This house in Singapore has an unusual, slanted roof and facade
The architect of this house came up with an ingenious idea to ‘borrow the greenery’ from the plot across the road.
House of Endless Trees is located on a hill, along a small, one-way road. Blink and you might miss turning into the road altogether as it is almost overwhelmed by matured trees and dense bushes that wrap the adjacent block. The owners, Anu Thiagarajan and Gopal Iyer who both work in public healthcare, appreciate the tranquillity it offers and verdant scenery from their home.
The couple live here with their two children. “It was our first home since returning from overseas in 2010. Gopal grew up in the east and has always loved the laid-back East Coast vibe,” said Anu.
The family enjoy spending time at home together. When they decided to rebuild their home, they told Kee Jing Zhi of Freight Architects that while they wanted the children to have their personal space, they also desired various common areas that the children would want to hang out in even when they become teenagers. “We also had a growing collection of artworks that we wanted to display but in a way that the house does not become too museum-like,” added Anu.
They had come to know about Kee’s works through a friend. “We were hooked on his vision of light-and-shadow play and his concept of the ‘infinity garden’. We also loved the fact that the form he proposed was well balanced, with functionality incorporated. COVID-19, home schooling and what seemed like an interminable lockdown highlighted what we really wanted in a home,” Anu shared on the process that started during the first lockdown.
The front facade of the house makes an interesting impression from the street. Instead of standard windows on the upper levels, a screen made from black flamed granite panels slants from the roof all the way down to almost touch the floor of the second storey.
There is a sitting room on the first storey as well as a guestroom and back-of-house spaces. The main living and entertainment spaces were raised to the second storey to take advantage of the lush view across the road.
“We played with the idea of spatial compression and expansion throughout the house. The feeling of compression starts from the approach into the house. From the narrow street, we enter a low-ceilinged car porch and entrance foyer reminiscent of a subterranean space. Ascending through a hole-in-a-wall staircase from the first storey, one experiences a sudden spatial expansion upon entering the double-volume living room on the second storey,” described Kee.
The facade screen hangs low in front of this space, providing the interiors with shade and privacy. The sidewalls of the living room were elevated slightly with glass panels to bring in views of the perimeter landscaping. “We dropped the steps of the garden terrace at the front of the living room down, so visually the balustrade is also lowered, and the planter’s landscaping appears to merge with the greenery across the road. An illusion of an ‘infinity garden’ connecting the house to the adjacent forest is created,” said Kee, on the concept that gives the house its poetic name.
The living and dining areas share one open space. Toward the rear is a generous kitchen, complete with a herb garden. On the third storey, the landing has been expanded into a space for the couple to do yoga, well illuminated by a picture window and skylight.
On this storey is also a study room-cum-library where bookshelves stretch to the ceiling. “We have always had tons of books. Some of the books we have are very old and have been passed down from our grandparents and great grandparents. Gopal and my son Arjun are both voracious readers as well as hoarders – a very dangerous combination,” mused Anu.
The couple are also into music and listen to a wide range, covering classical Indian music to hip hop, jazz and pop. “Pretty much every room has a speaker, and they are often playing different music at the same time,” said Anu.
Some steps up a split-level where the children’s bedrooms are, a Veena leans against the wall. “It’s a traditional Indian classical instrument that I used to play almost to a professional level when I was a teenager and young adult,” said Anu. Above it is a purposefully positioned artwork depicting a figure playing the instrument. “This is a rare print by Indian painter M.F. Husain. I like it because it shows a man playing the veena when most depictions are of women playing it,” she said.
At the gap between this storey and the study, Kee inserted a glass panel so that one can look down into the second storey living space, enhancing interaction between levels. This is one of many details in the home that make traversing through it a journey of discovery. For example, the stairwell is accented with timber veneer ceilings in a coffered pattern. A cluster of oil holders floats down as decoration, but also reflects the family’s Indian heritage and amplifies the verticality of the space. In the centre of the walk-in wardrobe and master bathroom that share a space, a bespoke curved vanity counter is a highlight.
The interior is predominantly dressed in masculine tones. “We wanted to create a palette of gradation of shadows. It provides a great contrast to the greenery surrounding the living spaces,” said Kee. Key materials deployed are dark granite, grey tiles and Indian Rosewood timber flooring. Some pattern comes in the form of Peranakan tiles at the second storey garden terrace.
The subdued setting makes a fine backdrop for the owners’ art collection, comprising mainly South and Southeast Asian paintings. “Not all of them are well-known works, but they speak to us on a visceral level or have stories to tell,” said Anu. At the stairwell is an abstract nude artwork by Francis Newton Souza, a famous Indian artist influenced by Cubism.
It is mirrored in the adjacent living room by another nude piece from Singaporean artist Wong Keen that reminded Anu of Matisse’s decoupage style. In the corner of the living room is a vivid painting of a monk by Burmese artist Min Wae Aung. “He was actually the first person to paint walking monks from the back – a style that has since been copied by many other artists,” explained Anu.
There are also many antiques placed around the home. Some were picked up during their travels but many have been in the couple’s families for generations. For example, in the corner of the sitting room on the first storey is a traditional copper boiler used to store and maintain hot water for tea and coffee. “It has been in the family for over a hundred years,” shared Anu. Facing this space under the staircase is a sentimental memento – a traditional Indian swing that the couple got married on, hung above a gravel-covered floor.
This house embodies the homeowners’ ideas of home: “It is a sanctuary from the crazy whirlwind work and school life. It is that cosy place where you can walk around in your tatty shorts and T-shirt, a place where you can curl up with a book in a comfortable chair, a tropical paradise surrounded by lush greenery where you can take in the sea breeze with a cocktail. It’s a place that evokes the best memories of the people in your life and the places that you’ve been too.”
The couple are obviously very proud of their abode. Gopal enjoys the library most, where he is often found “flipping through an art book or reading Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter for the millionth time or listening to a scratchy old record.” Meanwhile, Anu finds relief in the master bedroom at the top of the house. “It sometimes feels like a lighthouse or a treehouse. It is an oasis from the chaos,” she commented. Their daughter Anjalee likes spending time in the kitchen to take in the smells of her parents’ cooking and Arjun likes the view of the greenery from the second storey living room. “It’s also a great reading spot!” he quipped.
Anu feels that the house embodies her ideas of home. “It is a sanctuary from the crazy whirlwind work and school life. It is that cosy place where you can walk around in your tatty shorts and T-shirt, a place where you can curl up with a book in a comfortable chair, a tropical paradise surrounded by lush greenery where you can take in the sea breeze with a cocktail. It’s a place that evokes the best memories of the people in your life and the places that you’ve been too.”
Executive editor: Boon Tan; senior producer: Lindsay Jialin; video: Lawrence Ong/VOTMO