Re-imagined spaces: How a simple change in layout transformed this entire house

[SINGAPORE] When there is too much stuff to fit into your home, what do you do? Most people throw things out, but that was not an option for Chinese tutor Serene Ng. Instead, when her scientist engineer husband moved back to Singapore with over 20 boxes in tow after working overseas, the couple decided it was time to get a bigger home for themselves and their two adult children.

But little did they expect to swap their 1,292-square foot (sq ft) condominium for a semi-detached house sitting on 4,032 sq ft of land in Faber Hills estate, just 300 metres away.

Built in 1977, a previous owner had added an attic level to the original two-storey structure. But the real bonus was the option to add extra square footage to the property by leasing a large tract of verdant land behind the house from the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Turning things around

In redesigning the house, Lawrence Puah of akiHaus was guided by the surrounding environment, existing architecture – and opportunity. Given the beauty and rarity of lush vegetation behind, Puah took the bold step of flipping the layout of the house around. 

So instead of locating the living room at the front of the house, as most do, he moved it to the back. From this prime position, you don’t just enjoy views of the rear terrace and garden but also that of mature trees on LTA’s land. 

“Serene and her husband love the greenery and there’s so much of that at the back,” says Puah. “So why would you want to put the living room in front, looking at the car, road and other people’s houses?”

The kitchen is then pushed forward to occupy one-half of the front of the house, from which a slit window is the only aperture that looks onto the car porch. “I love cooking, so it’s more convenient for us to park our car here and bring the groceries right into the kitchen,” adds Ng. 

The other half is turned into an elegant dining area and lounge-like foyer. They face a manicured front garden – an intentional contrast to the wilder-looking green zone behind the house.

The open-plan kitchen with an island can be closed off from the adjacent dining area with sliding doors or opened up for preparing meals or entertaining – something Ng’s son has been taking full advantage of.

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“His friends have been gathering here and baking cakes, up to eight a day,” Ng laughs.

Puah also extended the existing shelter along the side terrace – typically an overlooked and under-utilised space. Under a glass and timber strip covering, he created an integrated dining area which can also be accessed via the kitchen. 

After enjoying meals – indoors or out – everyone can adjourn to a karaoke-ready entertainment room behind the kitchen, its wood panel-clad walls and deep platform sofa creating a cosy, inviting vibe. 

Behind that, a large space combining a helper’s room, toilet, utility area and yard was reconfigured to accommodate a separate powder room. The yard was turned into an inviting laundry area, with patterned floor tiles and louvred windows along the side. This welcoming intermediate space also leads to the outdoor yard, which in turn sits between the side terrace dining area in front and a barbecue terrace at the back. 

Says Puah of the various options to enter the side of the property: “Many people living in landed homes never engage with the land because they can only access the side of the property from the front or back of the house.”

What used to be a kitchen in the old layout is now a guest room, overlooking a rear terrace and garden that’s frequented by jungle fowl. The birds have taken very well to the diverse tropical plants lovingly cultivated by the couple in their back garden – some 478 sq ft of which the homeowners have leased from LTA. 

Working with what you’ve got

While there are strengths in the property, there was also an unpleasant discovery when the teardown began – a network of unusually low beams in the living room, hidden above the ceiling. “When owners don’t know what to do with beams,” notes Puah. “They usually drop the ceiling to hide them.”

Taking a different tack, he devised a workaround – coffered ceilings with rounded corners and concave junctions. Not only did this create visual interest, the design feature also resulted in a softer, less imposing appearance with higher ceilings between the beams. 

In addition, a floor slab that led to nowhere between the front room and staircase was removed from the second-storey landing. This serves as a counterpoint to the low ceiling on the ground floor by giving an illusion of space – a void that starts from a green wall traversing the first and second floors before the eye travels up to the attic. 

Meanwhile, the master bedroom that spanned the entire width of the house on the second floor was drastically reduced. “I told Lawrence I just needed a small bedroom so the air-conditioner would work well!” says Ng.

This opened up space for an elegant family room as well as a new, mirror-clad balcony – again featuring views of greenery in the rear of the property.

A master bath large enough to accommodate a standalone bathtub and an even larger walk-in wardrobe complete the master suite. Facing the front of the house is the son’s room, which also has a window that opens out into the void, helping to bring both light and natural ventilation through the house.

Between these two bedrooms is another spare room, which Ng currently uses for her classes, but which her son also takes over to play board games with friends.

An unexpected discovery

Going up the stairs to the attic, you are immediately drawn to a terrace at the back of the house, where a charming, freestanding basin sits, surrounded by small potted plants. It is picture perfect – framed by foliage in the background, which you instinctively walk towards to admire. It is only when you turn around that you notice a toilet bowl, discreetly tucked in a corner, near the entrance to the terrace. 

“My husband wanted a powder room on this floor,” Ng explains with a grin. 

Adds Puah: “When I first proposed locating it here, they were quite shocked at the idea of a toilet in the balcony. But with the door to the terrace closed and curtains drawn, the space becomes a functional toilet. And since it will not be utilised all the time, the terrace can be kept open, allowing for natural light and ventilation for the house.”

Also facing the rear greenery is the daughter’s room, with her own roof balcony.  

While others may have their man caves, Ng’s husband has a stunning study to call his own. Surrounded on three sides by French doors, the expansive study faces the large front roof terrace where day beds under a large parasol beckon.

Completing the attic is an adjacent kitchenette-cum-bar counter that looks out onto greenery. 

It is a home, says Ng, that she’d “never imagined” living in. 

And to think that what triggered it all was the mere arrival of 20 or so boxes.