BOTANICAL ROMANCE

This charming abode uses a dynamic interplay of colour and exuberant prints to bring the beauty of the outdoors inside

- Ryan Reuben

With its lively hues and meticulously applied decorative details, this three-storey landed house in Singapore’s Mountbatten district looks like a larger-than-life confectioner’s dream. Its exquisite spaces celebrate a candy-coated colour palette and eye-catching embellishments, appearing almost good enough to eat and radiating a life-affirming energy that would draw a smile from the most reticent visitor.

Its occupants comprise a Singaporean couple and their four grown-up children, as well as two grandparents and two domestic helpers. They had approached Chloe Elkerton, founder of bespoke interior design firm E&A Interiors, to help them create an elegant and inviting home bursting with energy and colour, and brimming with a sense of joy and warmth.

“They also loved nature and gardens, and travelling to Europe and Japan,” says Elkerton, adding that the clients sought a “unique home that was different from what you would normally see in Singapore”. “Ultimately, we wanted to create a ‘garden house’, where every room felt like a botanical oasis.” Another requirement was for a tea room, akin to those in private clubs at the turn of the century; these typically resembled a garden pavilion with a fountain in the middle, wicker chairs, and latticework on the walls and ceiling, interwoven with lights and ivy.

TRADING PLACES

Incidentally, refreshing the interiors of this 5,000 sq ft abode proved, quite literally, to be a happy homecoming of sorts for Elkerton, who had also worked on the same house in an earlier project for different homeowners. “The fact that we had renovated the house previously really helped as our contractor and team knew it inside out, which was beneficial with the planning stages as well as being familiar with all its quirks,” she smiles.