Life.Culture.Discovery.

Colonial Singapore art deco house’s less-is-more design allows its beauty to shine through

Charlie Cameron, founder of Lottie Lifestyle, and family moved into their 6,700 sq ft black-and-white in Ridley Park, Singapore from a smaller flat in Hong Kong

Artwork fills the white walls of the four-bedroom rental, with furniture relatively minimal. ‘There’s something to be said for less is more,’ says Cameron

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Charlie Cameron took a bare-bones approach when it came to decorating her family’s 6,700 sq ft black-and-white rental home in Singapore. Photo: Charlie Cameron

Published: 9:30am, 25 Aug 2021

The Singapore black-and-white is among the most culturally distinct examples of colonial architecture in Asia.

A hybrid of Malay and Indian influences developed early last century when British culture sought a home for itself in the tropics, they once accommodated magnates, magistrates and mandarins. Perhaps an occupying Japanese army, too.

So almost five years ago, when Australian Charlie Cameron, her British husband and their two children moved into their four-bedroom, four-bathroom rental in the exclusive enclave of Ridley Park – after an arduous bidding process involving the Singapore Land Authority to secure the lease – respecting the home’s rich heritage was paramount.

While most of the bungalows in the area were built in the 1920s, this one dates from 1935, and its art deco design reflects its age: the roof is flat rather than pitched; and the doorways are square, not rounded. But the high ceilings and generous proportions of the rooms still lend an openness and airiness that only tropical homes from this era can.

“If you’re going to live in a black-and-white, you have to do it properly,” says Cameron. “You don’t take on this beautiful home and not do it right.”

With heritage laws prohibiting changes to the exterior of the two-storey, 6,700 sq ft (622 square metre) house, Cameron focused on the interior, bringing furniture from their previous house in Singapore and their considerably smaller flat in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, where they lived for four years before moving to the Lion City.