The House of Many Faces

Concept

How do we design a home to cater to the needs of an extroverted, vivacious couple that enjoy hosting large socials while maintaining a sense of privacy and restfulness for the more introverted members of the family?

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This was the main brief of the Client and also the inspiration behind The House of Many Faces.

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The design presents a composition of various opening sizes that reflect the differentiated and distinct spatial experiences within. Where privacy and a sense of restfulness is desired, small customised openings are utilised to afford view of the outside but prevent views inward. In other areas, large sliding windows and doors  are introduced to open the interior spaces to the outdoors. Portholes reminiscent of aircraft cabins or ships are adopted to playfully emphasize and celebrate  the otherwise conventionally utlitarian common bathroom spaces as important spatial demarcators in the home. 

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In order to create an illusion of expanse to an otherwise modest corner plot, a comfortable semi-outdoor setting with borrowed views to the perimeter garden and street was created as the open living room for hosting dinner parties. Connecting effortlessly through the sunken patio towards the indoor dining room, the ground floor space is designed to embrace the outdoors and maximise cross-ventilation throughout the spaces.

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Where spaces open seamlessly towards one another on the ground floor, the upper floors are designed to allow for pockets of smaller split level private areas to be created. More intimate common spaces for the family such as the Family living room and reading deck are located here.

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In addition to the various tailored facade openings, a  main feature of the architecture is the use of colours and an earthy and raw material palette that allow the character, textures and artisanal hand of the builder to be imprinted onto the architecture. Some examples include the feature brickwork and off-form timber boardmark ceiling feature.

Undisclosed, Singapore