Home tour: Monocot designs a minimalist penthouse in Singapore with French brand Liaigre

Feb 19, 2024

Elegant furniture from French brand Liaigre brings comfort and a sense of exclusivity into this seaside penthouse in Singapore, designed by Monocot

Situated within Singapore’s Corals at Keppel Bay condominium, this 5,000 sq ft penthouse is located right next to the sea, resulting in ocean views that bring a sense of tranquillity indoors. To create an equally soothing interior for the owners, who live here with their young daughter, Mikael Teh of Monocot reworked the layout and dressed it in an elegant palette comprising an assortment of woody textures, shadowed corners, and a tasteful selection of furniture and lighting fixtures.

There is a crafted ambience, with many bespoke elements. “The owners wanted the apartment to be one-of-a-kind, with mostly customised and limited pieces. They requested for the house to feel luxurious yet modern and youthful,” says Teh. “We reached out to all our suppliers and started discussions on how we could customise and create pieces just for this home.”

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In the living and dining spaces, Teh transformed an existing double-storey curved wall. “Inspired by the natural surroundings, we wanted to create a dramatic, cave-like feature wall,” he explains. It is an abstract fixture wrapped in timber veneer, granite and stainless steel—all clad in black. The upper level is textured with screens, while on the lower level Teh created a cavern-like bar in dark tones that present a sense of mystery.

The juxtaposition of dark and light surfaces adds a sense of theatricality to the interior and its thresholds. The television console and the air-conditioning units are neatly integrated into the feature wall. Likewise, the staircase abuts the edge, clad in the same timber veneer as the wall to read together with the wall as a single monolithic form.

All the bedrooms are housed on the lower level, which Teh reconfigured to give the master bedroom a more “presidential suite feel” as the clients complained it was too small for their liking. “We combined the existing master bedroom, family room and two bedrooms to create a massive suite for the clients,” he says.

After the reorganisation of the spaces, the French team from Liaigre in Paris came on board, and wrapped the walls in a warm stained timber veneer. The design team also created a bespoke headboard that is angled slightly to lend a cosy feel to the sleeping area. The daybed and console were also custom made, and matched with other pieces from the brand to create a cohesive look.

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Most of the furniture and lighting pieces in the home were sourced from Liaigre, the French brand founded by the late design maestro Christian Liaigre. Liaigre was also the architect and designer behind the renowned Mercer hotel in New York, as well as the homes of famous personalities and celebrities such as Karl Lagerfeld, Rupert Murdoch and Calvin Klein.

Liaigre pioneered a minimalist design language that also exudes warmth with the use of natural materials such as wood, bronze and leather. Most importantly, his products exhibit a strong sense of craft with the inclusion of exquisite details, and his spaces display a sense of quiet luxury that eschews gaudiness—qualities that Teh attempted to introduce to the home.

The entire living room set is from Liaigre, as is the customised dining table of which the pronounced marble veins on its top are a standout feature. It is paired with stately chairs from Jean-Michel Frank par Hermès. Overhead, a bespoke pendant light from Lasvit is a modern chandelier, christened “Reflections” in tribute to the seaside setting.

The study nearby sports a contemplative atmosphere, with views of the sea. Here, a screen from Rimadesio layers the windows to provide privacy and shade during the day. On the wall, Viabizzuno shelves hang lightly off timber veneer walls, with backlights accentuating the displays.

The bathrooms exude the same sense of sophistication as the other spaces, with the deployment of rich materials and quality tapware from Vola. In the master bathroom, a timber veneer ceiling combines with marble walls and flooring to create a tranquil yet cosy environment. In the powder room, which is clad in grey marble, a freestanding, sculptural washbasin from Agape anchors the space. Accents such as a circular wall lamp and mirror lend harmony to this tableau.

On the second storey is a gym that overlooks a sizeable terrace. “The clients wanted the gym to feel and look like a Japanese onsen [public bath], where they can exercise and practise yoga while looking out at the sea,” shares Teh. Thus, he finished the walls and ceiling entirely in timber veneer, and laid solid timber planks onto the floors.

Teh reveals that the clients, who left the design entirely up to him, were extremely satisfied with the home’s design. On the best compliment he received, he says: “The clients left Singapore a week after we handed the completed penthouse back to them. But then the wife asked the husband if they could stay in Singapore instead of relocating because she had fallen in love with the home.”

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