Home tour: inside chef Lennard Yeong’s home in Singapore’s West Coast

“Lennard has been following Tran-Kean’s work for a while and admires it. When we were in Paris, we went to see his pieces in person and were instantly drawn to this painting for its deep hues,” says Ann. “Its rich yet gentle colours inspired by a sunset create a very calm and relaxing feeling, while still making a striking statement in the living room.”

The painting guided the living room’s muted natural tones. Grey stone and walnut timber laminate go with a rust-and-beige carpet, upon which a pair of deep cobalt Utrecht armchairs from Cassina sits. The overall mood is serene and tasteful—a contrast to the house before a six-month renovation by design studio Monocot. 

Lennard’s parents stayed in this 2,350 sq ft corner terrace house in the west of Singapore for 40 years and the last renovation was almost two decades past. He and Ann embarked on the renovation a year after staying here. Rather than a trophy house, they desired an abode “that felt warm, comfortable, and easy to live in everyday,” says Lennard. But first, Mikael Teh of Monocot had the hard work of ironing the kinks out of the house’s old bones.

“Numerous boxed-up ceilings, exposed beams, and uneven ceiling heights due to concealed services meant the original house felt quite compressed and visually cluttered,” Teh shares. There were awkward wall kinks and split-levels on both levels of the two-storey house.

The designer’s surgical interventions improved flow, natural light and “overall cohesiveness”. He moved the helper’s room and serviced areas from the centre of the house into a neat linear trajectory behind the living room. He also extended the other side of the living room facing the garden, and added full-height glass sliding doors for ample daylight and a sense of generosity.

The house sits on sloped land, with the living room at the higher rear portion. The entrance door opens to the dining room at the bottom of the land. As the couple wanted these spaces to be the home’s “social heart”, the kitchen island was placed facing the dining table “so it naturally becomes a gathering point,” says Teh.

“We knew from the start that we would do plenty of hosting so we chose a table that sits 12. It’s also the first thing you see when you enter the house,” says Ann. Here, a large artwork by New Zealand artist Bee Doughty-Pratt reflects Ann’s heritage. “Its large scale, taking up almost an entire wall, makes a bold statement without overwhelming the space,” says Lennard.      

The couple also chose the idiosyncratic dining pendant from Luke Lamp Co. “We wanted a real statement piece, something that would catch your eye the moment you walk through the door. We love that you can adjust its shape. This allows us to play around with its form as it adds beautiful curves and softness to the space,” Lennard explains. 

Sometimes, the couple have breakfast at the kitchen island. Smaller groups of visitors also enjoy an intimate dinner here while Lennard prepares a multi-course meal in front of them. “The dry kitchen is where he films his cooking videos, so in many ways, it’s his ‘office’,” Ann muses, highlighting the location of the hob on the island so Lennard can face the camera while cooking.   

Teh extended the staircase next to this space to fill the width of the plan. Accented with potted plants, this threshold almost feels ceremonial. “Widening and opening up the staircase improves circulation and allows light to travel between levels, helping transform what was once a dark home into a brighter and more connected living environment,” Teh explains. 

Rather than evening up the levels, he worked with the existing conditions, using the level shifts for subtle demarcation of zones. “We introduced intermediary steps to ease the transitions between spaces, so that the circulation feels more natural and intentional,” he highlights.

Ann took ownership of the West Coast terrace house’s colour and material palette, visiting numerous suppliers “to see the full range of options available before making any decisions.” She eschewed trendy colours for neutral ones “so the spaces would feel cohesive and easy to live in over time.”

Understated elegance was also her goal, inspired by the precedent of her childhood home that was adorned with “timeless materials and balanced colour palette that aged beautifully over the years.”

The only outlier to this in this West Coast terrace house was Lennard’s masculine study room, featuring a cobalt wall and a decidedly darker material palette. Formerly, the house was just a shell; now, it is a home conducive for family life. Says Ann, “We both enjoy spending time  at home and making the most of the spaces we’ve created.”

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