Happe Design Atelier transformed this landed house in Siglap with expert space planning, seamlessly blending modern luxury, functionality and natural light in a truly remarkable way.
4 February 2025
Text by Disa Tan
Once aged and worn-down, this landed home in Siglap has been revitalised, thanks to the expertise of Senior Designer Johnson Ng and his team at Happe Design Atelier. Johnson says: “The original space was outdated, poorly lit and divided by numerous partitions. It did, however, feature classic colonial elements like arched windows, Roman pillars, an wooden staircase, and parquet flooring that were worth preserving.”
Given the homeowners’ preference for modern luxury aesthetics, Johnson’s task was to refresh the distinctive colonial features with a contemporary touch. He shares: “The homeowners are David and Jessica, a well-travelled married couple. For this project, careful space planning was essential to ensure that the home would meet their requirements for wet and dry kitchens, a kitchen island, a laundry area, and a study hall.”
To address their design requirements, Johnson reconfigured the first level, creating a flexible open floor plan that maximised usability and natural light. He says: “The guest bathroom was repositioned to create a smooth flow between the island, dry kitchen, and wet kitchen, with a discreet pocket sliding door that separates the wet kitchen when needed to contain cooking odours.”
A skylight was added to fill the wet kitchen with more natural light, while N-shaped arch frames were included to bestow visual depth. It also draws out a striking view that connects the living hall to the backyard in a sleek order.
To complement the classic architectural features, Johnson carefully selected a material palette of luxurious finishes, including Cosentino’s Dekton sintered stone surfaces and large-format European tiles. Champagne-hued accents, curved forms, and walnut-inspired laminates elevate the sophistication of the sun-soaked kitchen. Among all the materials, Johnson highlights the island counter and dry kitchen as the home’s centrepiece, adorned with premium Onirika surfaces from Dekton.
The parquet flooring in the upper-floor bedrooms have been retained, and revarnished and stained to a rich, dark walnut tone. This enhances the warmth of the space, perfectly complementing the new custom-built wardrobes and the divider that encloses the ensuite bathroom.
Johnson and his team also worked their magic to give the bathrooms a touch of modern prestige, where walls and floors are wrapped in luxurious, stone-effect tiles featuring bold marble veining.
Adding a curved ceiling to the third-level study hall elegantly accentuates its sense of spaciousness. Johnson enhanced this feature with cove lighting at both ends, beautifully highlighting the soaring height.
By masterfully zoning spaces and blending modern and colonial design elements, Johnson and his team have delivered a stunning renovation within the three-month timeline.
Happe Design Atelier
www.hda.studio
www.instagram.com/happedesignatelier
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Photography by Wong Wei Liang
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