Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Singapore-Japanese Family's Cross-Cultural BTO Flat
This Punggol flat is designed with the Japanese way of life in mind to help its owners adjust to their new home
“One of the owners’ design requirements was to have a home that allows them to keep their Japanese way of life, while adapting to Singapore culture,” says designer Charmaine Wong of Chark. Together with colleague Jacob Ishak, she proposed “a home away from home” concept for the owners, where tatami mats are part of the Singapore apartment’s character.
From contextualising the functions of spaces, to adapting climactic influences on form, the designers drew from their clients’ mixed backgrounds to create the perfectly balanced home for them.
Wong and Ishak hacked down walls and merged rooms so that the five-room flat would enjoy “uninhibited circulation and open space” for the owners. They took inspiration from Japan’s timber architecture, marrying it with Singapore’s bright, tropical climate for the colour and material palette. And they incorporated cultural practices, such as sitting on the floor, into their design.
Wong adds: “A fish tank was ordered and shipped from Japan. The built-in cabinetry in the living room is designed to give the tank three exposed sides so that the view of fishes can be appreciated from all corners of the dining and living spaces.”
Wong and Ishak hacked down walls and merged rooms so that the five-room flat would enjoy “uninhibited circulation and open space” for the owners. They took inspiration from Japan’s timber architecture, marrying it with Singapore’s bright, tropical climate for the colour and material palette. And they incorporated cultural practices, such as sitting on the floor, into their design.
Wong adds: “A fish tank was ordered and shipped from Japan. The built-in cabinetry in the living room is designed to give the tank three exposed sides so that the view of fishes can be appreciated from all corners of the dining and living spaces.”
The result is a bright-and-breezy Japanese-style urban home for a young family.
Hacking down the kitchen walls allowed for an open-plan layout where the dining and living areas are easy steps away from each other and the kitchen. Timber-look laminates clad faux beams on the ceiling; the timber look extends to the child-friendly vinyl flooring as well.
“The living room is designed without a sofa and encourages the family to continue their enjoyment of sitting close to the ground,” says Wong. “The family enjoys TV shows while reclining on oversized bean bags, and the girls take turns to enjoy a swing on the low hammock or a sprawl on the floor.”
Sunlight softly illuminates the palette of white, light-coloured timber and pale grey accents through sheer day curtains. “Sun glare is reduced with the use of timber-like PVC blinds, which are light-weight and thus easier to handle and do not warp as natural timber strips would,” says Wong.
Flooring: LG Vinyl; Furniture: Muji
Hacking down the kitchen walls allowed for an open-plan layout where the dining and living areas are easy steps away from each other and the kitchen. Timber-look laminates clad faux beams on the ceiling; the timber look extends to the child-friendly vinyl flooring as well.
“The living room is designed without a sofa and encourages the family to continue their enjoyment of sitting close to the ground,” says Wong. “The family enjoys TV shows while reclining on oversized bean bags, and the girls take turns to enjoy a swing on the low hammock or a sprawl on the floor.”
Sunlight softly illuminates the palette of white, light-coloured timber and pale grey accents through sheer day curtains. “Sun glare is reduced with the use of timber-like PVC blinds, which are light-weight and thus easier to handle and do not warp as natural timber strips would,” says Wong.
Flooring: LG Vinyl; Furniture: Muji
The open spaces, as per the owners’ request, is to encourage more family time, and for the mum to be able to watch the girls wherever they are in the flat.
Like the hammock in the living room, the dining set was shipped by the owners from Japan.
Light Fittings: Lights&Co.
Like the hammock in the living room, the dining set was shipped by the owners from Japan.
Light Fittings: Lights&Co.
The walls of a third bedroom were hacked down, replaced by sliding doors and partitions inspired by Shoji screens. The floor was raised to create a tatami platform that doubles as storage. The designers call this space the tatami room, and it functions as a multi-functional room: used with futons, and the shoji screens pulled shut, it can be a guest bedroom or the girls’ bedroom. Opened up, it’s regularly used as the girls’ play area.
Conveniently, the open kitchen looks out to both the dining area, which the girls use for doing homework, and the tatami room, where they play.
The second bedroom is used as a home office, and has been connected to the master bedroom with a pocket door. The walk-in wardrobe simply makes use of the space naturally created from the walkway of the master bedroom’s entrance.
“All built-in cabinets were customised with dimensions to suit specific storage boxes and organisers,” says Wong.
“All built-in cabinets were customised with dimensions to suit specific storage boxes and organisers,” says Wong.
For their master bathroom, the owners wanted the onsen (Japanese spa bath) experience. Wong says that the compact layout of the HDB toilet, plus Singapore’s humid climate, required some adjustments in material selection. “Ceramic floor tiles for the wet areas were selected to match the timber-like vinyl tiles (in the other spaces) in tonality and matte finish. We added a compact bathtub in the location of the previous standing shower area, with the low walls clad in timber-look tiles,” says Wong.
Tiles: Hafary; Sanitary Wares and Accessories: Kohler
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Tiles: Hafary; Sanitary Wares and Accessories: Kohler
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House at a Glance
Who Lives Here: A Singaporean, his Japanese wife, and their two little girls
Location: Punggol
Type of Property: 5-room HDB Flat
Size: Approx. 1,130 Square Feet (105 Square Metres)
Designers: Charmaine Wong & Jacob Ishak of Chark