Maggie and Tony

‘I enjoy being in the garden and pottering, and over time our garden has grown and changed and it just keeps getting better’, Maggie adds. ‘It is still evolving and I love watching this process’.

Maggie and Tony look very at home as we arrive. Their afternoon plans for us include building a fire in the outdoor pit, followed by a guided tour of the tepee that has been set up in the garden. Even though it has been decorated with as much care and style as the rest of the home, Maggie is yet to convince Tony to sleep in there; ‘I’m pretty happy in the house’, he says, laughing.

Driving up the dirt road adjacent to the ocean might be a small part of what makes coming back to their holiday house so special. It’s a stark contrast to their city lives in bustling Singapore. ‘We just love everything about being here’, Maggie says. ‘Even though we are based in Singapore, it always feels like we have arrived home’.

The house has become a place for family gatherings and celebrations during holidays and weekends; doors open up in summer for access to the pool and the open fire provides warmth and cosiness during winter. ‘The space works really well and it allows us the option of being able to enjoy time together, and also do our own thing throughout the various areas of the house and garden’.

Reflecting the site’s undulating topography, the house is composed of a series of stepped pavilions. The living space, master bedroom, and guest bedroom sit under the main roof plane, while a separate pavilion linked by the deck incorporates two further bedrooms.

This division of space is what Tony loves most about the design. He tells us that the house feels intimate and comfortable when it is just the two of them, yet they are still able to easily accommodate family and friends at busier times.

You get the sense that each area of the house is well used; the fire pit occupies a space of the garden that would have previously been ignored, and Maggie tells us that cooking is a big part of their time down the coast, with them often taking it in turns. ‘It’s the boys’ turn to cook tonight’, she adds.

The garden is central to the house too. There is only greenery looking out from the kitchen and living space and, as you look back at the house from the garden, trees creep into each view, enveloping the house at every angle. It feels like a private retreat; the quintessential holiday house, and Tony mentions that the orientation of the home means that they never hear noise from neighbours. ‘I enjoy being in the garden and pottering, and over time our garden has grown and changed and it just keeps getting better’, Maggie adds. ‘It is still evolving and I love watching this process’.

What’s most noticeable during our visit is how genuinely happy they are at home. Despite having a camera pointed at them for hours, they’re relaxed and content. There is nonstop dialogue between Maggie and Tony about what they love about the house, and the little things they have observed and experienced in their two and a half years there. ‘My favourite thing about the building and landscape design is that we have created a place that we can enjoy as a couple and as a family’, Maggie says.