By Annie Ooi | Nov 22, 2010
Photographs by Azlina bt Abdullah
Blissful living at Setia Eco Park
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When the architect and the house owner see eye-to-eye and agree on the essential points, then the result is a pleasant environment any person would like to come home to. Arnold Lim of Sayhan Lim Architect, a pony-tailed, voluble sort of person and the house owner, a gentle lady who can more than hold her own, met and sorted out the needs and wants of her family, for their home in Setia Eco-Park.
Arnold is a "water person", and sets out with the garden with koi pond and landscape first when designing the house and thrashing out the details.
"The house complements the garden; we ‘wrap’ the house around these two elements," he says.
The house owner didn’t want to live in a square block, and with the koi pond on the right and a courtyard on the left connecting the living room and the dining room, the house she calls home is a refreshingly light and simple space.
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| Brown theme: The staircase is illuminated by lights filtered through onyx. |
It is sun-lit through floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and well-ventilated through opened glass doors (although grilled) and a double-volume atrium near the dining area.
Decor-wise, the house owner wanted something which is both modern (but not too contemporary) and classical, and definitely functional, as she has two young children.
The exterior is described as "modern, contemporary Zen" and looking decidedly modern with its tinted glass, aluminium louvres and glass-walled balcony. The "Zen" part of the description comes from the overall look, which is low-key and understated.
Marmoran paint on the brown feature wall sketches out a defining slash on the exterior. Besides the wall lights, lighted glass panels provide additional lighting in the evenings.
The living room, like the rest of the house, has simple, clean lines, which evoke a calming atmosphere. Custom-made merbau (local hardwood) armchairs and coffee-tables provide the classic touch and for comfortable seating, a modern white sofa takes up one side of the seating arrangement.
The house owner managed to find a skilled craftsman to make the furniture and followed through with a similar theme in the foyer which has a custom-made console table flanked by two chairs.
The 2½-storey house with a built-up area of 558sq m (6,200sq ft) has a wide staircase running up one side. Tall windows at the landings give spectacular views of the surroundings. Alcoves set in the walls around the staircase and framed in wood, echo the brown theme of the tread of the stairs.
The bottom segment of the stairs faces the lush green courtyard and this positioning affords the house owner pleasant moments throughout the day. Says the owner: "I love to be able to see my courtyard through the tall glass windows when I come down the stairs." The family moved in about a year ago, and has since made the family-cum-TV room, next to the dining room and beside the koi pond, the centre of their activities. Cupboards line one wall; ample space to hide toys to keep the room tidy is one aspect of functional living that mothers can truly appreciate.
Phase one
"I have just finished a tiring ‘phase one’ of my decorating efforts," she says, "and I need a break!" With multiple empty alcoves to fill and blank, solid ample walls "crying" out for a painting to enliven them, you can say she is a bit under pressure to move on to "phase two".
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| Beautiful outdoor area: A pleasant, relaxed atmosphere at the side terrace, with its garden furniture, koi pond with infinity edge and wooden deck. |
But phase one has more or less seen the completion of the side of the garden with the Feng Shui-dictated koi pond. At a corner towards the back is the husband’s outdoor area for him and his pals. It is furnished with a set of outdoor furniture, a range of bamboo to provide privacy, and a couple of huge round white "bulbs" set on the ground to serve as lighting during the evening getogethers.
The family-cum-TV room has an attached bathroom, and the flexibility of the house is such that this can be converted to an en-suite unit for the husband’s parents in their later years. This is one heck of a bathroom, with a marble showcase filled with glass souvenirs taking up one wall.
The dry kitchen again sports clean looks with white walls and grey flooring. A solid, acrylic surface island provides the perfect place for food preparation.
Upstairs, a jacuzzi is discreetly tucked behind a screen of wooden slats in the bathroom of the master bedroom. "My kids use this place more than me," says the house owner, as she quickly scoops up the plastic float from the jacuzzi before the photography session.
A teak divider in the spacious master bedroom provides the space for a wall-hung television and shelves for photographs.
The children have their own room, and later when they grow up, they will take over the two rooms at the back and their current room and attached bathroom can be turned into a guest room.
This is a home which has been set up to house the family in their growing years and beyond. With "soft" looks and a totally pleasant resort feel, I can’t imagine the children wanting to live elsewhere.
View other beautiful bungalows in Décor & Design section:
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