While transformations are exciting to watch, the makeover of this 10-year old terrace house centred more on the homeowners’ realistic need for storage. “The family of five has lived here for the past decade,” reveals design director Annie Tan from Interarch Design who had worked on the first renovation. She was engaged again to work on the second renovation while her brother, Mike Tan, proprietor of lifestyle store Egg3 took charge of the interior styling.
Other than storage, it was imperative for Annie to introduce more light and space as well as a fresher outlook for the multi-storey home. They retained what they could and made significant improvements to the space configuration of the living zone and master bathroom.
A few of the things they kept are the marble flooring of the living zone and the settee next to the window. Annie had the natural stone flooring re-polished and the settee re-sprayed with a lighter tint of white to match the new colour palette. She says, “The previous colour scheme was a dark walnut colour and we toned down the woody hue with light neutrals.”
The refreshed modern colour scheme is well represented by marble-effect tiles on the living area’s wall. In a crisp shade of white and sporting feathery veining, this stone-like feature wall factors in a touch of luxury into the modern contemporary interior. This gorgeous centrepiece is contrasted by a timber strip design motif which makes up different parts of the living zone. Annie introduced this design element not just for decorative purposes, but worked in concealed storage behind the cabinetry doors bearing this clean-cut style.
Other than cosmetic changes, she also reconfigured the floor plan of the ground level and expanded the dining zone by hacking away the common bathroom. The bathroom was then re-located to the yard area and the dining zone is now anchored by a full-height mirror panel. With warm recessed lighting peeking through the back of the mirror feature, it bathes the dining zone with an inviting glow.
Heading upstairs to the other communal zones, the family room resides on the fourth level where it is connected to the rooftop garden. Annie kept the look of the space cosy yet neutral enough to accommodate future changes. The walls for instance, are lined with wallpaper of light neutral textures, while most furnishings in this room are loose, rather than permanent.
The mood switches to a serene mode in the rooftop garden which has been fitted with a flooring treatment of artificial grass and tiles. In this open-air area, the family can enjoy alfresco dining and familial bonding as they take in the quiet views of their neighbourhood.
Moving to the private zones, the design highlight of the new revamp definitely belongs to the master bathroom. It was also one of the most complicated parts of the overhaul as Annie had to merge the space with the balcony. She explains, “The homeowners didn’t utilise their balcony much over the past decade so they decided to have a larger master bathroom.” The expanded bathroom is now fitted with new tilework of stone-like textures and edgy hexagonal forms. These two different tile treatments complement each other well and set off a spa-inspired look. Amidst the soothing grey stone textures, the hexagonal tiles are used to anchor the wet and dry zones of the bathroom to great effect.
With all the new improvements and fresh outlook implemented by Annie, Mike and their team, they have doubled the volume of storage, light and usable space in this terrace house. This “Improve, Not Move” design ethos makes this multi-generational family dwelling all set for another 10 years and maybe more.
This was adapted from an article originally written by Disa Tan published in the September 2019 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Interarch Design
