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Ong & Ong Inserts Gorgeous Modernity into Old Singapore

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As always, Ong & Ong strike a lush balance between a controlled natural world and a contemporary aesthetic, here in a renovation of a traditional house.

No attempt is made at kow towing to the traditions of the Singapore terrace house facade.

Just open the old front doors and wham. A museum-like entry. Continue through, past the stairs…

…now you see beyond the pool, the dining room.

This means the kitchen and dining room can only be reached via the outdoor walkway by the pool.

So the rather ascetic aluminum clad kitchen is sited outdoors – which is only possible in a tropical climate.

A clever thing about it is that the dining table sacrifices none of the elegance of a real dining table, yet beneath it is the oven, the microwave and the bar fridge.

At the front of the house, above the entry hall, modern life begins right behind the old facade windows.

In this upstairs reading room, the residents clearly enjoy curling up with a good book.

An intriguing touch: they have all been re-bound in white in-house.

The all-white books keep the view from the bedroom serene and un-distracting.

Behind the private upstairs sitting room, the bedroom is open to the front of the old house.

Between the bedroom and the bathroom, the spiral stair comes up.

Upstairs, in front of the spiral staircase, the sculptural shape of the bath is given star treatment. Each view of this house is a delight.

The shape of the spiral staircase impinges a little on the interior of the bathroom.

The tranquil view from the upstairs bathroom uses the air void created above the pool as a long view to greenery on the roof above the new kitchen.

The result is a glamourous space that meets the client’s desire for a light-filled space in place of the poky and dark original terrace house.