The origami

Photography: Edward Hendricks / CI&A
Art direction: Nonie Chen 

Moving to a larger space is natural for a couple asking their parents to stay with them. One might assume the decor would be dictated by the younger folk in such an instance, but the opposite was true with media professional Fenfei and her husband Kok Liang, who considered her parents' aesthetic preferences when they invited them to move in.

Fenfei's parents had indicated that they didn't like the retro look - they preferred simpler, more streamlined designs. So, the couple left their retro-themed flat in Tiong Bahru for a four-bedroom maisonette in Hougang, tasking interior and furniture designer Kelvin Teo of Space Sense to create a contemporary-style home for four.

Hacking the storeroom underneath the stairs provided space for the piece de resistance - the origami-inspired staircase. For a playful touch, the designer attached a ladder on the wall next to the staircase. "It goes nowhere," he quips. Although the living area is sparsely furnished, its furniture boasts maximum visual impact: a bright orange sofa from XZQT, a pod chair brought over from the couple's previous home, and an oversized reading lamp from Lifestorey.