Inside A Stunningly Stylish Shophouse Home With An Indoor Courtyard Oasis

Hey guys, Ruben Dhanachay from Stag. Today we are in the east of Singapore. We're at Juchat. Now what pops to your mind when you think of Juchat? Hole-in-the-wall cafes, beautiful facades, and of course shop houses. Now we've had the opportunity to tour a couple of shop houses in the past. One courtesy of Frickman. We've also been to a cluster of shop houses that have been converted into a condo development known as 1953. And today we are here and we're going to be checking out a newly renovated shop house in Juchat. Now apologies for the road noise. We're literally just by a roadside as we make our way to the unit. Now this isn't just any unit. In fact the unit has been self-designed by the homeowner and features some very interesting concepts from farmhouse to mediterranean, from mid-century to colonial. You'll see all that in just a bit. Now I exaggerate not when I say that this is perhaps one of, if not the nicest house that we've toured today. So with that, let's get this show on the road. All right so before we head into the house, let me share a little bit more about this development. Now the total area is 3,500 square feet. It's three bedrooms, three baths, and a roof terrace. Now since this shop house is in Juchat, it is considered as a secondary settlement by the URA. Now this row of six shop was built between 1930 and 1940. Now in 2005, someone bought all the six shop houses, renovated it together, and eventually sold it off to individual owners. Now judging by the general facade of the shop houses here, I would say that it's from a second transitional shop house style. Now during this period, builders used less materials to facilitate cost efficiency. Now with regards to the facade of this actual unit, no change was made whatsoever and no surprises there because I really enjoy how clean and sleek that it all looks. Now that being said, let's head inside here. All right so coming in through the door, it almost feels like I've been transported in a portal to a completely different country. Now you immediately notice how spacious this whole area looks. In fact, it used to be an office once upon a time with much darker themes. Now the owner purchased this place less than a year ago and has since worked her magic throughout the entire space. Now before you get carried away, let me bring you back to the entrance if you speak more about the entranceway right there. Now having a look at this entryway, again it's in the theme of spaciousness. You notice that it's big enough to fit a rattan shoe cabinet, a little bench over here for when you're wearing your shoes, a couple of bikes. Now the first thing that I noticed upon coming in was actually the flooring. Now there's a whole backstory to this. You notice it's actually a blend of both Belgian Blue and Carrera and interestingly enough, it wasn't actually sourced from Belgium. This was found in Egypt. So the floor has kind of traveled quite a way to be here. Now that's not the only thing that's been sourced from overseas as you see through the house. Now over here on this end, you notice two different pictures. So right here, this is the older map of Holland and over here is the older map of China, essentially symbolizing the two owners who live here, a Chinese and of course a Dutch owner. All right so let's move further in. Now before we get deeper into the house, I just want to point out this little, not so little portrait out there. There's quite a bit of symbolism behind it but we'll speak about that in just a bit. Now you also notice that these stairs were left untouched since the house was bought just over a year ago. Now over here on this end, you notice it's a transitional area and you're already beginning to see some artifacts. This for example, this easel looking thing is actually a 13th century French chair. I know it doesn't look too comfortable but it just really adds to the historical value this house provides. Now come on in. All right so let's talk a little bit more about the living area. Now I really enjoy this space because it doesn't feel like it's too over the top. There aren't too many colors. It just seems like the textures and tones blend together very nicely. For example, if you look at this little armchair from Ant Tradition and if you notice the brown coffee tables right here, this is from 101 Copenhagen. Now one thing about this space and something you don't really get in many houses is this massive oversized sofa. Now in most houses, this would be way too big but over here, it just kind of grounds the space and it fits in just right. Now another thing about the sofa is it's relatively low rise, if you will, helping to accentuate again that ceiling height, adding to that spaciousness of the space. Now you also notice a very lovely painting behind here, adding more color, if you will, more vibrancy to this area. Now if you notice the ceiling, that's actually timber rafters which you get throughout most shop houses in Singapore. It's a nice shade of white although it wasn't always the case. You see before it used to be a much darker shade and although the owners, the current owners wanted a color somewhat akin to the flooring, the contractors were unable to do so. So in the end, opted for this lovely shade of white which I personally feel helps to brighten up the space. Now on the opposite end, you actually have a fireplace which again is something you don't see in most Singaporean houses. Together with that, you have this ornamental mirror piece and coincidentally both of them were actually from 18th century France. Now the owner opted for something that looked a little bit more simple, not too over the top, so again it blends in very well with the space. Now speaking of antiquities, going back through the centuries, you notice a couple more artifacts, if you will, over on