This two bedroom converted warehouse in Richmond has been home for Cheng Chee and Tonny Djajadi for 2 and a half years. The pair purchased the home after 10 years of apartment living, with the intent of creating a more spacious home in which to host friends and family staying from overseas.
When they originally purchased the home, Tonny and Cheng’s house was an open plan loft set-up, with two mezzanines accessed by ladder-like stairs. The pair were keen to work with an architect to reconfigure the space, and create a more functional floorplan. ‘There was no flow to the kitchen, dining, and living, and we also felt we needed more privacy’ Tonny explains.
Their brief to friend and architect Wilson Tang of Sonelo was to create a more fluid flow from the front entry to the sun-drenched living room at the rear of the home. Wilson re-designed the kitchen and bathrooms, which were gutted and entirely re-built, along with a sleek new set of stairs to access the mezzanines. A new linear kitchen was constructed with an elegant shrouded island bench, and a long, custom built dining table was installed at the heart of the home, linking the front part of house to the living room at the rear.
Both Tonny and Cheng work in the residential construction industry, and are passionate design enthusiasts. Their home is a perfect reflection of their combined tastes, and a delicate balance of form and function.
Particularly treasured pieces include their large, comfy sofa, from Aero design (‘We spend a lot of time falling asleep in front of the TV – this is a sofa bed but with the sofa look – win win!’ says Tonny!). They’re also very fond of that extra long, marble-topped dining table, designed by their architect. ‘We use it a lot as entertaining space, dining space, work space, chatting space. We actually use it more frequently than the living room’ Tonny explains.
When asked to describe their aesthetic, Tonny and Cheng are characteristically decisive. ‘Clean-cut, symmetrical, calm – and with an aversion to clutter!’ they say. For these two young professionals, minimalism comes easy.
