Designed for a young couple, this new build in Kuala Lumpur was freed from the tyranny of square corners when its designer, Ar Lim Kee Yen of Keeyen Architect, transformed the four significant corners of the house into rounded shapes. 

In design, a fillet refers to a rounded corner or edge. “The four prominent corners of the house are filleted or rounded to soften the original allowed cubic mass. The filleted corners achieve wholeness and streamlines the building form externally,” says Lim.

As a result, natural light enters the house across the levels, from open terraces and master lounge to the living hall.

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Designed by Ming Architects, this stylish family home in Singapore is anchored by its light-filled basement, with a statement staircase taking centre stage.

The owners wanted a basement floor to maximise their gross floor area. They also desired a lap pool, along with a staircase that was to become the focal point of the 7,000 sq ft home. 

The brief provided Cher Ming Tan, principal architect of Ming Architects, with the ideal opportunity to conceptualise a modern building with visual impact. “We decided to combine these elements as architectural features which would form the main design concept of the house, driven by the basement being its main feature,” says Tan.

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This light-filled home designed by Akihaus in Singapore creates the feeling of being in a high-rise glasshouse in the open-plan living room, with its enviable green views and exposed timber beams.

The homeowners, a couple in their 30s, tasked Akihaus to transform the original space into a modern haven with ample spaces for hosting guests. “The clients entertain a lot, so we've designed the space to be able to cater to large crowds of people,” says the firm’s founder and director Lawrence Puah. “They definitely wanted a home where they could feel very proud of, with lots of spaces for them to welcome family and friends over.”

A key aspect of the home is the former balcony area. “These walk-up apartments typically have a long balcony by the side, but most homeowners—including the previous owners of this apartment—end up sealing it up,” says Puah. “Singapore is such a concrete jungle, and thus we proposed reclaiming the space back as a balcony to offer the clients a ‘garden in the sky’.”

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Vacation homes in the village of Janda Baik, about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, are typically built in the style of grand eco-lodges—but this compact, modernist cabin by Choo Gim Wah Architect is a refreshing departure from it. 

Functioning as a family retreat, the home, named Smolhaven, takes inspiration from Mies van der Rohe’s famed minimalist Farnsworth House in Illinois as well as traditional Malaysian kampung-style village houses, which are characterised by the use of stilts as a foundation.

Nicknamed Smolhaven, the 1,600 sq ft home features an immense two-tier platform—a homage to the Illinoian house’s split-level deck and projects weightlessly over the lawned terraces.

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