A light-filled Singapore home made for work and living

The original first storey had been very closed up, which Keng felt was a missed opportunity, given that this is a corner semi-detached house with an extra strip of land on one side. It is now noticeably brighter and airier, thanks to larger openings and sliding glass doors in the living and dining areas.

The views from the first storey are also more pleasant than before. “When we did the design, we proposed opening up the sides and dressing the boundary walls with lush planting. That way, the living and dining areas could open out to these spaces,” Keng said. A one-metre-deep canopy runs along the side of the house, linking the car porch at the front to a sheltered patio at the rear, providing shelter from both rain and sun.