The Pool Shophouse / FARM and KD Architects
The Pool Shophouse / FARM and KD Architects
Interior
Alexandra House is an honest, spacious reinvention of the shophouse form, injected with spatial fluidity and airy brightness, which runs contrary to the notion of the narrow darkness of the traditional shophouse.
The archetypal length of the shophouse is visually accentuated by the long, heated lap pool on the ground floor, complete with deck chairs. Take a morning dip, or do evening laps, in the indulgence of the interior of your own home. A gradual ascent up platform stairs takes one into the dining room, with an emphasis made on the open fluidity of the space, with the pool below.
The dining room-cum-entertainment area and open plan kitchen receive full daylight and fresh air from full length windows at the rear, creating an atmospheric, expansive experience perfect for both leisurely weekend brunches and quick weekday meals. The proximity of the pool and the visual linkage between the living and dining spaces allow for raving poolside parties right in the comfort of one’s own home.
A large skylight in the middle of the unit continues this fixation of light and space, allowing light down into nooks and crannies. All five suites have been designed to receive adequate natural daylight and ventilation. A series of stairs loop the length of the shophouse on various levels, facilitating the dialogue between old and new.
FARM’s design emphasises the unique experience of shophouse living. Elegant finishings and features abound in this home. The luxurious double height Coal suite reaches all the way to the jack roof, allowing light to filter down to the bathtub. For the common living and dining areas, Figment chose statement pieces that become focal points in each space. In contrast to the linearity and strong lines of the house, the furnishings in the common living and dining areas are composed of fluid and organic shapes.
