Australia Trends Home Trends Volume 31 No 1 Australia | Page 81

Kitchens and family living
areas are increasingly designed
to connect to the outdoors, but
this project puts a new spin on
the concept.
The traditional Singapore
shophouse, which was extensively renovated by architects
Maria Arango and Diego
Molina, comprises two separate
volumes. The larger of the two
accommodates the main living
areas on the ground floor, with

bedrooms on the upper two
levels. The second volume
houses the kitchen, maid’s
quarters and a swimming pool
on the upper level.
“This family home needed
to be light filled,” says Molina.
“Splitting the house into two
volumes with a small connecting courtyard allows sunlight
to stream into the middle. It
also lets breezes ventilate the
interior naturally.”

With a living green wall
to one side, a shade tree in
the opposite corner, and the
floor covered entirely in carpet
grass, the setting forms an
attractive indoor garden and
play area.
“The green space is the
visual focus of the ground
floor,” the architect says. “And
because there are no partitions,
the garden can be enjoyed
from the kitchen at the back

Above left: This remodelled
Singapore shophouse features an
internal courtyard with a grass
carpet, shade tree and living wall of
greenery. The kitchen is positioned
on one side and the dining room on
the other – in two separate volumes.
Above: Traditional meets modern –
contemporary cabinets and materials
in the kitchen are paired with
specially sourced cement tiles that
are replicas of original shophouse
tiles.

search | save | share at trendsideas.com

79