IT sounds insane to buy a house just by viewing it off Google maps but Patricia Kho and Simon Johnstone did exactly that.
The couple and their two kids were living in Sydney some years ago, and planned to move back to Singapore, when various opportunities presented themselves.
"We felt that it would be great for the kids to have the benefits of living in an Asian society as well," says Dr Kho, an oncologist.
A 40-year-old semi-detached home in the Upper Thomson area caught their eye. Never mind that the only image of the house the couple saw was from Google maps.
"We were attracted by the peaceful location, plus my mum-in-law lived nearby," says Mr Johnstone, a sales strategist for a multinational company. "We got lucky when it so happened that the kids ended up in schools not too far away too."
Dr Kho adds: "We bought the home with the intent to gut it entirely, so even if the house turned out worse than it looked, it didn't matter because we were only buying the shell."
The old house had a very dated design - think a box-like structure with small windows and arched columns on the perimeter of the home. Interior-wise, there were more rooms than needed, making the home feel very dark and bricked in.
"The home needed a lot of care," says architect Robin Tan of Wallflower Design + Architecture. Mr Johnstone says they had a clear idea of how they wanted the home to be.
"Spacious, light and uncluttered," he says.
Click on thumbnail to view. Story continues after photos. BT, WALLFLOWER ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
The entire house was gutted, but as the family did not want more space than needed, the footprint of the home remained unchanged. In place of brick walls on the first floor, sliding glass doors were installed all around.
When the family have friends over, all doors are opened, so that "the lines between indoors and outdoors are seamless", says Dr Kho. "What we have to worry about more are monkeys and mosquitoes."
When the couple requested an outdoor deck at the front, Mr Tan wasn't sure it would be a good idea, since it would be only a small one and seemed unnecessary.
"We insisted on it and it is well-utilised since we have dinner out here every night," says Dr Kho. Unnecessary walls on the first floor were knocked down, leaving the space fairly simple. The living room is on the left, while the dining area is on the right beside the glass doors.
The dining area blends seamlessly with the dry kitchen area, which comes with an island counter. The counter not only serves as the family's breakfast area, but comes in handy when they do their weekly baking and roasting.
"We like things neat, so even the switches are all hidden under the countertop," says Mr Johnstone. And when the family entertains about twice a month, the island counter doubles as the buffet table.
At the back is the wet kitchen, and a back gate with direct access to MacRitchie Reservoir Park. We love going there for walks, sometimes as often as three times a week in the evenings," says Dr Kho. "Again, this was one of the reasons that made us love the home."
To give the home a light feel, Mr Tan chose glass panels for the staircase. "The glass also helps to block out some noise from travelling to the second floor," he explains. He also built a skylight at the top of the stairs, and the ambience here changes constantly throughout the day.
The family could have opted to have more bedrooms, but three were enough. Their children, Matthew, nine, and Sara, seven, have their own rooms each. In keeping with their wish for a naturally illuminated home, large windows line the children's rooms. Vertical fins, a Wallflower trademark, help keep out direct sunlight and also provide privacy.
The couple's bedroom is simply done up, but scores points for having unblocked views of MacRitchie Reservoir Park. There's also hidden attic space in this room, which the family uses as storage space.
In terms of furnishing the home, the family have kept it simple too. Some pieces, such as their dining table, constructed using a door from a Rajasthan palace, has travelled with the family from Singapore to Sydney and back again.
The children contribute with their own paintings, such as a self-portrait of Matthew, and another of three pigs, because Sara is born in that zodiac year.
The couple's collection of books - she collects cookbooks, while he reads non-fiction - are all on a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in the study, along with other knick-knacks belonging to the kids.
Although the family moved in three years ago, the home looks hardly lived in. "We like to be outdoors, that's why the house still looks so new," quips Dr Kho.
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