Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: This Future-Ready Home is Designed for Lots of Family Time
A tropical Zen-garden dwelling for two – and a future third – generations is self-contained with its own recreational and leisure spaces
It’s easy to imagine this home embraced by greenery once its indoor-outdoor landscaping has fully grown. Aamer Taher of Aamer Architects has so deftly integrated pockets of green and vertical plant cover into its design that these features have become family favourites for the owners.
“The brief called for us to design a dwelling space with entertainment room, two master bedrooms, one guest bedroom, one kid’s room, prayer room, and recreational and leisure spaces,” Taher says. With the long, narrow plot of land, and the building setback restrictions it was logical to build up in order to fulfil the brief – and building up included the greenery.
“The brief called for us to design a dwelling space with entertainment room, two master bedrooms, one guest bedroom, one kid’s room, prayer room, and recreational and leisure spaces,” Taher says. With the long, narrow plot of land, and the building setback restrictions it was logical to build up in order to fulfil the brief – and building up included the greenery.
A combination of off-form concrete, bamboo and hardwood – seen both outdoors and in – gives the contemporary, clean-lined architecture a more organic texture. The landscaping enhances that, and as the plants grow and the materials weather over time, a characterful patina will emerge. “There were additional measures taken to protect the timber from weather over time, with application of clear sealant,” Taher adds.
Entrance by car leads into the basement level, where the entertainment spaces – including bar and tea rooms – are located.
The glass-bottomed swimming pool adds another source of entertainment to the TV lounge, which also features a fully-stocked bar.
“The back of bar design was influenced by the dynamism of the bar counter. Our challenge was to make the back of bar visible from the seating area, so the display was designed to be above the bar counter height while keeping storage at lower heights. Having the back of bar beneath the staircase gave us an opportunity to use the open riser stairs to create an experiential walk up the stairs as your eye level changes along the height of the display shelves, creating nice views into the display area,” Taher says.
Fair-faced bricks, ventilation blocks and veneer were used to effect a masculine feel.
The sunken pool slab created an opportunity for Aamer Architects to design a tea room in the basement.
“The low ceiling space was perfect and suitable to create a warm floor seating with tatami mats bringing out the oriental mood,” Taher says. “To stay true to the concept of the space we introduced white washed timber walls and floors with oriental looking solid timber furniture.”
The architect also paints, and his painting of the cherry blossom tree was the “icing on the cake”, completing the space.
“The low ceiling space was perfect and suitable to create a warm floor seating with tatami mats bringing out the oriental mood,” Taher says. “To stay true to the concept of the space we introduced white washed timber walls and floors with oriental looking solid timber furniture.”
The architect also paints, and his painting of the cherry blossom tree was the “icing on the cake”, completing the space.
Bamboo and timber soften the hard edges of the lift as it rises from the basement to the attic.
At ground level, the swimming pool spans the length of the house, starting from the living room and on to the rear.
An indoor pool lounge in between the living and dining rooms is also the transitional space from the social and recreational floors to the bedrooms upstairs.
For this family of adults, cooking and dining at leisure go hand-in-hand, so it’s a relaxed yet luxurious dine-in kitchen setup.
The fresh outdoor feel is brought up even to the bedrooms on the second floor with landscaping elements used in the hallway, a ‘floating garden’ and bamboo cladding.
Aamer Architects worked on the interior design and furniture selection, although the firm got the client involved not just by educating them on the materials but going on a buying trip to Bali with them as well. Pieces like the consoles and study tables were inspired by the use of timber and clean lines in the architectural design.
The firm collaborated with contractor Space Scope Pte Ltd as “we needed a skilful contractor to realise our design concept.”
At the attic level is the prayer room and a viewing deck where the family can hold barbecues whilst enjoying a view of the Singapore skyline.
TELL US
What do you find most striking about this home? Let us know in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you find most striking about this home? Let us know in the Comments section.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of entrepreneurs – a couple and his parents
Location: Detached house in Tanjong Katong
Size: 818 square metres (8,802 square feet) of total built-up area
Taher explains the use of various materials – including plants – as a response to site conditions as well as to create different moods indoors.
“Landscape was part of the architecture, designed from the very beginning,” Taher says. “It was designed not only to create a garden atmosphere, but to provide privacy, soften the concrete edges of the façade and make the spaces feel tranquil.”