Under the canopy: A tropical house open to garden living

Set within a quiet two-storey landed housing enclave, this semi-detached house has been thoughtfully transformed into a calm tropical retreat for a family of four. Spanning an estimated 3,240 square feet of gross floor area, the renovation reimagines the owners’ rental property into a deeply personal residence that embraces greenery, light, and the rhythms of outdoor living. The project, conceptualised by The Design Abode and completed in approximately five months, balances practical family life with a relaxed architectural sensibility suited to Singapore’s climate. 

The homeowners – both medical doctors with two teenage children – share a deep appreciation for nature and thoughtful design. Over the years, they had accumulated meaningful pieces such as bespoke dining chairs, distinctive lighting fixtures, and solid timber bedframes, all of which they hoped to carry forward into their next home. Their brief focused on opening up the ground floor towards the surrounding garden while refining the private spaces upstairs to better suit family living. 

Responding to this brief, the designers from The Design Abode approached the house as a contemporary interpretation of tropical living – where architecture and landscape are interwoven rather than treated as separate elements. Lush greenery surrounds the front and sides of the home, and the renovation strengthens this connection through expansive ground-to-ceiling windows that run along the length of the building.

One of the defining features of the project is the creation of a generous verandah and patio that mediates between indoors and outdoors. “Enclosed by overhanging creepers at its front and with deep glass overhangs along the sides, the patio and the verandah are a great space for semi-outdoor gatherings with an the extended company of friends and family that spillover from indoors,” say the designers.

Above, the original pitched roof has been retained and subtly extended to improve climatic performance. The extended roofline helps protect the master bedroom balcony from the strong west sun, creating a more usable outdoor area while maintaining the home’s architectural character. At the rear, cantilevered planters line the bedroom windows, continuing the greenery upward from the gardens below and reinforcing the sense that the house sits within a layered canopy of plants. 

Natural light plays an equally important role in shaping the home’s atmosphere. A monolithic skylight carved into the high ceiling above the staircase introduces natural light into the centre of the house. “The skylight brings daylight into the central part of the house and allows a glimpse of the sky’s movement during different parts of the day,” explain the designers.

Material selections further support the home’s understated yet refined character. The design team kept to the modern vernacular concept, with the interior palette adopting natural textures complementing the tropical environment, while forming a neutral canvas against the contemporary furnishing and décor.

Floor tiles from Rice Fields provide a durable yet tactile foundation throughout the spaces, while stone countertops supplied by Futar Enterprises add a natural solidity to the kitchen surfaces. Custom elements such as a wine cellar by Ventco Engineering introduce functional sophistication, complemented by system cabinetry and wardrobes by Cubo.

The renovation also incorporates practical sustainability upgrades, including a solar photovoltaic system and a centralised heat-pump water heating system. These additions ensure that the house not only performs comfortably in the tropics but also supports more energy-efficient daily living. 

The home ultimately reflects a simple yet powerful idea: that tropical homes can feel both open and intimate when architecture, landscape, and light are carefully balanced. “As a bigger picture, this project joins some of our other projects with a similar vein prioritising liveability over saleability,” say the designers. “It is an antithesis of the very typical mentality of maximising square footage and property value, resulting in massive concrete buildings sprouting up across neighbourhoods.”

The Design Abode
www.thedesignabode.com
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Photography by Finbarr Fallon

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