Location: Bedok or Metropole Drive
Category: Residential – Terrace House
What type of home is this? Terrace house
How many rooms: 5 bedrooms
What’s the floor size: 3,800 sqft
How many people living here: Two children, a couple, a grandmother and a helper
Modern Scandinavian Interior Design
Multi-generational homes are a testament to Singapore’s deeply rooted values. This terrace house is a unique blend of modern Scandinavian style and practical design. The five-bedroom house, designed for a couple, their two children, a grandmother and the family helper. The open-concept layout, strategic lighting, and a white, grey, and brown colour palette create a bright and airy space that is easy to maintain and appeals universally across generations.
Terrace houses often suffer from poor air, light and spatial flow. To combat this, the first storey features an open-concept layout, allowing natural light and visual flow to move freely. Strategic lighting using downlights and cove lighting, combined with a brightening white palette with grey and brown accents, meets all their illumination needs. The wall behind the sofa is adorned with soft, ambient wall lights, and the television wall is finished with cement screed-like laminates. A marble-topped low console adds a touch of luxury.
The dining area, where the family gathers, is designed to feel spacious and warm. White is used liberally here and balanced with timber finishes in the mirror fame and dining furniture. A gold pendant light introduces a sense of luxury, complementing the Scandinavian-style furnishings.
The dry kitchen, a harmonious extension of the dining area, is a testament to practical design. The consistent palette and design language create a seamless transition between the two spaces. White laminate and wood-look cabinets add warmth, while quartz countertops mimic the elegance of marble without the high maintenance. This practical choice ensures durability and easy maintenance, making it ideal for a multi-generational home.
What was once a bedroom connected to a yard is now the wet kitchen, separated by the black-framed glass wall and doors. The wet kitchen too maintains a breezy and open feel with an L-shaped configuration, where upper cabinets are only fitted on one wall. The ash grey quartz countertops and mosaic-like kitchen backsplash add warmth and practicality in a heavily used kitchen. The textured timber-looking tiles also have anti-slip properties – a sensible choice for multigenerational homes.
The master bedroom, a haven of comfort and cosiness, is designed to make you feel at ease. Soft cove lighting adds depth to the patterned feature wall, creating a soothing ambience. The furniture layout guides your gaze towards the balcony with a lap pool, inviting you to unwind. The television, cleverly mounted on the wall flush against the customised feature wall, minimises visual distractions. This feature wall also conceals the bookshelves near a cosy reading corner that is perfect for quiet evenings.
With cement screed-looking wall tiles, the master bedroom adheres to the consistency of the design theme. Given the roomy bathroom, there is space for a long customised vanity with his-and-hers bathroom washbasins. The mirror too was customised with shelves to house toiletries and personal care items. Adding a low wall behind the WC and vanity not only adds depth to the area, but also provides additional space for often-used items, reducing clutter on the vanity counter.
When it comes to designing bedrooms for children, the key is fun, adaptability and flexibility. The homeowners understand that as children grow, their needs and preferences evolve. Therefore, the use of loose furniture and décor items allows for easy updates and changes. The custom-made wall decal, vibrant and fun, adds a touch of personality to the room’s pastel colours, creating a space that can grow and evolve with the children.
The en suite bathroom in the girls’ junior master suite is designed with longevity in mind. The patterned wall tiles can carry them through the years as they enter adolescence and adulthood. A large vanity comprising drawers and a cupboard, as well as a long mirror with storage solutions, holds enough storage space for future needs.
The Scandinavian style embraces colours and textures, where such additions provide a surprising touch to spaces. Irregular patterns and textures of the wall tiles personalise this bathroom, adding a light-hearted feel to the pitched ceiling. Customised storage is kept to a minimum here. A round mirror contrasts against the angular lines, making it an energising space for freshening up.
