'Three blocks around a central pool' is an accurate, if somewhat dull, description of the Quek residence, a modern tropical home in central Singapore.
Owned, designed and built by father-and-son architects TK and Jonathan Quek of RT+Q Architects, they redid their entire original family home — a single-storey bungalow from the 1960s — into a house comprising three separate buildings. A blue-mosaic-tiled swimming pool sits in the middle of it all and there's ample cross-ventilation throughout.
Visitors to their home will first encounter a spacious driveway and imposing twin wood-slatted front doors, which open to reveal an open-air porch with a view across the swimming pool. The right side of the porch leads to TK's art-filled wing, while the block on the left is home to Jonathan, wife Natasha and their three young children.
Block A, as TK's wing is called, is a self-contained apartment featuring a double-volume living area that opens onto the pool. The 11-metre-high wall in the room is covered with artworks. More art, including a life-size nude sculpture or two - fills the available space both downstairs and the bedroom upstairs.
Meanwhile, over in Block B or Jonathan's three-bedroom wing, the ground-level dining area affords a sumptuous view down the entire length of the pool.
The third building, Block C, is notably more compact, characterised by that vertical garden, a metal spiral staircase that leads to a small rooftop, and a bay window that juts out from the garden wall over the pool. An artwork - a Chinese bronze sculpture of a young boy - currently occupies the window space, which is part of a small guest bedroom.
Father and son have a harmonious working relationship and the result was achieved "without any disputes or tedious site meetings," says TK.
In this 6,000 sqf, five-bedroom, three-storey semi-detached house resides a couple and their three young children. The owners engaged RT+Q to design and build their home, wanting a space that juxtaposed its sleek planes with traditional antique Chinese furniture.
The focal point of the house is this spiral staircase that resembles a ribbon unravelling its curls – its slight sheen and stark colour distinguishes itself from the neutral hues and blonde wood tones of its surroundings. Behind the day bed is a shoe closet, which is concealed behind panels finished in a wood-tone veneer.
RT+Q is known for its eye-catching spiral staircase designs. This home’s staircase features smooth curves, but with sharp, clean details.
The first floor is bright and airy, with the living area fully open to the pool deck, thanks to doors that slide out of sight.
The third floor is where the childrens' rooms are located, but the doorway to each is camouflaged by the long stretch of bookshelves lining the corridor wall. The owners wanted many bookshelves or storage for books in the house to inculcate a love of learning in their children.
The master bedroom on the second floor is kept simple and restful with just a few key furniture pieces in dark wood from Penang. The couple shared that they incorporated more wood into the wood for fengshui reasons.