A Home On Adam Drive

When a fashion maven turned furniture designer adds her style to an iconic black-and-white, magic happens.

- Melinda Murphy

“As I see it, black-and-white houses are the soul of Singapore and living in one is a real privilege,” says CLAIRE WARREN. “For us, it’s been a highlight of our eleven years living here”.

Truth is, Claire’s husband Digby was a bit obsessed with the idea of living in a black-and-white, plus the family was sick of moving and always chasing a bigger house. They’d already lived in a condo in Holland Village and a duplex on Kheam Hock and they were hungering for a big garden. Boy, did they get it.

With three bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms, the house isn’t all that large, but the yard is simply massive, which means the couple’s three children – Mia (10), Sebastian (8) and Lucian (3) – can run around outside from the moment they walk in the door after school. Battling screen time isn’t a problem in the Warren house. Their weeknights are all about freedom and fresh air.

A strong community

“What’s great about Adam Drive is the community,” says Claire. “A lot of the families on the street have kids and many are even in the same school. The children get an element of independence because they can roam around together and have instant playdates. We tend to either have no children here or six or more children all at one time, as they roam between the houses swimming, jumping on the trampoline, rollerblading, riding their bikes and walking the dogs. For us, it feels like you’re living in a little village and it’s fabulous to be able to rely on your neighbours.