Shophouse At 18 Everitt Road

Deep, long and without an internal courtyard, this shophouse differs greatly from the usual light flooded and well-ventilated types we see and read about so often in Asian lifestyle magazines. Instead of attempting to bring in more natural lighting, we adopted a different approach and decided to instead express these poorly lit areas by enveloping them in black while contrasting them with the well lit areas which we finished in pure white. As a result, the dining on the 1st storey and the study cum lounge on the 2nd storey are enveloped in black while the living and kitchen on the 1st storey and the rooms on the 2nd storey are crafted into a pristine pure white shell. This zoned approach created a rich variety of spaces that can be experienced in the numerous dramatic transitions around this unique shophouse. The play of light and dark spaces, black and white colours were the primary elements we were working with on a schematic level. The private spaces on the 2nd storey begin to see an introduction of a greater amount of warmer materials and textures to balance out an excessive play of black and white. The distinct dialogue between black and white was further developed alongside the client’s intention to express themselves with a unique dialectic between modernity and antiquity. The furniture, accessories and artifacts selected mirror this contrast. A fine example of such sits in the living: a chesterfield in authentic old English black leather sits facing a clean line modern sofa upholstered in contemporary fabrics. Traces of ‘old school’ and ‘vintage’ add personality to the stark and dramatic spaces. Personality and situation conceives this completely unique shophouse.