Large multi-level new home on small plot achieves sense of space

An eclectic decor, focus on natural materials and a dramatic double-height living area all give this home a luxurious air

The interiors in this home reflect connections to ceiling, floor, flooring, furniture, hardwood, home, interior design, laminate flooring, living room, room, wall, wood, wood flooring, gray — The interiors in this home reflect connections to nature through choice of materials, including matched marble tile floors.

Matched veneer on the front door and Italian door, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, interior design, laminate flooring, real estate, room, tile, wall, wood, wood flooring, wood stain, brown, gray

Cool and collected floor-to-ceiling drapes, vertical slats, ceiling, floor, interior design, living room, real estate, room, gray

The family room and most bedrooms in this architecture, floor, flooring, house, interior design, living room, real estate, gray

The five-level, four-bedroom home sits on a modest apartment, architecture, building, condominium, elevation, estate, facade, home, house, neighbourhood, property, real estate, residential area, sky, suburb, black, teal

A long plaster wall treatment adds texture to ceiling, home, house, interior design, living room, real estate, room, white

A modern German designer kitchen meets classic Chinese countertop, floor, flooring, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray, black, white

Contemporary meets classic a modern German kitchen chair, dining room, furniture, home, interior design, room, table, white

While the dry kitchen, seen here, is the architecture, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray, black

Marble floors in this new home have a chair, floor, flooring, furniture, hardwood, home, interior design, living room, room, table, gray, white

In a home that celebrates natural finishes throughout, architecture, door, home, house, interior design, property, wood, black

A smallish site doesn't limit you to a modest home. Faced with a tight land area, an effective design approach will optimise every square metre of the property, create a sense of internal expansiveness and connect to the outdoors and views at every turn. It also helps that if you can't build outwards, you can build up instead.

This five-level home, on a small 465m² plot was designed by its owner, interior designer James Yong, of Interlink Design Solutions.

The house footprint takes up almost all of the property, with a lane pool running along one side, says Yong.

Reaching up not out, the home has parking in the basement, the main living spaces and wet and dry kitchens on the ground floor, and bedrooms and a study on the level above that. The fourth floor has the master suite while the roof together with the many other terraces and balconies offers another outdoor living space.

Feature wood surfaces bring visual warmth to this ceiling, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, laminate flooring, living room, real estate, room, suite, wall, wood, wood flooring, brown — Feature wood surfaces bring visual warmth to this master bedroom.

"As well as connecting with the outdoors and views via balconies, I wanted the house to have its own internal spaciousness," Yong says.

To achieve this, the architect designed the first floor with a ceiling cutout opening it to the floor above to create a double-height void.

"There is a 3.7m-high stud on all floors, but here it is more like 8m, creating a dramatic impact. I drew attention to the height by introducing a textured, plaster wall element beside the main seating area to lead the eye up. This was repeated in horizontal format in the kitchen and dining area for continuity."

While the house doesn't have a lot of garden, it does bring the natural world inside through the choice of materials. Wood veneers in exotic species are seen on the floor, the lift entry surrounds on most floors and on the balustrades that overlook the main living floor from the storey above. The master bedroom is almost entirely finished in wood. Similarly, exotic stone features widely in the design. Matched slabs of marble are also used for flooring and the same richly veined Italian stone features on the floors and walls of the master bathroom.

For the home's general decor and furniture, Yong has drawn together artwork and pieces from European and oriental sources, both classic and contemporary. A snapshot of this eclectic approach is seen in the kitchen and dining area.

"The AlnoCera Convinta designer kitchen from Germany was chosen for its strong, simple lines and stone-like finishes," says Yong. "For the dining area a few steps away, we designed a long, wood dining table which is both contrasted and complemented by antique dining chairs from China."

The house is designed for sustainable living. The roof is fitted with solar panelling and the many sliding doors and operable screens not only provide easy access to the pool and balconies, but also provide cross ventilation.

Spacious on the inside and a showcase for high-end natural materials, the tall home offers a refined, relaxed lifestyle in the heart of the city.