SINGAPORE – When expatriate couple Anjali and Vickram Mangalgiri moved to Singapore in 2012, they needed a house that was particular.
“I couldn’t think about dwelling in a gated neighborhood and was looking out for one thing distinctive with important architectural character and cultural context,” says Mrs Mangalgiri, an architect.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how in america, she practised structure and inside design in New York earlier than founding her personal agency – Grounded, which now has a presence in Singapore and Goa, India – in 2009.
She went home looking in Geylang and Joo Chiat and checked out shophouses earlier than stumbling on a historic black-and-white walk-up condo in Newton.
The unit is housed in a four-storey, 100-year-old block of flats at Monk’s Hill Highway, which is managed and leased out by the Singapore Land Authority by an public sale course of.
Mrs Mangalgiri and her husband, who works in asset administration, received the bid for a 2,500 sq ft condo on the second ground in mid-2014. Since then, they’ve renewed the lease, which lasts two to a few years, a couple of instances.
The couple, who’re of their 40s, now stay there with their two daughters aged 5 and 18 months, and a home helper.
Mrs Mangalgiri oversaw the renovation, which price $50,000, herself. It was accomplished in three phases and was accomplished this yr.
“I needed an area that’s snug, purposeful and straightforward to keep up,” she says. “It needed to have ample room for our youngsters to play and have a way of connection all through.”
The intense and ethereal condo contains a lofty 3.6m ceiling with home windows on two or three sides of every room. These options hold the house cool and imply that the house owners normally don’t want to make use of air-conditioning for a lot of the yr.
The renovated condo retains most of its authentic construction, apart from the partitions between the kitchen and the eating space, which have been eliminated for an open format.
“The open plan fits the wants of my younger household whereas the uncooked, loft-like character jogs my memory of my time spent in New York,” says Mrs Mangalgiri.
Paying homage to the heritage constructing’s facade, she used white surfaces with matte black trimmings all through the inside, and injected heat and persona with pure supplies like wooden, jute, paper and ceramic.
A big island with a picket counter connects the open kitchen with the dwelling space. A suar wooden eating desk from Indonesia and a rice paper lamp from her favorite designer in Goa lend heat to the eating space. Linen curtains dance within the breeze and add a way of motion to the house.
Collectibles from world wide – an vintage Indian arched door, a reclaimed wooden mirror, hand-embroidered Uzbekistan textile, Japanese noren, Chinese language thrift retailer lights and ceramic lamps from Vietnam – are displayed all through the house.
“Every object carries a reminiscence and story,” says Mrs Mangalgiri.
One among her favorite components of the house is the ribbon balconies that wrap round every room. The household makes use of the areas for gardening and as a solution to join the house with the encircling bushes.
“Typically, houses will be so clear and so good that one is afraid to stay freely throughout the house. They’re elegant from a distance however might not be very warm or inviting,” says Mrs Mangalgiri.
“I’ve consciously designed easy but cosy areas. I would like my house and the areas I design to create enjoyable environments and embody earthy, barefoot luxurious.”
- This text first appeared within the September 2021 problem of Residence & Decor, which is revealed by SPH Magazines. Get the November and newest problem of Residence & Decor now in any respect newsstands or obtain the digital version of Residence & Decor from the App Retailer, Magzter or Google Play. Additionally, see extra inspiring houses on the Residence & Decor web site.