House Tour: This two-storey corner terrace house in Telok Kurau welcomes refreshing new additions into its old structure
By Home & Decor Team -
Breathing new life into an old structure is challenging, but not impossible. When homeowners James Tan and his wife acquired this two-storey corner terrace house in Telok Kurau, instead of tearing down the structure, they decided to preserve the 30-year-old building and work on additions and alteration works to enhance the architecture and its functionality.
The couple engaged architect William Ng and Kho Keguang of Studio Wills + Architects, and their brief was to have a three-bedroom house with a sheltered car porch, a pared-down facade, as well as an additional level for a subtly unusual element.
After carefully assessing the site, William and Keguang decided to make marked distinctions between the old and the new. The facade of the extensions to the house was given a texturised finishing and painted in a mustard hue, while the original house was kept white as an expression of a monolithic structure
Pockets of greenery were added, with plants lining the side of the open deck, and a tree incorporated into the air well.
The placement of the airwell is part of a strategy to allow more light into the interior spaces, and areas such as the master bedroom and the back of the house now enjoy lots of natural light. Louvre windows are used in most of the spaces as a way to allow cross ventilation. This way, the home is always kept naturally cool, with less reliance on air-conditioning.
A cutout on the facade wall keeps the kitchen naturally ventilated, while off ering additional counter space along the exterior of the house.
Contrast is brought into the interiors to accentuate specific areas in the home: For example, columns are deliberately highlighted with a coat of black paint to match the aluminium doors on the first floor. With one of the extensions added at the back of the house to accommodate the kitchen and laundry area, such utilitarian spaces are kept out of sight. This strategy also allows a larger dining area for the family to host family and friends. Despite being inside the house, the homeowners are still in close proximity to the surrounding environment as large sliding doors remove the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors.
A single laminate – Lamitak’s black Oregon teak – is used for most of the cabinetry, including in the daughter’s bedroom and master suite. Its intricate grain and knots in a deep hue add texture. The master bathroom is sited within the new structure and has a light and airy feel, as it sits right next to the air well. This helps add a relaxing ambience to the intimate space.
In response to the homeowners’ request for an additional level in the home, William and Keguang decided to carve out a mezzanine floor within the new extension.
Instead of regular staircases that may look bulky within this small space, the book shelves double as stairs to the upper level, with handrails above the bookcases to frame the area.
Lots of greenery fill the master bathroom, creating a relaxing ambience.
Clever additions based on strategic manoeuvring around the existing structure have resulted in a house that is more liveable, cosy and fitting of the homeowners' wants and needs. Indeed, new life has been breathed into this old terrace house.