Cover A Cattelan Italia Globe coffee table draws the eye in the main entertainment area on the second floor of this Bukit Timah home, which was designed with hosting dinners and accommodating private chefs in mind
A Cattelan Italia Globe coffee table draws the eye in the main entertainment area on the second floor of this Bukit Timah home, which was designed with hosting dinners and accommodating private chefs in mind
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Designed around generous hospitality and everyday rituals, this Bukit Timah home knows exactly when to open itself up—and when to retreat
A dinner party is never just a dinner party. Guests rarely enter through the front door carrying just themselves. Special occasions involve private chefs. At any one gathering, the kitchen can feel as busy as a restaurant pass, while the conversations and merriment spill into the adjoining living spaces.
For the owners of this three-storey semi-detached house in Bukit Timah, entertaining is woven into everyday life. Yet, they were equally conscious that, once the last guest leaves, the house still has to accommodate three growing children, two pet dogs, and the daily routines of a busy family. Summerhaus D’zign’s task was to make those two worlds sit comfortably under one roof.
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Above Le Pell Azul marble graces the dining cabinet on the first floor’s family living area
Le Pell Azul marble graces the dining cabinet on the first floor’s family living area
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Rather than relying on decorative flourishes to communicate luxury, designer Jacelyn Chieng focused on planning instead. The house, with a land area of 3,263 sq ft, was purchased as a newly completed property, but its interior arrangement didn’t fully reflect how the family intended to live. Walls stayed where they made sense; elsewhere, rooms were reassigned, storage was reconsidered, and circulation refined.
Behind closed doors
Above Another view of the living area on the first floor, anchored by a striking feature wall
Another view of the living area on the first floor, anchored by a striking feature wall
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Family life begins on the ground floor. Entertaining occupies the second level. The third belongs entirely to the couple’s three children, each with a bedroom and ensuite bathroom of their own.
The owners wanted the former study on the ground floor to be converted into a wine cellar to display the husband’s collection of vintages and glassware. The home also needed a professional-grade kitchen capable of supporting private chefs during larger gatherings, complete with a generous island for serving. While the wife requested ample dressing and wardrobe spaces, the husband envisioned a home office with an adjoining bathroom fitted with rain showers, body jets and other spa-like comforts.
Above Inside the hidden walk-in shoe storage room, which blends into the entrance hallway on the outside
Above Softly illuminated by linear lights and sculptural crystal pendants, the entrance hallway welcomes visitors
Inside the hidden walk-in shoe storage room, which blends into the entrance hallway on the outside
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The issue of storage surfaced repeatedly throughout the conversations. One intervention in particular became an unexpected talking point: near the entrance, Chieng proposed converting the shower area of an existing bedroom on the ground floor into a walk-in shoe room. It would disappear behind a continuous stretch of wall panelling that spans the corridor. “It sounded strange to the owners at first,” she recalls with a laugh. “They couldn’t visualise it.
Only after seeing the three-dimensional renderings did the idea click. Today, the concealed room houses the family’s sizeable footwear collection without interrupting the clean geometry of the entrance.
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Above A large Fiam Flaminio dining table stands ready to accommodate dinner guests
A large Fiam Flaminio dining table stands ready to accommodate dinner guests
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Materiality provides the visual punctuation. Le Pell Azul marble draws the eye at the entrance foyer before appearing again on the dining cabinetry, its distinctive veining adding movement against a backdrop of understated, elegantly muted finishes. Italian materials recur throughout the interiors, chosen for their texture, longevity and ability to age well.
Plans, rewritten
Above The master bedroom incorporates tasteful storage solutions that are inconspicuously tucked into walls and corners
The master bedroom incorporates tasteful storage solutions that are inconspicuously tucked into walls and corners
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The house arrived at this point only after several unexpected detours. While enlarging the master suite, contractors uncovered a structural column hidden within the existing construction. Removing it was never an option, so work paused while the design team reconsidered the layout.
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Above The dressing zone is fitted with a walk-in wardrobe and vanity for the wife
The dressing zone is fitted with a walk-in wardrobe and vanity for the wife
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The husband’s bathroom also underwent a complete rethink. Originally, the team intended to preserve much of the existing space and fittings. Seeing it again during construction prompted a change of heart. Instead of patching over the problem, the owners chose to demolish the bathroom and begin again, adding new plumbing, waterproofing and tiling.
“Fortunately, our project manager did a fantastic job of seamlessly slotting in these additional tasks, keeping things moving smoothly and preventing any major impact on the rest of the project,” Chieng proudly notes.
A place to gather
Above The airy stairway leading to the second floor, where the main entertainment area is located
The airy stairway leading to the second floor, where the main entertainment area is located
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Looking back, Chieng says the hidden shoe room remains one of her favourite details. The owners, meanwhile, have found themselves fielding compliments about the second-floor entertaining spaces. Her most vivid memory, however, has nothing to do with marble, cabinetry or construction.
Above One of the children’s bedrooms on the third floor
One of the children’s bedrooms on the third floor
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One afternoon, the owners arrived on site with their children. The renovation was still underway, rooms half-finished and surfaces protected beneath layers of cardboard. The children asked: “Aunty Jacelyn, when can we move into our new home? We can’t wait!” Nine months of drawings, revisions and site meetings eventually produced the answer. The children got their rooms. The adults got the spaces they had imagined for years.
And somewhere, behind an uninterrupted wall of panelling near the entrance, stands a shoe room that almost nobody notices—which is exactly what was intended.
Credits
Photography: Aaron Poon
Topics
Based in Singapore, Engracia Ang is an experienced writer specialising in home and living content.
