Houzz Tours
Restored Shophouse on Emerald Hill Gets a Modern Extension
With a new extension, this family manages to make both modern and vintage decor work in their restored shophouse on Emerald Hill
Nestled in the quaint neighbourhood of Emerald Hill, this shophouse was restored and updated with an extension at the back of the home. Designed by architect Ong Ker-Shing and design consultant Josh Comaroff of Lekker Architects, this renovated shophouse is a beautiful expression of the overlap of old and new. The facade of the shophouse was restored and recovered, and the duo gave many of the rooms a contemporary look. Not only did the extension maximise the shophouse’s floor space, it also brightened the home and offered the homeowners a better sense of privacy.
“With all conservation projects, we are careful not to “lie” about history – we like to clearly separate old from new. In this case, the distinction was a bit grey, as we also thought it was necessary to modernise many rooms in the original shophouse as well. For this reason, we placed a rear stair and a light-well between the former rear facade and the extension. We wanted to underline the difference between the two,” explains Ong.
When she first saw the shophouse, Ong found that the home had gone through several renovations that left the house with an oppressive 1980s feel. As such, the original shophouse was quite crowded and dark, so the addition of the extension allowed for better lighting for the social spaces in the front of the home.
As the homeowners were planning for the possibility of a larger family, and also expected occasional visits from parents, the added extension allowed for more bedrooms, too.
As the homeowners were planning for the possibility of a larger family, and also expected occasional visits from parents, the added extension allowed for more bedrooms, too.
The extension also served another very valuable purpose. Like the other houses on Emerald Hill, this shophouse was built before the construction of the CTE expressway, situated right behind the house. The expressway generates a lot of noise and it provides opportunities for drivers to peek into the houses from the back.
As such, Lekker Architects proposed to angle some of the windows away from the direct view of the expressway. Instead, the windows face an existing line of African Mahogany trees – the densest portions of the canopy.
“This buffers the noise from the expressway and protects their privacy, without the heavy use of shutters or other baffling devices,” shares Ong.
As such, Lekker Architects proposed to angle some of the windows away from the direct view of the expressway. Instead, the windows face an existing line of African Mahogany trees – the densest portions of the canopy.
“This buffers the noise from the expressway and protects their privacy, without the heavy use of shutters or other baffling devices,” shares Ong.
In the master bedroom, there is an open-air area with deck flooring that was built as part of the extension of the shophouse. As it is on the top floor, at that level, the Kaya trees open into a beautiful lush canopy. Now, the homeowners can better appreciate the greenery in their neighbourhood from their bedroom.
In the children’s bedroom, a large bookshelf holds a wide variety of storybooks. The ladder goes up to a small skylight where there is a sunlit reading perch at the top. Here, the window from the children’s bedroom overlooks the second floor’s front room which was conserved with original materials.
The homeowners come from a family of furniture suppliers. As such, they have amassed a large collection of Peranakan furniture, which features heavily in the front of the restored home.
In the front room of the first floor, the homeowners decided to retain the look of the old shophouse, decorating this room with their collection of Peranakan antiques.
“The furniture collection they have is a real vision of the elegance of Straits culture from earlier days. Some of them predate the turn of the 20th century and are at the very elaborate end of this style. They are mostly made of lacquered mahogany with mother-of-pearl marquetry,” says Ong.
“The furniture collection they have is a real vision of the elegance of Straits culture from earlier days. Some of them predate the turn of the 20th century and are at the very elaborate end of this style. They are mostly made of lacquered mahogany with mother-of-pearl marquetry,” says Ong.
While the home office in the attic of the shophouse is designed to carry a contemporary style, the traditional colonial style was not lost there. The antique decor pieces gave the room much character, while the black light switches by the window add a nostalgic touch.
See more of this project
TELL US
What’s your favourite part of this design? Share in the Comments below.
See more of this project
TELL US
What’s your favourite part of this design? Share in the Comments below.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A married couple who are doctors, and their two children
Location: A restored shophouse on Emerald Hill
Size: Approximately 4,500 sqft, 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms
Wanting to uphold the distinctive and nostalgic look of the shophouse, the facade – timber, as well as, cracking plaster – was painstakingly recovered, as with the traditional front room with large shuttered windows.