this end. Now I'm not sure if you can see it but right here is the head of a horse and that actually depicts the old Han dynasty dating almost 2,000 years ago. Now that's not the only antique. Further back, you notice a continuation of the artifacts from the horse heads to the ports all dating back to the Han dynasty. Now my personal favorite is this little drinking vessel right here. I'm a little bit afraid to touch it because it's so old. It's actually all going back from the Yangshao era so this is even older than the Han dynasty. Imagine just drinking wine out of this little vessel right here. How cool is that? Anyways, let's now head into what many would consider a touch of paradise. Now stepping into this space, it immediately feels very tranquil as though I've stepped into an outdoor space indoor. Now this area also serves as a divider of sorts from the living area into the dining and subsequent deeper kitchen areas. Now to add on to that, you also get natural lighting coming in although there are glass panels on the top which help to shelter this area from the elements. Finally, this used to be an oriental piece once upon a time but the owners have since changed it into a slightly more mediterranean style as opposed to the previous contemporary style that we saw earlier on. Now while there were once cups and more of an oriental design, that has since changed and now you get in its place hand-painted tiles which have been specially flown from the US. They've also been distressed to add more character to them. Now speaking about the landscape in front of that, you notice the palm trees. Now while they look really beautiful in this area, they are not easy to maintain mainly because of the lack of airflow which is so common in most shop houses. That being said, if you notice the monstera behind me, that is growing abundantly and really adds a beautiful green to this space. Now on to the dining area. Stepping into the dining area, you notice a dining table that fits up to six. Now this chair right here has been with the owner for over a decade but yet you can barely see any sign of aging on it. Now bring your attention up here, this is actually pendant lighting from a French designer. Now cloth is something you rarely see on lighting so this is something I personally enjoy about the space. Over here on this end, this is a mid-century console table by Noden, a local Singapore furniture store. And if I can bring your attention to this vase right here, that's actually from Sicily and it was actually bought on the couple's honeymoon. A little bit of a memorial if you will, a remembrance of sorts. Now over here on this end, it looks rather inconspicuous but it is actually the owner's favourite place and we will tell you why in just a bit. Before that though, I'll share a little bit more about the details of the space. Notice this round stone table and banquet seating behind which is actually designed by the owner and custom-made by Second Charm. Now also notice the pendant, simple pendant lighting here, that's by DeVore Kitchen. Now the reason why this is the owner's favourite place is because she spends most of her time relaxing here, getting a view of that right there. And I'll just imagine having a cup of morning coffee, reading the news, it really is the perfect way to start your day. Alright so on to the kitchen right now. Now this kitchen is made in a modern farmhouse style and it was inspired by the couple's trip to a house in Italy. Now notice this island right here which serves not just as storage but also an area for appliances which we'll show you in just a bit. Similar to the entryway as well, you get limestone flooring here which was reclaimed and imported in just to fit this kitchen right here. Now one thing I like about this kitchen is how well they've concealed their appliances. So for example, on this end you have a concealed fridge right here and as we go deeper into the kitchen, you have a double dish drawer and again these both appliances are from Fisher and Paykel. On the opposite end you have this beautiful Bertazzoni range and surrounding that you have Kolkata marble done in a honed finish. Now the owner actually mentioned that she opted for honed over polished to reduce that reflective state. Now she did mention however that it does make it a little bit harder for maintainers. Alright so coming back this way, there's an outdoor area for washing and drying needs and I'll just pull you around this corner. There's a little bit more seating, some storage right here and a wine cellar. Alright so this is the only bath on this floor and behind this bundle right here lies this beautifully designed bath. Now notice the floor is of a clamshell design. Again you have vanity here coupled with a nice rattan mirror and over here on this end something familiar seen, pandan lighting again by DeVoe Kitchen. And over here in the shower area you have of course rain shower and uneven square tiles which helps to add more character to this space right here. Alright so we're about done with the first floor, now let's head up to the second floor to check out the rest of the house. Now just before we head on to the second floor and as promised earlier, we'll talk a little bit more about this painting right here. Now this was actually a wedding gift to the couple when they got married. Now it is said that the only other piece of this portrait exists somewhere in a museum in the Netherlands. That's it, let's head on up. Alright so this is more or less a family room where the family spends time conversing, watching Netflix and you can see that it's done in a mid-century modern style. You get a nice big TV console here, some open shelving, again very beautiful design. This is a sofa by Bo Concert and over here on this end, all the way from Africa, these are juju heads which I believe are made of goose feathers. Now let's head a little