By reshaping the space and bringing in the light, Space Sense Studio has turned a standard inter-terrace property into a home that’s full of ease and comfort.
21 November 2022
Home Type: 3-storey inter-terrace house
Floor Area: 3,800sqft
Text by Janice Seow
Inter-terraces are often coveted for their size in land scarce Singapore, but tend to also have a rather unsavoury reputation as these dark, dimly lit dwellings with poor circulation. That being said, there are many fine examples of how these challenges have been beautifully resolved by architects and interior designers, and this project is one of them.
Designed by Kelvin Teo of Space Sense Studio for a married couple with two kids and who love to entertain and karaoke, this three-storey inter-terrace property in the west of Singapore faced all the typical challenges already mentioned for a home of this typology. Having studied the layout and armed with the basic brief from the client to ensure the home would be “spacious, bright and airy”, Kelvin decided that the space on level one required significant intervention to resolve the lack of light and ventilation.
“Working towards that, I designed the front and rear sliding panels to face each other without any walls to block the flow. All the rooms and cabinets were moved to the sides. The ceiling was push upward, especially in the dry kitchen area,” says Kelvin.
The frontage of this inter-terrace was extended towards the car porch patio area, created a foyer and an extended living area as per the clients’ wishes. The main entrance itself was designed like an alcove, and with an angled main door in glass and steel to draw natural light into the foyer.
All the walls at the rear were also entirely reconfigured. “The rear was divided into three sections. The first was the dry kitchen and dining, the second was the wet kitchen and bathroom, and the third the yard/laundry/washing area,” he explains.
The kitchen island wraps around a structural column that couldn’t be removed, while the angled false ceiling with beams draws the eye upward.
Upstairs, the space on level two houses the master bedroom and one common room. The layout has been kept much the same save for small interventions, such as the insertion of a large wardrobe, and other design and decorating aspects to the different spaces.
Level three had two common bedrooms, and one has now been converted into a spacious entertainment room. The latter has a high pitched ceiling and beamed ones that run down low to create intimate nooks. “I incorporated LED strips along the edge to serve as a ‘warning’ so people don’t unknowingly walk into it,” says Kelvin.
A platform was built to address structural issues, and laid with charcoal black timber textured vinyl finish. Two storerooms were also carved out at the sides for storage purposes. “In this space, we customised a television console with an integrated automated white screen for the projector,” says Kelvin. From here, a newly built lattice window brings more light into the stairwell.
The uplifting ambience that Kelvin was so keen to cultivate in this home is enhanced by the calming selection of colours and finishes. Nature-inspired stone and wood textures set against pristine white walls were carefully picked for this inter-terrace house and with that, everything just clicks into place.
Space Sense Studio
www.spacesensestudio.com.sg
www.facebook.com/Spacesensestudio
www.instagram.com/kelvin_spacesense
Photography by Wong Wei Liang
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