A hidden tropical home with wabi-sabi aesthetics

A site once fraught with challenges has been transformed into a tropical home designed to celebrate the natural beauty of the materials used and reflect the environmentally-conscious lifestyle of the homeowners.

Its proximity to Windsor Nature Park was one of the main reasons that drew the nature-loving couple to this estate located off Venus Drive. After returning from a four-year stint overseas, this seemed like the perfect location to build their home – one that was “modern and understated, and which blended in with the natural surroundings”.

The site conditions, however, were far from ideal. An existing drain cut through the rear of the property and there was a steep slope at the back of the house. The neighbour’s boundary wall also encroached on the plot.

Thankfully, Edmund Ng of Edmund Ng Architects managed to overcome all the technical challenges. With the original house demolished, the drainage diverted, the boundary issue resolved and the slope backfilled, construction proceeded without a hitch and the new house was completed in just 10 months.

The new owners moved in in September 2017. While many would lament the narrow frontage of the triangular plot surrounded by neighbouring houses on all three sides, this suits the homeowners well: “We value privacy and the configuration allows the creation of hidden family spaces within a home nestled among the neighbouring houses instead of towering over them.”

(Related: Luxury homes: a stylish apartment with a "no design" approach)

This article first appeared in Home & Decor.