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What to Plan Before Designing a Penthouse
What to Plan Before Designing a Penthouse in Singapore
A penthouse brings its own opportunities: generous ceilings, wide windows, long views and often a terrace or a second level. Making the most of them takes careful planning. Here are the things we suggest every owner thinks through before the design begins.
1. Start with how you want to live, and how you want to feel
Before choosing materials or furniture, think about the people who will live here. Is this a family home, a place for two, or a home you will often open to guests? Do you need a study, a guest suite, or space for a growing collection of art?
Just as important is how you want each space to feel. Perhaps open and uplifting in the living room, calm and private in the bedrooms, or quietly dramatic when the city lights come on at night. We design with intention: the light, materials, colours and proportions in every room are chosen to create the feeling you want to come home to.
2. Design around the views and the light
The view is often the reason a penthouse is chosen, so plan the layout to make the most of it. Decide which rooms should face the view and where furniture will sit to enjoy it. Large windows also bring strong sun and glare at certain times of day, so think early about curtains, sheers or blinds, and how they will be hidden when open. Privacy matters too, especially at night when the rooms are lit from inside.
3. Make the most of the height and proportions
Higher ceilings and larger rooms give a penthouse its sense of space, but they also need care. Lighting, joinery and furniture should be scaled to the room, so nothing feels lost or too small. Ceiling details, feature walls and layered lighting can bring warmth and help a large space feel comfortable rather than empty.
4. Plan the flow between levels and out to the terrace
In a duplex penthouse, the staircase is often the centrepiece of the home, and it links how each level is used. Think about which spaces sit upstairs and which below, and how guests and family move between them. If you have a terrace or roof terrace, consider how it connects to the living spaces and how you will use it, whether for dining, entertaining or quiet mornings outdoors.
5. Check your condominium's rules early
A penthouse sits within a managed development, and most have rules on renovation. These can cover working hours, approvals for certain works, lift bookings for deliveries, and changes that affect the building's appearance, such as windows, facades or terrace covers. Checking these with the management office before the design is finalised avoids surprises later.
6. Plan the services and the details together
Air-conditioning, lighting, sound, curtains and smart-home controls work best when they are planned at the design stage, not added at the end, so they sit quietly within the interior. Bespoke joinery and furniture are often what make a penthouse feel personal. It also helps to check the size of the lifts early, so larger pieces can be designed to arrive and fit in smoothly.
7. Agree on priorities, budget and schedule
Every penthouse is different, so cost and timing depend on the size of the home, the scope of works and the materials chosen. Decide what matters most to you, whether that is the living and dining space, the main bedroom or the terrace, and share it with your designer. Settling decisions early, before works start, helps avoid changes midway that can add cost and time.
Questions to ask your designer
Can I see penthouses you have completed, including duplex homes if mine has two levels?
Who will I work with from the first meeting to handover?
How do you handle approvals and coordination with the condominium management?
What is included in the quotation, and how are changes handled?
How we can help
Prestige Global Designs is an award-winning luxury interior design firm in Singapore, founded in 2008. Our penthouses have been recognised at the Tatler Homes Design Awards and the Asia Pacific Property Awards, and you work directly with our founders from the first consultation to the final reveal.