BOTANICAL ROMANCE

This charming abode uses a dynamic interplay of colour and exuberant prints to bring the beauty of the outdoors inside

- Ryan Reuben

With its lively hues and meticulously applied decorative details, this three-storey landed house in Singapore’s Mountbatten district looks like a larger-than-life confectioner’s dream. Its exquisite spaces celebrate a candy-coated colour palette and eye-catching embellishments, appearing almost good enough to eat and radiating a life-affirming energy that would draw a smile from the most reticent visitor.

Its occupants comprise a Singaporean couple and their four grown-up children, as well as two grandparents and two domestic helpers. They had approached Chloe Elkerton, founder of bespoke interior design firm E&A Interiors, to help them create an elegant and inviting home bursting with energy and colour, and brimming with a sense of joy and warmth.

“They also loved nature and gardens, and travelling to Europe and Japan,” says Elkerton, adding that the clients sought a “unique home that was different from what you would normally see in Singapore”. “Ultimately, we wanted to create a ‘garden house’, where every room felt like a botanical oasis.” Another requirement was for a tea room, akin to those in private clubs at the turn of the century; these typically resembled a garden pavilion with a fountain in the middle, wicker chairs, and latticework on the walls and ceiling, interwoven with lights and ivy.

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