Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors
Created as a 'single monolithic concrete structure' that subtly unites the indoors and outdoors, this six-bedroom house in central Singapore features clever openings, designed to preserve the owners' privacy from the street
(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House is striking new family home on Singapore's Chiltern Drive that has been truly tailored to its owners' needs by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design.

Carved out of concrete and featuring the rough texture and imprints of its timber formwork, the house's textures were also chosen to act as a permanent reminder of its conception, process and creation. Created as a 'single monolithic concrete structure' that discretely unites indoors and outdoors, the six-bedroom house features clever openings, designed to preserve the owners' privacy from the street.

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Take an interactive tour of Chiltern house


Each space in this four-level house was designed according to its individual user's requirements to enable all family members to enjoy both common areas and their own privacy. 'The spaces […] were crafted like a garment, woven around the needs and desires of its inhabitants,' say the architects. At the same time, the clever internal design and views across different levels help the family members remain aware of each other's movements within the house.

Special attention was paid to the way all the areas communicate with nature and the building's surroundings; a lush garden that remains in view from different parts of the house, can be seen even from its deepest rooms. Continuing this theme, the open-plan living and dining areas are sandwiched by the garden on one side and a swimming pool on the other.

The nearby kitchen also features an elongated window towards the greenery and was designed to be flexible to different uses, accommodating small and larger groups of people with equal ease. A similar large horizontal opening is featured in the master bedroom, on the house's top floor, linking the indoors with the suburban cityscape beyond.

Contrasting the structure's raw concrete with its warm, modern interiors and a leafy garden and the pool's shimmering water element, Chiltern House tells the story of a design that was created to respond to its owners' needs, its tropical environment and suburban setting.

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

Carved out of concrete and featuring the rough texture and imprints of its timber formwork, these textures were chosen to act as a permanent reminder of the home's conception, process and creation

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

Special attention was paid to the way all the areas communicate with nature and the building's surroundings

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

Lush greenery can be seen from all parts of the house

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

The clever internal design allows the family to remain discretely aware of each other's movements within the house, while also offering them privacy when needed

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

Each space in this four-level house was designed according to its individual user's needs

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

The kitchen features an elongated window towards the greenery and was designed to be flexible to different uses, accommodating small and larger groups of people with equal ease

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

A similar large horizontal opening is featured in the master bedroom and study, on the house's top floor...

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

...linking the indoors with the suburban cityscape beyond

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

The structure's raw concrete carries through inside and is contrasted with warm, modern fittings

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

The architects' desire to connect the interiors with its green surrounds is bolstered by architectural details around the home, such as an elegant screen door that allows plenty of natural light to filter in while providing subtle views of the planting

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

The open-plan living and dining areas are sandwiched by the garden on one side and a swimming pool on the other

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Chiltern House by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design discretely unites indoors and outdoors

The master bedroom also enjoys views out onto a shimmering pond

(Image credit: Warner Wong)

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).