You'd expect an architect's own home to be anything but ordinary, and indeed, Rene Tan's 4,811sqft semi-detached house in Bukit Timah is so extraordinary that it won the Design Award for the Residential - Low-Density Housing category at the prestigious SIA Design Awards in 2020.
"I'm 57 and this might be the last chance I have to spoil my wife," says Tan, who describes the three guiding principles of his work as "don't think like an architect", "use your counter intuition" and "don't be afraid to put the right thing in the wrong place". It's an approach that has paid off handsomely at RT+Q, the architectural firm he Co-founded with TK Quek in 2003, which has designed 140 houses so far (and counting), several of which have scooped up design awards.
Of course, it's natural that Tan's own home should incorporate these very guiding principles, as well as some far-out ideas that clients had requested him to leave on the drawing board. It has been dubbed the "House of Spice" by his wife Chuah Woei Woei (who works as a director in a bank) and teenage daughter Lara, but the Tan quips that it "should actually have been called the 'House of Rejects".
"Most people don't like exposed columns; they find fair-faced concrete crude and unfinished; they think sliding walls are weird and that it's wasteful to make the wet kitchen the largest space of an already modest house," he observes, "so these are the elements I included."
Bu hikaye Harper's BAZAAR Singapore dergisinin October 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Harper's BAZAAR Singapore dergisinin October 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Twice As Nice
Thai actresses Sarocha "Freen" Chankimha and Rebecca "Becky" Patricia Armstrong have broken barriers for inclusivity with their onscreen portrayals, leaving global audiences wanting more.
10s Across The Board!
Ten Lee is stepping into an even bigger spotlight. The K-pop superstar opens up about going solo and growing into his many facets.
The House That Fred Built
FRED, the jewellery Maison that Fred Samuel created, pays tribute to his philosophy of life, light, and an unmistakable bold aesthetic in the art and pioneering craft of precious gems.
Impossible Is Possible
In a marriage of aesthetics and technology, Richard Mille strikes the perfect balance with its RM 07-01 Automatic collection.
Beauty Visual Cues
Amp up your peepers with bold lines and punchy colours that accentuate metallic frames. Librarian chic never looked so good.
Hair - Raising Issues
Unpacking the relationship between hair, health and mental well-being.
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.
FEELS GOOD. MAN
Feather-light hydrators and sunscreens that pamper and protect, without the weight.
MOST WANTED
The Kelly clasp is one the most distinctive visual codes in the Hermès canon-one of the many reasons why a product from the House never needs any logos to be recognisable.
HOROSCOPE
TAURUS (21 APR - 21 MAY) Happy birthday, Taurus! This May, your life takes the form of a mandala an intricate shape made from coloured sand that is destroyed after its creation. This doesn't mean that you'll lose everything. In fact, the whole month has the potential to be highly abundant, especially around the 19th, when Venus transits through your sign. Be brave and let go of attachments.