African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo by Priscilla Khiu

African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo by Priscilla Khiu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze in Igishushanyo cy'Imbere y'Inyubako Competition Category.

BuronzeImbere y'Inyubako· 2020

African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo

by Priscilla Khiu

Client: Haus Atelier

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze Winner in Imbere y'Inyubako Category

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The Design

About African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo

African Colonial Chic ni igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo, mu nzu y'amagorofa abiri yubatswe mu gihe cy'ubukoloni, iherereye i Siglap, muri Singapore. Iyi nzu ya kera yari yaratangiye kurohama mu gihe, kandi nta rukuta na rumwe rwari rugifite imirongo iringaniye. Amarembo ya Kifaransa (French doors) afite uburebure buhagije kandi afunguka mu byiciro bibiri yashyizwe mu buryo bwisubiramo imbere n'inyuma, kugira ngo hagaragare imirongo ihuriweho itambitse n'iyubatse, bityo bigabanye ingaruka z'uburyo iyi nzu itari yubatswe neza uko bikwiye igaragarira amaso. Amatafari ya kera yagumishijwe mu cyumba cyo kwakirira abashyitsi no mu cyumba cyo kurira, mu gihe amategura y'amabuye afite imigezi asobanura agace k'igikoni, ku muryango w'ibanze (foyer) ndetse no mu cyumba gito cy'isuku. Ibikoresho by'ibisimba (rattan) n'ibiti byuzuye ibara ry'umweru bihuza ubwubatsi bw'ubukoloni n'imisusire ya none yo muri Afurika y'Epfo.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze

African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze, ishimwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo by'indashyikirwa birangwa no guhanga, ubwenge n'ubushishozi. Abegukanye Buronze ni ibihangano bifite ubuhanga bwinshi kandi bihanga cyane, bishimangira uburambe, ubwenge n'ubushobozi bw'ababihanze. African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo biteganyijwe ko izaba ikintu cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifite ubunyamwuga n'udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Buronze gikoresha uburyo bwiza mu buhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga kandi kirarenze mu gutaha ku tuntu duto. African Colonial Chic Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imbere mu nzu yo kubamo ishimisha ibyo dukeneye, ikora ku byifuzo byacu, itwara amarangamutima yacu kandi ikurura amatsiko yacu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Good design should always reflect the personalities and aesthetics of its inhabitants as well as the history and culture of the physical space. Special care was taken to weave the intangible of styles, culture, and hobbies into the design while creating a symbiotic dialogue between two. Weaving modern hints of South African culture and wildlife into an architecturally colonial abode, created an alchemy of style and character that reflected modern sensibility and adheres to its owners' taste, preference, and aspirations.
Dimensions & Packaging: The house takes an irregular floor plate of about 3860sqft and has 2 storeys totaling it to 3200sqft of built-up area. This 2 storey home sits at the top of a hill and right beside, 3m below it is open grassland. Over time, the house has sunk to the sides to the back. The difference between the two ends of the house was 200mm. No two walls were aligned and straight. After rebuilding the retaining wall and determining that the house was now fit for use, the biggest technical issue was correcting the visual irregularities.
Tags: Black and White House, Colonial Architecture, South African Chic, Haus Atelier, Interior Design
Production Technology: Full Height French doors were repeated and used to play up the height and overall character of space on both interior and exterior. The old brickwork was retained in the main living and dining area to give the white walls some much needed textured. Geometric or patterned tiles were used in the kitchen, foyer and powder bathroom to subtly demarcate a new space and/or function and to inject a new "rhythm" and burst of fun to an otherwise neutral floor palette.MaterialsMaterials like rattan ( and its variation) were carefully woven into vanity counters, shoe cabinets, bar stools, and other furniture to create a consistent "weaving" rhetoric of culture and space. Texture is everything in this project. And this texture is created through the use of materials ( rattan, whitewashed wood stain carpentry ) and through physical lines - louver doors and windows.
Design Challenge: This was an old house that was buried in time for 30 years. The entire house was slopping ! There were no two walls that were straight and from the front to end, ceiling and floor had a difference of 200mm! To mitigate this, we used the big French doors to take one's eyes off the flaws of the building. Each door, even at differing heights was adjusted to ensure that at eye level, all the horizontal and vertical datum is consistent and straight. These little design cracks had to be taught through for every piece of carpentry and detail!
Research: How does one reimagine an old, sinking, colonial house flanked by a quiet open grassland and convert that into a desirable home reflecting styles and sensibility while showing sensitivity to its current locale and history? This how- opened a design dialogue for this space.

A marriage of cultures was born by paring the colonial-styled French doors (the architectural language of the house ) against an interior theme of modern South African paintings and furniture. The idea of weaving the two cultures is also physically manifested in the use of rattan that reflects not only the cultural essence of Africa but also hints of South East Asian history under the colonial rule where the rich ( plantation owners) who would live in large colonial homes like the one inherited.

The owners in question are a mix race couple where one has a home in South Africa and the other grew up under the influence of colonial rule in South East Asia Singapore.
Inspiration: The inspiration behind this Colonial- African home was organically derived from its owners' love of wildlife photography and the original architectural elements of an old colonial house. The choice to embrace double-leaf French doors and repeat them as a thematic feature was intentional to correct the flaws of a slopping old house. We use the proportions - the horizontal and vertical datum of a door to visually adjust the irregularities. The repetition and use of such full height doors create the illusion of height and generate a strong architectural language both inside and out.
Project Duration: The project started construction in October 2018 and finished 5 months later. The design process started 6 months prior to construction. This charming terrace is located in Siglap, Singapore.
Operation Flow: To build good homes - a great understanding of its owners' styles, aspiration and requirements need to be had. To re-gut an old colonial space and renovate it to reflect the users' styles and sensibilities involved a great deal of communication and trust.
Patents: Copyrights of Work belongs to Haus Atelier Pte Ltd.
Team Members: PRISCILLA KHIU
Image Credits: MARCUS LIM