Transforming A Terrace House into A Dark Modern Luxury Home

Terrace house transformations can have a huge influence and impact in adding more value to terrace houses. These makeover projects in interior design give a total facelift in giving a new identity and lifestyle change to the new homeowners.

In this article, we study the transformation of a terrace house by Nu Infinity in a unique award winning terrace hill-homes development within a beautiful gated and guarded community. This 5300 sq ft 3 storey upscale signature parkhome sits on an elevated site that enjoys breathtaking views of the KL city skyline to the west, Central Park on the east and breathtaking views of the hills to the north.

The quality of a well-designed floor plan hinges on how the spaces in a home connect to each other as well as the movement and flow they create between them. Not to mention, the crucial function they serve. At Nu Infinity, this is termed space choreography. What they have accomplished with this home is remarkably unrecognizable from its original floor plans.

Upon first visit to the property, the first impression was that this property was surrounded by beautiful landscapes being a corner unit but the layout of the property did not benefit from it at all! The existing ground floor plan featured an underwhelming entrance to a hallway leading straight to a kitchen area with walls separating the dining area it leads to.

The spaciousness of the property could not be experienced because there were too many walls dividing the general space and the house was solely relying on artificial lighting at most times. Understanding the client’s brief, it wasn’t a practical option to have the cooking area at the front which would cause the oil to be redirected to the car porch. The team decided to demolish the entire kitchen and turn it into a powder room.

The living room was moved into the middle of the layout to greet the foyer instead. This made the entrance to the property feel more welcoming and roomy. The separating wall was also taken down to expand the living area, resulting in a roomy and inviting space as the focal point of the home for the family. If you are familiar with Nu Infinity’s design, this is one of their signature trademarks. Nu Infinity has always encouraged and educated clients to alter the ego of practicality.

An elegant statement was made in the living room with a ceiling-mounted Gessi tap and matching sink gilded in stylish black and copper hues curated in collaboration with Spazio. Spazio is a creative team that works closely with interior designers and architects to develop and ideate innovative design concepts. This distinctive Gessi fitting is inspired by the fluid and natural shapes of water, which uses soft and familiar contours to make any space feel personal and cozy, modern yet minimalist. The stand alone basin sculptures as a conversational addition to the living area and it is complimented by the tastefully selected wall light that gives this unique space a subtle glow.

The living room is composed of a cool grey palette with shades of black, with final touches of copper brimming across the carpentry details. The greatest impact to this transformation that makes the regular space look modern and luxurious is the choice of changing the floor tiles to marble flooring. The neutral tones of the black slated walls are complemented with the natural textures of smooth grey marble on the TV wall. This colour theme is the key to what makes the steel copper shelves pop out as a feature.

Nu Infinity’s design intention here was to create more open spaces and form a connection between every corner of the property. Hence, it was decided to demolish the store underneath the staircase to create a mini rock garden and also bring down the wall that opens up to the new dining area. By installing a low glass window in this space, more natural light is drawn into the living room.

Fulfilling the client’s requirements of a lift, the lift was parked right alongside the staircase in a glass box. The lift comes with a revolutionary frameless concept and lighting that elevates the experience travelling up and down the lift. The lift is now recognized like a tower lantern to the neighbours.

The rear side of the property has also been transformed. In the original floor plans, the living room was at the back of the property with lots of height from its double volume ceiling. This was transformed into the dry kitchen instead and the dining area was relocated beside it. After thorough discussion between the interior design team and the owners, a mezzanine level was created on top of the dining area to give extra room to the property.

With a lower ceiling for the dining area, Nu Infinity decided to create a statement, displaying an exercise of their creativity in a custom made plaster ceiling feature. An organic form that displays the team’s mastery of craftsmanship, adding dimension and depth to the space. Its curved corners make the entire space more visually pleasing and cohesive.

The existing property had a few irregular columns at the rear, therefore some carpentry works were built to align the stretch of wall. Nu Infinity managed to even fit a hidden refrigerator between those columns.

In the dry kitchen, we decided to make full use of this height to showcase a magnificent marble wall grandly complimented by this modern coil-shaped chandelier light that echoes through the double volume. The consistent cool grey colour palette of the living room is extended to the dry kitchen feature wall and also at the kitchen island. Each piece of marble was handpicked and painstakingly pieced one by one with care to form this grand masterpiece of marble.

