House Of Style

Taking a leaf from fashion boutiques, this home has been highly customised to match its owners’ tastes and way of life

- Luo Jingmei

Dubbed the Eave House, this project by Ming Architects and KGID exudes quiet elegance. It comprises a white volume perched on a darkened plinth, accented with crisp roof and car porch canopies. The firm’s founder and architect Tan Cher Ming, inspired by the site’s unique shape, detailed these elements with a triangulated, chamfered form. It gives the house a graceful, floating disposition that also visually accentuates the site’s width.

The owners, who live here with their two young children, wanted the house to evoke qualities similar to their old apartment. It was paramount that the design fosters family bonding and amplifies good light and ventilation.

TROPICAL LIVING

Several features add to this ventilating effect; these include screens that run the entire length of the master bedroom suite that filter light, air and views. On the first storey’s front elevation, dark-stained timber cladding reduces heat gain from the noon sun. Mesh panels prevent insects from entering and address water safety concerns. Fans in every room reduce air-conditioning usage.

With clever planning, the site’s unusual form becomes a boon. Tan positions rooms and living spaces in the regular areas, and inserts gardens and the staircase into leftover parts. The staircase corner is particularly delightful, privy to greenery aspects by triple-storey glazing. “Natural light comes in during the day and we can see the planters, which is a pretty sight as we walk up and down the stairs,” says the wife.

LIGHTNESS OF BEING