MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Managing consultant Corinne Ng's brutalist home is a safe space that showcases her passion for minimalist design and playful art.

- SHERMIN NG

Having honed and cultivated a directional sense of taste thanks to an illustrious career in fashion media and marketing that has spanned over 20 years-managing consultant Corinne Ng employs the same approach to her home curations as she does her wardrobe. The chic abode, which she shares with her husband and two daughters- 20-year-old Li-En and 16-year-old Kae-Lin-is the perfect backdrop to her expressive style and artistic narrative.

Built from the ground up, the concrete and steel construct is the result of a two-and-a-half-year journey embarked upon by the couple and renowned architect Edmund Ng, known for his modernist, clean-lined designs.

Ng became acquainted with the architect through his wife Jazz Chong, a friend of hers who owns local gallery Ode to Art.

While she deferred to her husband's penchant for an industrial aesthetic and monochrome palette, Ng was very much involved when it came to injecting warmth and joy in colour. The couple's shared love for brutalist architecture is reflected in the monolithic appearance of the house and the use of fair-faced concrete throughout. "I first visited the Barbican Centre in London when I was a teenager, and subsequently saw more brutalist architecture in Antwerp. It's very cold and imposing but there's something strangely comforting about it," she shares.

The house's quiet front is softened by an unassuming corten steel facade with a laser-cut pattern inspired by the foliage of a tree. It belies an intimate, fortress-like interior a protected retreat for the family made cosy by light timber flooring and ceilings, tasteful furnishings, an abundance of daylight, and scenic views of the nature reserve behind the house. "We've looked out to see monkeys and wild boars eating our neighbour's leaves and fruit," recalls Ng.