Cover M.Interior’s Ray Kok transforms a semi-detached Bukit Timah residence, balancing openness with privacy and connection to its leafy surroundings
M.Interior’s Ray Kok transforms a semi-detached Bukit Timah residence, balancing openness with privacy and connection to its leafy surroundings
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M.Interior transforms a Bukit Timah residence into a home that balances openness, privacy and connection
There is a certain art to creating a home that feels open without leaving its inhabitants exposed. That balance became the starting point for M.Interior’s major transformation of a two-storey, 6,252 sq ft semi-detached house in Bukit Timah.
With its rear elevation facing a busy main road, creating privacy without compromising on the home’s connection to its leafy surroundings became a key consideration. The design by M.Interior’s founder and chief creative director Ray Kok responded through layers—of glass, plants, parapet walls and carefully considered material transitions—to create an abode that is grounded, yet contemporary and luxurious.
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Connected thresholds
Above This covered outdoor deck extends the home’s timber ceiling motif
This covered outdoor deck extends the home’s timber ceiling motif
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The journey begins before one steps inside. A continuous timber ceiling extends from the car porch into the living room, drawing the exterior indoors and creating a seamless transition between the two. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors further blur the boundary between the living spaces and the outdoors while allowing the living and the adjoining dining and kitchen areas to flow naturally into one another.
Above Filtered daylight plays across concrete through an aluminium-slatted skylight at the basement level
Filtered daylight plays across concrete through an aluminium-slatted skylight at the basement level
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The same attention to how each space is experienced continues throughout the residence. Below, the basement takes on a more intimate character—filtered daylight playing across a concrete feature wall creates drama, while a bar, settee and integrated lighting transform it into a relaxed space for films and conversation.
Each space is designed around its own particular character and purpose, yet they all come together as a home that moves easily between communal pursuits and quieter moments of retreat.
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Layers of comfort
Above The dining area centres on an elongated table and is framed by greenery
The dining area centres on an elongated table and is framed by greenery
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The kitchen and dining areas stand at the heart of the home’s social life, with the latter centred on a 12-seater table. Meanwhile, a dry kitchen and standalone island create an easy setting for family life and entertainment.
However, its position facing the main road called for a more considered response: sound-insulating windows, a concrete planter ledge, one-metre parapet wall and screening plants offer layers of privacy without obscuring views or creating a sense of isolation.
Above The basement lounge is grounded by an off-form concrete feature wall
The basement lounge is grounded by an off-form concrete feature wall
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The basement presented a similar challenge. Along the road-facing side, the existing brick wall helps reduce traffic noise, while its interior face was treated with an off-form concrete-inspired finish.
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Above This skylight paints a moody shadow into the interior during daytime
This skylight paints a moody shadow into the interior during daytime
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A skylight draws natural light into the space, with aluminium members filtering direct sunlight and casting shifting shadows across the feature wall. Its off-form, concrete-inspired finish draws on Tadao Ando’s use of concrete and light, giving the room a strong sense of character that changes with the passage of the sun.
Retained character
Above Custom carpentry nicely fills out the master bedroom’s slanted ceiling
Custom carpentry nicely fills out the master bedroom’s slanted ceiling
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Above The master bedroom has ample natural light thanks to the lightwell
The master bedroom has ample natural light thanks to the lightwell
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Rather than starting with a blank slate, Kok worked with many of the home’s existing architectural features. In the master suite, the sloped ceiling and skylight guided the placement of full-height shelving and a custom TV console with uplighting. The shelving helps diffuse the daylight, while the joinery works with the room’s proportions rather than attempting to conceal them.
Above A backlit display niche brings warmth to the master bedroom
A backlit display niche brings warmth to the master bedroom
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A similar approach was taken in the dry kitchen, where the long L-shaped configuration was planned around the existing window openings. The cabinetry and worktop were designed to work around them, retaining the natural light while providing generous storage and counter space.
Above The dry kitchen’s L-shaped layout works around existing window openings
The dry kitchen’s L-shaped layout works around existing window openings
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Throughout the residence, existing features have been treated as starting points rather than as constraints to overcome. The result is a home that feels thoroughly renewed, while still retaining its distinctive character and architectural details.
M.Interior
Above Ray Kok, founder and chief creative director of M.Interior
Ray Kok, founder and chief creative director of M.Interior
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Helmed by founder and chief creative director Ray Kok, M.Interior believes a home’s character should be shaped by the people who live in it. Guided by this approach, his designs bring together spatial order and materiality with the rhythms of everyday life.
M.Interior, 62 Ubi Road 1, #05-01 Oxley Bizhub 2, m-interior.co
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