HOUSE OF STONE

Project/ Status:
Residential (Additions & Alterations), Completed

Location:
Holland Grove View, Singapore

Being one out of hundred others within the tract housing estate did not stop the owner from wanting a personalized home that they can call their own. Taking cues from their Feng Shui (or Chinese Geomancy) beliefs and family name’s association with the word ‘stone’, the owners expressed their desire to remodel the house based on these considerations.

The challenge of the design thus revolves around the injection of these new elements while working with the existing form and structure that is characteristic of the neighbourhood.

Departing from its past classical architecture, a monolithic ‘stone-effect’ outlook is adopted. Natural green slates clad the facade to achieve a unified elevational reading, while grey concrete ventilation blocks nestled itself by the side to provide the house with the layer of porosity it needs.

The interior design of the house is similarly guided by the desire to express a certain wholeness in mass –the double volume living space is wrapped by a gridded wall and ceiling mirror that extends from a granite base; the kitchen cabinetry appears to unfold from the wall and the family room’s display shelf quietly conceals a dance room behind. Vertical detailing and a neutral palette of almond and taupe are also used throughout to create a sense of cohesiveness across the spaces.

Photography: Fabian Ong