By Chiquit Torrente

Who Lives Here
Victor and Adriana Lee, plus their two teenage sons.

Home
Intermediate terrace house in Serangoon Gardens.

Size
3,300SQF

When their 1,200sqf apartment became too cramped for comfort, Victor and Adriana Lee decided that only a landed home could fit their growing family. 'We have two teenage sons, Samuel and David, and we encourage them to invite their friends over. But the boys' pals can't be comfortable when they know I'm just in the next room. And I'm not comfortable confined to my bedroom while they're in the living room,' Adriana explains. A landed home would provide separate floors for the boys to entertain and for Adriana to putter around the house.

Both Victor and Adriana preferred to stay in Serangoon Gardens, their childhood neighbourhood, so they trawled the entire area till they found a suitable intermediate terrace house. Then, they turned to their family friend 'Vincent Goh of TG Alliance to design and renovate their new abode.

Let in the Light

Vincent had a few main aims when making over the couple's home: bringing in natural light and having good cross-ventilation, dividing the two floors plus the attic into zones for different purposes, and creating relaxed yet chic interiors.

As the terrace house had only front and rear openings, Vincent introduced pocket airwells by setting back portions of the attic and the second floor. This gave the house skylights that illuminate the living area on the ground floor, the family room and master bathroom on the second floor, plus the staircase. Vincent also replaced some walls with floor-to-ceiling glass panels so sunlight can reach the innermost recesses of the house.

Space for More

The ground floor of the new 3,300sqf abode is the 'mum zone' - or 'my territory', as Adriana laughingly calls it. The open-plan living and dining area is spacious enough for entertaining, yet also cosy enough for her to chill out by herself. The kitchen is semi-enclosed by table-height counters and overhead cabinets. A computer room opens out to the back porch, so the boys can rest on the swing during study breaks.

Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: Wong Wei Liang)

The second floor is the family's private space. A family room serves as a foyer between the 'boys' bedrooms and the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. 'Victor and Adriana asked if I could plan a shared bathroom for the boys that would connect their rooms,' Vincent says. 'They wanted Samuel and David to be able to pop into each other's rooms easily.'

Vincent created their shared bathroom with a men's locker room concept in mind: the shower and toilet were separately enclosed and lined up with the bathtub. There are also double washbasins, and Vincent even provided a urinal as well.

The attic level is designated as the boys' zone - there is a guest bedroom for sleepovers, an entertainment room and a roof deck. 'Now, the boys can have their friends over and not have me walk in and out of their space if I need to leave my bedroom,' Adriana says.

Dressing the Nest

For the home's colour scheme, Vincent proposed a neutral palette with a grey base to create a soft, cool ambience. White floor tiles on the ground level and the custom-made white stair railing complement the grey walls. Bathroom tiles and mosaic in a darker grey feature in the bathroom and roof deck, while silver-grey stainless steel is used in the custom-made dining table and beds.

Light-coloured wood furniture and red and orange accessories add a warm accent to the scheme. While the living room furniture consists mostly of mid-century modern classics that lend a Scandinavian flavour to the decor, some old Peranakan pieces from their previous home and modern Asian accents like the Thai bronze lotus sculptures Victor and Adriana bought from Three3Three give the new house an eclectic, personal touch.

'And even with these old and new pieces together, there's still so much space to fill,' Adriana comments. 'We're very pleased with this bigger, brighter home.'

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Chiquit Torrente is writer with Home & Décor magazine by SPH Magazines.

Check out more stories at Home & Décor online, www.homeanddecor.com.sg.