“It’s like………how can we do luxury by using the most basic and inexpensive of materials?  To show that we do like the finer things in Life but we don’t want to burn a hole in our pockets.  Keep it simple, basic yet very comfortable.”

The above was not the brief given by the Owners of this house.  However, it may well be given the way it has turned out.  We started with the notion of creating a bright and breezy home suitable for the tropics BUT without falling into the trap of over spending on a house like this which is often the case for designers when doing a ‘standalone’ home on a relatively large site.

The clients were an elderly retired couple who had worked hard all their lives bringing up their children and now they just want a place they can relax and retire peacefully and gracefully.  One can see that they have seen it all and done it all so there is no more need to be competitive, no more need to keep up with the ‘Joneses’.  They just want a sensible house that can be easily appreciated; for the occasional friends and family visiting; and enough space for exercise and meditation.  Almost ascetic but not quite………

The way we build today incurs so much WASTE.  We believe that equally beautiful and comfortable buildings can be achieved without the kind of costs that we are used to.  Re-use and Re-new should be the key words for building in order to promote a more sustainable method of construction.  For example, there is no need to totally demolish an entire building every time there is a change of Ownership.  One can still achieve the look and feel that he or she desires without the attitude of tabula rasa – starting from a clean slate.

For this house, the original reinforced concrete structure was largely kept; save for a few columns that were in the way of the new layout.  We simply wrapped the house front, sides and back to expand the footprint and at the same time added in a new Attic floor.  And Voila!  The house doubled in size.  The original reinforced concrete structures were left exposed and could be seen instead of hiding them behind layers of plaster boards.  This certainly brought out a certain ‘muscular’ tectonic character typical of houses built in the 70s.

Are we doing a retro throwback style?  One might say so but it’s not exactly that either.  The only real throw back lies in the way the Owner’s antique furniture placements not only brought out the beauty of the teak wood pieces; but also in the way the furniture brings out and ‘softens’ the robust look of the exposed beams and columns………’Peranakan Retro Industrial’ – dare we coin a new term?

It is modern – but not quite.  It is industrial – but not totally.  It is celebrating traditional craftsmanship – but only in a way that looks forward into the future.  Most importantly, it demonstrates a new radical way of building that does not shy away from being prudent, finding an economy of means to do things and yet without sacrifice to the aesthetic sensibilities of the designer.

We hope we can continue to build in this way for a long time to come……………