Home Is Where The Heart Is

The Hubers’ family home is a dynamic space that seamlessly brings the outside in

After dating long-distance, Andre and Belinda Huber shared his bachelor pad in Balestier when she moved to Singapore from Australia. As the family grew, however, they needed more space—especially for their two young children, Hayley, aged three, and Ashley, two. The couple confined their search for a new home to the neighbourhood where Andre grew up, which is less than a kilometre from the primary school they plan on enrolling the girls in. “We settled on a semi-detached property along Goldhill Avenue, and decided we would renovate it so that the interior would better suit our lifestyle and reflect our personalities,” says Belinda, director of online children’s fashion retailer Baby Style Icon. Bu Shukun was an obvious candidate to execute the interior design of the new Huber residence. “We met Bu at a mutual friend’s party and, being friends, we felt that he understood what we wanted,” recalls Andre. Bu, who was named one of Singapore Tatler Homes’ 50 Most Influential in Singapore Design in 2016, holds a master’s degree in architecture,

BELOW

Different types of flooring separate one zone from another seamlessly

OPPOSITE PAGE

The dining area dominates the first floor, which also houses the living room and kitchen area in an open plan concept and is the design director of Architology Interiors and A- Collective Architects. The first storey of the property was reconceptualised as an open plan with different zones, mainly the living, dining and kitchen areas. “I liked this place because of its high ceilings and the abundance of natural light, so I wanted to keep it bright and airy,” explains Andre. Bu’s solution was to open up the living and dining areas by installing bifold doors all around, to create a visual and psychological extension of space that connects the indoors and outdoors. The original brick wall between the two houses was revealed during construction— and Bu turned it into a design opportunity. “I stained it in a deeper shade, similar to burnt ochre, and used it as a backdrop to link up the house vertically, like a spine,” Bu explains. This is echoed by a white brick wall on the opposite side of the living room, suggesting a dialogue. The raw, unfinished surfaces of the brick walls provide a contrast to the smooth marble flooring of the living room. The dining room feels like a seamless extension of the living room. The change in flooring material—from white marble