Organic Modernism

Organic Modernism
HOUSE TO HOME #20
Jen & Jieloon

Jen and Jieloon’s home seamlessly blends warm wood and clean whites with cool metal finishings and rich blacks, a display of the architect duo’s aesthetics. The home’s centrepiece is a sizeable kitchen island that also served as the altar for the couple’s ultra-cosy home wedding. Remarkably affable and down to earth, the couple generously shared their space and scrumptious breakfast with us, under the watchful eye of Chaota, their Maine Coon Ragdoll cat. Architect duo - Jen & Jieloon“We both work in the architectural industry hence we spent a considerable amount of time deciding on each material to be used in the home.”

“We directed the aspiration for our home at the mood that we wanted to create, rather than focusing on physical appearance. The material palette is hence quite warm, with some dark, metallic elements to draw attention to certain focal points in each space.”

SOJAO Organic Hand Towel and Essentials Towel Bundle

Featured above are our Organic Face Towel and our new Essentials Towel Bundle.

“It may sound trivial to some but the both of us are very particular about how a material looks and feels, and how it reads together with other materials within the immediate context. That’s one of the reasons why we stretched our budget to incorporate the use of engineered timber rather than vinyl flooring, because the feeling of stepping on it is so different."

Interior of Organic Modernism

“I also have a little bit of an obsession with lights and lamps. We love collecting feature lighting like our Matin Table Lamp from Hay Design and the UFO Chrome Lights from Light Basic Studio. Made & Make, Aeaefurniture, P5 and The Beuro are just some of our favourite places to shop for the home as well.” 

Matin Table Lamp and UFO Chrome Lights

“Being in the industry, both Jieloon and I also used this opportunity to explore and test details that could potentially be used in future projects. Jieloon actually does woodworking so he lovingly designed and built all the cabinetry himself.”

Interior shot of Organic Modernism

“The four giant B&W paintings that you see around the home are actually painted by Jieloon and his boss! We saw a similar painting sometime back at a furniture store, but it wasn't for sale. Jieloon couldn't get it out of his head, and the next thing I knew, his boss very kindly suggested that they hand-paint a few for the home!”

B&W hand painted paintings

“A few people warned us not to, but we went ahead to buy furniture before/whilst the spaces were still being designed! Doing a mood board is always helpful to test whether a piece of furniture goes with the rest of the home. What we also did was to 3D model the exact piece of furniture we wanted, to better visualise how it'd sit within the space. We also tried to go for neutral pieces that could be used if we moved or changed up our style.”

Personal items on neutral themed furniture

“As our personalities are quite different, we agreed to approach designing with a more neutral palette. We then filled the space with personal items that both of us have collected over the years.”

“Friends can always tell which object belongs to whom, because our preferences are so different! Jieloon’s personality is more outgoing and he’s not afraid of trying something new or fun, while I’m quieter and prefer safer and more timeless styles.”

Smiley floor mat and cat

"Both Jieloon and myself are not into big events and found ourselves wanting to do something more intimate with our closest friends and family for our solemnisation. Since we had spent so much effort and money crafting our home, we figured why not have the ceremony here too?”

Wedding shot of Jieloon and Jen
Photos courtesy of Jen & Jieloon
“Everything was prepared by friends and family - the food set up, floral decorations and make up. We reconfigured the furniture and rented a bunch of benches from Carousell which garnered a few comments on how they looked like church pews!” 
Wedding setup in Organic Modernism
Photos courtesy of Jen & Jieloon

“The entire affair was really laid-back and it was nice to have everyone mingle around comfortably, without the pressure of having to clear out the premises.”

“Now that we have settled into the home, my favourite spot has to be the reading nook that Jieloon built in the bedroom. We took advantage of the semi-circular configuration and designed an elevated platform that faces the bit of Jurong Lake Garden that is visible from the home. It's the perfect spot to sit and chill especially when it rains.”

Lady reading on the reading nook

“Jieloon and I try to take some time to have coffee together in the morning and gather our thoughts before leaving for work. We usually do this at the island as that's also where we lay out all the items the night before, and so that spot's kind of become almost the heart of the house because that's where we start (and also end) our day!”

Shot of couple drinking coffee happily

“We are definitely hot sleepers! We enjoy sheets that are nice and cool to the touch.”

SOJAO Classic Mix and Match Bundle Set in the bedroom

Jen and Jieloon’s bed is dressed in a Classic Mix and Match Bundle Set comprising a Classic Fitted Sheet in Natural, a Classic Duvet Cover and Classic Pillow Case Pair in Cloud, topped off with an extra Classic Pillow Case Pair in Natural.

“Moving into our own space has been mainly about getting used to and learning to live with each other, as both of us have pretty different habits. It was definitely a bit of a challenge at the start, but I'd like to think we've gotten better at understanding each other's needs after 7 months!”

Interior shot of the bedroom

“Home is a place that we can both come back to and unwind after a long day, and completely be ourselves.”

Interior shot of home

 

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