Houzz Tour: Colonial Bungalow in Singapore Finally Gets Some Love
A designer helps revive a neglected house with new furniture, custom cabinetry and a room that’s open to the outdoors
What design aficionado wouldn’t love to renovate a colonial bungalow in Singapore? London-based interior designer Davina Stanley jumped at the chance to work with an expatriate couple to revamp what’s known as a “black-and-white house,” which has the dark Tudor-style half-timbering on a white facade that was characteristic of homes built when Singapore was a British colony. “No one had lived in the property for years. It had a tree growing through into the living room!” she says.
The original space was dirty and empty, and the kitchen and bathrooms were dated. The couple wanted to create a colonial feel with a modern twist in the home and add comfort with three huge bedrooms.
They communicated their ideas to Stanley, who transformed the house over three months.
They communicated their ideas to Stanley, who transformed the house over three months.
Although the home hadn’t received much love in recent years, the only layout change it required was the addition of a room that is open to the outdoors.
“We realized pretty early on that the house was actually a room short for the family’s needs. Whichever way we tried to plan the space, we ended up with a room missing. So the easy solution was to add on an extra room,” Stanley says.
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“We realized pretty early on that the house was actually a room short for the family’s needs. Whichever way we tried to plan the space, we ended up with a room missing. So the easy solution was to add on an extra room,” Stanley says.
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“This extra room became the outdoor dining room, which meant that the original dining room could be used as a TV room, [den] and playroom. This gave the most pleasing sense of flow, as you were able to come straight out of the kitchen into this space and then straight out to the dining room,” the designer says.
“These series of rooms became the hub of the house, leaving the more formal living room for entertaining and grown-up relaxing. The result is a home that really works for every member of the family,” Stanley says.
The house is surrounded by jungle, as you see when you enter the gate and walk up the drive.
“I wanted to make an inviting entrance, so the first job was to transform the carport into an outdoor living space,” she says.
“We custom-built [shoe storage] to the left of the entrance and placed lots of seating where people could comfortably sit or use to remove their shoes.”
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“I wanted to make an inviting entrance, so the first job was to transform the carport into an outdoor living space,” she says.
“We custom-built [shoe storage] to the left of the entrance and placed lots of seating where people could comfortably sit or use to remove their shoes.”
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The original louvered shutters, which were refurbished, are referenced throughout the home.
“We decided to echo this in all the custom-made cabinetry in the house,” Stanley says. “Upon entering the double entrance doors, you walk directly into the living room. I wanted to visually break this area to create a hallway.”
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“We decided to echo this in all the custom-made cabinetry in the house,” Stanley says. “Upon entering the double entrance doors, you walk directly into the living room. I wanted to visually break this area to create a hallway.”
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She accomplished this by defining the living room with a custom table on a natural rug.
9 Ways to Define Spaces in an Open Floor Plan
9 Ways to Define Spaces in an Open Floor Plan
“To add to the feeling of flow, we used the same light shades — which we commissioned from a family of artisans in Bali in two different sizes — throughout the entire house, both inside and outside,” Stanley says. “We also added the occasional Lee Broom crystal hanging bulb as a little nod to British design.”
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Find pendant lights with woven shades in the Houzz Shop
Stanley tackled the scale of the rooms with ease. “Being such large rooms, furniture either had to be oversized or we had to use two of everything,” she says.
“In the children’s bedroom, for example, there are two king-sized beds; in the living room, two huge consoles and two huge sofas; and in the master bedroom, two large daybeds,” Stanley says.
“We kept the original white tiles and dark wood floorboards throughout the house, adding texture with natural and wool rugs.”
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Shop for rugs by material, color, shape and size
Yellow sets the children’s bedroom apart from the white and neutral tones in the rest of the house.
In this bathroom, Stanley kept the existing black and white checkerboard tiles, which add to the authentic feel of a colonial bungalow.
Browse tile on Houzz
Browse tile on Houzz
Verlaine Marquez contributed to this report.
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More on Houzz
Read about other remodeled homes around the world
Find an architect
Shop for every room in your house
Who lives here: An English expatriate family with two labradoodles
Location: Bukit Merah, Singapore
Designer: Davina Stanley of Paper+White