As the selection of marble is a relatively key task to each of every Nu Infinity project, the team chooses to commit time to the selection progress to ensure the final outcome of the project meets expectations. For this project, Nu Infinity sourced the stones from Express Marble. They supply and specialise in quality, custom-made marble products. They import natural stone and manufacture specially cut to size or custom-made slabs and surfaces in distinctive designs and patterns. Based on their professional expertise, they recommend suitable stones to customers, ensuring customer satisfaction in all their marble needs.

The beautiful backdrop was paired with a sleek island in charcoal black boasting an elegant marble countertop. To complement this sleek modern atmosphere, Spazio recommended a copper tap made in Italy from Gessi’s kitchen series. It brings an industrial chic look to the countertop with its sophisticated mechanical finishings that goes alongside Nu Infinity’s design concepts. The kitchen and dining areas are tied together visually by the black marble elements.

The beautiful backdrop was paired with a sleek island in charcoal black boasting an elegant marble countertop. To complement this sleek modern atmosphere, Spazio recommended a copper tap made in Italy from Gessi’s kitchen series. It brings an industrial chic look to the countertop with its sophisticated mechanical finishings that goes alongside Nu Infinity’s design concepts. The kitchen and dining areas are tied together visually by the black marble elements.

On the first floor, the existing family hall was turned into the client’s hobby space. A space showcasing a marvel of his cherished toy collection. As you gaze up towards the top of his collection, a minimalist organic form of a customized plaster ceiling feature completes this space with a subtle yet superlative glow. The most drastic change made to the first floor was an extension to the void area above the dining area, carving out extra space.

The only thing the owner was lacking in this home was a personal home gym. Therefore, a space-efficient home gym was created with an outdoor view and ample natural light in this previously underutilised space.

In the original plans, the first floor had two bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom. Here Nu Infinity decided to combine these two rooms into a spacious master bedroom with its own walk-in closet. The owner’s love for black also extends to the bedroom as well with a cool grey palette contrasted with black metallic accents and dark mahogany panels.

A stone feature wall was installed beside the bed. When the lights are dimmed, its natural texture accentuated by shadows cast by the linear light creates an extraordinary ambiance to the bedroom. These elements come together to curate a cave-like, masculine aesthetic to the master bedroom.

In a corner, the walk-in shower forms a glass box that is fully visible in the bedroom. The design was to still blend well with the master room’s aesthetic with the dark textures of a sleek black marble wall. Although the walk-in shower parades as a glass box, with a touch of a button, the glass turns opaque, ensuring privacy when necessary.

In the bathroom, glass block windows are installed, creating an interesting silhouette. They also bring stark contrast from an older era to the modern touches of the bathroom and maintain privacy while maximising natural light. The master bathroom also incorporates the consistent visual theme of dark marble with intricate white veining in its sink and counter. The spacious walk-in closet is designed in shades of mahogany framed by black glass doors and black metallic accents in the wardrobe handles and siding doors.

On the second floor, both the rooms were divided evenly for the two children in the family. Their rooms are customized according to their lifestyles and interests. The right side of the floor plan was drastically changed, by demolishing the yard, maid's room and bath and connecting it to the room to make a huge walk-in closet for the daughter.

In effective space planning, each room in the home can potentially serve multiple purposes. In this case, the spacious walk-in closet was also smartly integrated with ceiling high mirrors to also function as a personal dance studio for the family’s daughter who dances ballet. When it comes to the bedroom, the room was encased in a warm white tone with a splash of yellow in the headboard and fringed with greenery draping from the ceiling.

The original master bedroom on the second floor became the son’s bedroom. His bedroom immediately greets you with a vibrant gaming theme. Adorning the headboard is a light design of a dinosaur pixel art with a built-in shelf to showcase his toy collection.

The bathrooms are a muted grey and white with black accents, creating a clean, modern aesthetic. With Spazio’s insight, the bathrooms are fitted with a sink made of natural stone composite, with the same tactility and form as pure marble. The material is cold to the touch, while being tough and easy to maintain.

Effective space planning for a home takes into careful consideration the layout, function, and needs of its residents to craft a meticulous design for each corner of the property. Without effective space planning, rooms or even entire homes can lack a cohesive sense of function for its residents. 

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