what makes alive any space – the same with human beings, that one cannot be all future with no past which results in a plastic-like existence, and yet at the same time one wishes to move forward to a better place than before. It is this subtlety that is the powerful element in all art, the contemplation of time past in the time present, and the hope that looks into the future.
To keep costs low, we proposed to not demolish the classic earth-tone floor tiles and the white tiles with blue border at the kitchen sink area which was the trademark of a certain by-gone era:
By themselves, the kitchen looks dated, but we proposed to use ultra-sleek black stainless steel surfaces at the cabinets, and very modernist raw concrete surfaces at the counter and backsplash:
Thus balance is achieved in a space that offers food for thought.
HABASSELET DESIGN 