bit back into the rooms over there. Now the couple just had a baby girl so this former guest room has since been converted into a baby's room. Come on in. Now you notice the pastel colours, it's soft and notice that clothing rack right there. It's just a really sweet and beautiful room. Now also I just want to bring your attention to how low-lying this is. It's essentially a Montessori concept where you want your kid to be close to the ground sleeping or playing whichever. Now on the wall behind me as well, that looks like it's painted but it's actually stickers that have been stuck onto the wall. Now over here on this end to perhaps finish up this room, none of the furniture here are actually inbuilt and that is mainly to allow the room to grow with the child as she ages. Now this room is big enough to perhaps fit a queen-size bed, study table down the road but we'll let the parents decide on that one. On to the next bit. Alright so heading up this flight of stairs, we come to the second common bedroom which has since been converted into a guest room. So the owners haven't really done much with it apart from perhaps painting the walls, a couple of wallpapers and also adding in remote control blinds for the skylights to essentially back up the room. Now although not much has been done here, again it's been tastefully designed in keeping so far with the theme of the house. Now that being said, let's head on to the master bedroom. Alright so just before we head into the master bedroom, I just want to bring your attention to this little spiral staircase right here. Now unfortunately we're not able to access it because there's some maintenance going on but it essentially leads to the roof terrace where I believe a pool is currently being implemented. Alright so let's now head into the master bedroom. Now the first thing you notice upon coming in is this veneer and rattan wardrobe. As you come deeper into the bedroom, you also notice this king-size bed and in similar fashion, you also notice that backboard right there. Now this was designed by the owner and custom-made by Secondcharm. Bringing your attention to the back of the room, you notice the Louvre-style shutter windows. Now that adds a little bit of a colonial feeling to this place and that is essentially accentuated by this wallpaper right here full of palm trees adding a tropical feeling to the area. Now over on this end, you notice a console, again very tastefully done. Now you might be wondering what's behind this. Now this room used to be a whole lot bigger before this partition wall was added to create a sort of walk-in wardrobe which we'll now have a look at. Alright so coming in, you notice this walk-in wardrobe essentially serving as additional storage space for the homeowner as you can see from bags to shoes to clothing accessories. Now this entire area, this beautiful master bath was actually completely reconfigured from its original state. And here we have the wallpaper continuing into the master bath adding that tropical feeling. This time however, it is in colour so it adds a little more vibrancy to the area. Now you also get a half wall here with wooden panels, vanity countertop. You also get drawers finished in veneer and perhaps what I enjoy the most, you see the faucet, the shower set and the knobs right here are made by this company called RB Interiors and I really appreciate this kind of unpolished glass look. Now through this frameless glass door, you get the shower area right here and this master bath has been specially extended to also fit this sizeable bathtub right here. Now what I appreciate about this space is the amount of natural light you have coming in, not just from the louvre chateau windows but also from the skylight right here. So now that we're done with this entire shop house, let's head on down to wrap up this tour. Alright so now that we've seen all that this shop house has to offer, let me share a little bit more about my thoughts of this space. Now the first thing that I appreciate about this house is really the history and heritage from the entire shop house as a whole to all the little antiquities that we've seen throughout the tour. Now the design of the space is also really well thought out and it's spot on from Mediterranean to farmhouse to mid-century to even colonial. That's not something that's easy to achieve yet it's been done to a T in this beautiful home. Now let's not forget as well how massive this space is. The open layout from one end to the other allows you to see through the home and together with the tall ceilings helps to accentuate the volume of the space. And from an investment perspective, a shop house is almost always a safe bet owing to the fact that it is a finite number of shop houses in Singapore which will essentially ensure appreciation to the years. Now it's not all a bed of roses as the owners have shared with us some of the downsides of living in a shop house. Firstly, poor sound insulation resulting in traffic noise coming into the building. Secondly, a lack of facilities one of which is an absence of private parking. Now the final point would be the cost of maintenance owing to the age of this shop house. Now for those of you guys who are interested to find out more about this particular shop house, we'll leave a link to the owner's instagrams in the description box below. Finally, if you're interested in knowing more about shop houses or any other kind of properties, feel free to head on over to www.stackhomes.com slash editorial for more information. And lastly, we would like to also thank the owner for giving us the opportunity to tour their house and not forgetting you guys. Thank you so much for watching the video all the way to the end. Now if you enjoyed it, feel free to leave a like, comment, subscribe, turn on that notification bell as well and we will see you guys in the next one. Bye bye.