How This 70-Year-Old Terrace House Underwent A Modern Revamp
Each level has a different design and identity
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For designer Kelvin Teo, the founder of Space Sense Studio, it was the pitched roof and vintage architecture that piqued his interest in this compact corner terrace house from the 1950s. “I’d been on the lookout for property in District 13 for a while," he says. “The house was also in its original state, which was one of my criteria." This allowed him to give the 1,900 sq ft house a modern revamp.
AT A GLANCE
Type of home: 1950s corner terrace house
Size of home: 1,350 sq ft (land area) 1,900 sq ft (built-up area)
Who lives here: A family of four
ID: Space Sense Studio
Website: www.spacesensestudio.com.sg
Credit: Home and Decor
He dressed the facade with grey bricks and steel cladding, instantly giving it a contemporary update. The main entrance is through a wooden alcove with a large steel and glass door fitted at an angle. The wood pattern warms up the grey.
Past the main entrance, Kelvin overhauled the entire layout of the ground floor, creating an open-concept communal space with a “fireplace” cabinet beside the sofa, and used acoustic wall panelling with a fish scale pattern for the feature wall.
The ground floor is for meeting clients and entertaining family and friends. It provides flexibility with three areas: a sitting lounge, an island table with a bar and a retractable dining table.
Its installation was not without trial and error. The same goes for concealing the bathroom door, fridge, pantry and storeroom door which he tackled with L-shaped wood panelling. The furniture and interior designer shares: “My design narrative was to create a different concept for each level that was based on a monochromatic palette. Each space forms its own personality and identity, and their themes were enhanced through the use of natural materials with strong, visible textures.”
The dark flooring gives the ground level a bold, masculine vibe. A variety of textures, like the burnt wood-textured flooring, oak veneer wood strips, marble surfaces and acoustic wall panelling, enriches the setting. Kelvin’s Paper Fold chair, which won the President’s Design of the Year Award in 2009, adds a splash of colour.
Further in, the kitchen has a floating island counter that’s connected to a pull-out dining table. In addition to full-height windows, a glass roof lets in more natural light.
“I like the feel of standing in the rain without getting wet. That’s the idea of having the glass roof. I get to experience the raindrops,” he adds.
Peek into the bathroom on the ground floor, and you will see a stand-alone vanity island with different counter heights. An artificial vertical garden livens it up.
The second level, with epoxy flooring and brick walls doused in white, is a double-volume space. Furnished with tables and bookcases, this minimalist home office is designed to promote focus.
Up above, the pitched ceiling sits over solid wood planks salvaged from other projects. He shares: “I’ve always liked interiors with attic roofs. It gives the emotional, laid-back and cosy feel of a cottage, a farmhouse or a summer house.” The glass floor section in the loft provides additional space and creates a connection with the floor below.
The sleeping space is in the loft, away from everything else and reachable by a narrow flight of steps. Inspired by the Danish concept of hygge, its wood-textured vinyl flooring complements the wood-clad ceiling.
With this home, Kelvin enjoyed the challenges of birthing new ideas and implementing his experiments. “As a designer, the nature of my role is to experiment with new things and to challenge myself. It’s always exciting to create unique designs – even when I know I will be getting my hands dirty.”
The staircase, fashioned out of an ultra-thin metal sheet folded into steps, and the sculptural bent steel handrail, transform this space into a work of art. The frameless door opens up to the second-level bathroom.
The floor, wall, vanity and door panel of the bathroom use the same material for harmony.
Text: Rossara Jamil/Home and Decor