A home for nature and art

IN 2025, Singaporean artist Yip Yew Chong painted a two-canvas acrylic work to commemorate his 10th year as an artist. True to his signature style, it depicts kampungs, street hawkers and shophouses, much like his famous Chinatown murals that capture the daily lives of early Chinese immigrants.

His work has won him a legion of fans, one of whom purchased the artwork from his “Below” series to display in her home, a bungalow in the Thomson area that reflects her fondness for flora, fauna and art.

It now has a prominent spot facing a lush courtyard, and is visible from the main entrance. 

“He is one of my favourite artists,” says the owner, whose first purchase of Yip’s works was Reminiscing Lodhi.

She and her husband – both working professionals – have four children aged 10 to 16. They needed more space, which they found in this 10,000 sq ft plot in a quiet cul-de-sac. 

Ming Architects, which was engaged to design the house, inserted a capacious 12 by 5 m courtyard at its centre. “Since the neighbours are quite close, we oriented the views of all the rooms towards the central courtyard garden,” says the firm’s founder, Tan Cher Ming. 

The living room, dining area, kitchen and study surround the courtyard on the first storey. The master and children’s bedrooms on the second floor and the attic entertainment area overlook it.

Full-height glass sliding doors lining the courtyard and the house’s exterior perimeter make the house look porous – especially when the doors are open – answering the brief for a modern tropical house that is bright and airy.   

The courtyard is the heart of the home. Landscaping company Main Green chose interesting species “to achieve a unique, modern look unlike the typical tropical selection commonly found (in local homes)”, says Tan.

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There are palm-like screwpine trees, ponytail palms, tree ferns, mini guava trees and Camellia azalea shrubs with pink flowers, among others. 

“We have a lot of birds nesting here. I had to stop the gardener from taking away the nests,” muses the owner on the garden’s success in attracting fauna. There are also sculptural baobab trees in the front garden that can be seen from the living room.      

The owner also likes the efficient layout of the house. For example, with the staircase and lift flanking the main door, family members coming home can just head upstairs without having to move through the common areas on the first storey. 

The external facade of marble cladding, timber-printed aluminium screens for privacy, and black metal window frames feel sleek and composed. This palette is echoed indoors, with walnut timber strip flooring upstairs, and sand-coloured travertine floors on the first storey. 

For the latter, the owner chose a unique leathered finish and boldly left the natural gaps unfilled. “Unlike with polished marble, my feet don’t feel cold when we turn on the air-conditioner; when the weather is hot, it doesn’t feel warm,” she adds.  

Assorted configurations of classic Camaleonda sofas from B&B Italia and designed in the 1970s by Mario Bellini make the living room inviting. A small sculpture by South Korean artist Byun Dae-yong, A Bear Reading a Book, is a focal point in a coffee table module that guests can sit around. 

Behind these, a cluster of Bocci 73.6 Stem pendant lamps above the dining table provides quiet drama without the heaviness of a single, grand chandelier. This is a favourite spot for group photos, which turn out fantastic because of these lights, says the owner.

She left it to Tan’s team to choose the furniture and lights, but her choice and placement of the art gives the house a personal touch.

Outside the master bedroom are two more acrylic canvas works by Yip Yew Chong – Below the Golden Mount (2021) and Below the Victoria Peak (2021).

“He captures the flavour and atmosphere of a place, such that when you look at this, you know it’s Hong Kong,” says the owner on being attracted to Yip’s style. 

She most recently put up a painting, titled The Barber Shop by Fan Shao Hua from Asia Art Collective; more works are stowed away in a dedicated art storage room in the attic, waiting to be hung.

The house has clearly also inspired the passion of the owner, who is enthused about purchasing a sculpture she saw in San Gimignano in Italy’s Tuscany region, to be placed on a pedestal in the pool.  

She and her husband also wanted the house to be fun for their children – and it definitely feels so. In the attic are arcade game machines and video game set-ups. The two younger children use the pool often and the entertainment room has been used for many movie nights. 

The owner finds herself drawn to the living room most, with the soothing sounds of the pool on one side and views of the courtyard garden on the other. They hardly switch on the air-conditioning on this level.

She adds: “You can really feel like you are living tropically here.”