Han elaborated: “We love living in this quiet and intimate neighbourhood. The park is such a versatile place for us, where the kids can play in the mornings and afternoons, where we do picnics, and where we can have a glass of wine as an aperitivo before dinner.”
The Italian-inflected house was steered by their love for the country. “We do a three-week-long summer trip to Tuscany, and some shorter trips over the year to other parts of Italy,” said Lee. These are dreamy days, of Han in her element, wandering into markets to buy fresh produce to whip up Italian dishes as the children play in fields against ombre sunsets.
“I like to cook various cuisines – Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, Italian and more. However, if i were to choose one, it is Italian cooking that mesmerises me. I roll different shapes of pasta with different sauces based on what is available in the season. All the inspiration comes from the travels. Italian cooking looks simple but it can actually be very technical in order to do it correctly,” said Han.
Diego Molina and Maria Arango of ArMo Design Studio, formerly from ONG&ONG (the house’s architect of record), helped design their dream house. Matthew Shang Design Office (MSDO), known for creating narrative-led dining destinations like Revolver and Atlas Bar, designed the interiors. Shang had also designed the couple’s previous home as well as some TWP Singapore locations so this partnership was seamless.