Hygge House

IF NOT FOR THE TROPICAL PLANTS outside Calvin Chan and Zoe Luo's home, this four-storey house, part of a cluster housing development in Bukit Timah, may well have been in Copenhagen, Sweden or Oslo.

There are white-washed walls, light wood panelling and shelves, with several pieces of artwork bought from Moderna Museet, the contemporary art museum in Stockholm, to create that Scandinavian look.

The furniture, in particular the Eames Molded Plywood Chair and Molded Plastic Armchair Rocker Base, are by American designers Charles and Ray Eames, but have that look typical of Scandinavian design - clean lines with a timeless appeal.

"We wanted a home to have a non-tropical feel, and yet still feel warm," says Mr Chan, a partner in a law firm. Ms Luo, a full-time mum, adds: "We love white, so we wanted to make the backdrop of our home as white as possible."

Terence Neo, design director at Eightytwo interior design firm, says the white walls are in total contrast to how the home looked pre-renovation, which had dark and gaudy interiors which were overwhelming.

"The Scandinavian look is popular, but my real intention is to make the home feel timeless," he adds.

Mr Neo kept the shell of the home simple. There is very little carpentry work, save for the wardrobe in the couple's bedroom, the kitchen cabinets and the quartz island counter. "The minimal backdrop means the family can show off their personal items better," he adds.

Some minor changes Mr Neo made to the house include putting in light wood slats at the staircase. He explains that staircases tend to be dark, but putting in slats lets light into the area.

A widescreen TV is typically the main focus in the living room, but not in this home. Ms Luo says they both love reading and collecting books, and their bookshelf heaving with design, architecture, philosophy and Chinese literature tomes is the centre of attention. If they want to watch TV, which doesn't happen often, they watch on a projection screen.

The bookshelves are free-standing ones, the way the couple like it. "We've had them for a long time, and they have travelled with us when we were living overseas," says Ms Luo.

Even the artwork, such as a piece from Swedish artist Hilma AF Klint and another of a map of New York (where they met), are not nailed to the walls. "We prefer to let them stand on top of the bookshelf. It gives that casual look, and is less hassle when we want to move the art around," Ms Luo adds.

In terms of selecting art pieces, the couple kept in mind their home's white backdrop. "We don't like pieces that have saturated colours," notes Ms Luo. Case in point, an oil painting on the stairwell, which depicts a winter scene. She explains that the different shades of blues and greys are to their liking.

The two bedrooms on the second floor are also kept simple, again with a mostly white and light wood colour palette.

Instead of having wooden doors for the bathrooms, Mr Neo designed for them to be glass on a black aluminium powder-coated frame. Such doors not only meant that the bathrooms are now brighter, but they are also aligned with the home's clean interiors. Ms Luo is especially happy with the glass doors. "They look modern and sophisticated," she says.

The couple moved back to Singapore in 2010, and it was only last year that they found this home, despite active house-hunting.

Mr Chan shares that they finally settled on this area because there are many schools in the neighbourhood.

Ms Luo was attracted to the outdoor space. Since they bought a corner unit, the terrace ran around three sides of the home. The space is well-utilised, filled with fruit trees, herbs and potted plants which Ms Luo takes care of.

On cool days, the sliding doors are left open, creating a seamless connection between the outdoors and indoors. As the dining and living areas look out onto the greenery, it is no wonder that the couple say they spend the most time here.

Whether or not the couple consciously designed their home this way, they've definitely achieved hygge.