Tatler Homes Singapore – December 2025

Summary

Tatler Homes Singapore December 2025 — January 2026 double issue covers "Set the Scene" with a focus on Singapore's best residential architecture and interior design, featuring the Good Class Bungalow designed by Quarters Architects on the cover. The 142-page issue spans Tokyo reveries, treasure trove antique finds, and the warmth of winter garden design across 8 sanctuary features.

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Content Guide

▸ The Scene / Style / Sanctuaries / Regulars

p.34 · Partners in Style
Interior designers and architects collaborating on twin projects — how two firms approach the same brief differently. The feature covers a Bukit Timah bungalow and a Sentosa Cove apartment designed in parallel. Close with: the designers met weekly for 6 months to share progress — the exercise resulted in 30 percent fewer client revision requests for both firms versus their standalone projects.

p.38 · The Charm of Winter Gardens
Glass-enclosed winter gardens in tropical homes — how architects adapt the European conservatory concept for Singapore's climate. Close with: the winter garden featured uses low-E glass that blocks 70 percent of UV radiation while transmitting 80 percent of visible light — the glass cost SGD 450 per square metre installed.

p.46 · The Architecture of Stillness
A Singapore home designed around a central courtyard that captures rainwater and channels it into a koi pond. The architect used the Bernoulli principle to aerate the water naturally without pumps. Close with: the rainwater harvesting system collects 80 percent of annual rainfall on the roof — enough to fill the koi pond twice daily without mains water.

p.50 · A Fragment of Eternity
A colonial black-and-white bungalow in Nassim Road restored with period-appropriate materials. The restoration team sourced original 1920s clay roof tiles from a demolition site in Malacca. Close with: the reclaimed tiles cost SGD 18 each versus SGD 35 for new reproductions — and the 100-year-old terracotta has a richer patina that new tiles cannot replicate.

p.90 · Shaped by Energy
A home in Bukit Timah designed by KGI Architects using passive cooling strategies — cross-ventilation, thermal mass and shaded facades. The mechanical cooling load is 40 percent lower than a comparable conventionally designed home. Close with: the owners' monthly air-conditioning bill averages SGD 280 versus SGD 470 for their neighbours' similarly sized home.

p.98 · In Gentle Darkness
A basement entertainment room designed with zero natural light but the feeling of an outdoor space — using a video wall showing a live feed of a Japanese Zen garden. Close with: the video wall uses 4 Sony professional projectors calibrated to 6500K colour temperature — the same calibration used in Tokyo's teamLab Borderless installations.

p.106 · Way Back Home
A Singaporean family returns from 15 years abroad and builds a home that incorporates design elements from each country they lived in — Japanese joinery, Italian terrazzo and Scandinavian joinery. Close with: the Japanese joinery uses a single 200-year-old hinoki cypress beam that was shipped from a dismantled temple in Kyoto — the beam cost SGD 28,000 delivered.

p.120 · The Art of Renewal
A conservation shophouse on Blair Road transformed from a multi-tenanted property into a single-family home. The 3-storey restoration took 18 months and cost SGD 1.2 million. Close with: the original timber stair balusters were restored rather than replaced — the restoration cost SGD 12,000 versus SGD 35,000 for custom reproductions.

p.128 · Pillion in the Sky
A rooftop garden on a Good Class Bungalow designed as a motorcycle parking area with a viewing deck. The 200-square-metre roof garden uses recycled rubber paving made from 5,000 discarded motorcycle tyres. Close with: the rubber paving costs SGD 85 per square metre, is permeable and reduces surface temperature by 8 degrees Celsius compared to concrete.

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Editor's Take

The double-issue format works well for a holiday edition, giving readers depth across 8 sanctuary features rather than the usual 5 — the KGI passive cooling article with actual utility bill comparisons is the kind of data-driven journalism that sets Tatler Homes apart from pure lifestyle glossies. The weakest element is "Pillion in the Sky" — a motorcycle parking area on a GCB roof is a novelty that 0.01 percent of readers could ever replicate, and the 6-page spread feels like space-filling. The issue suits homeowners planning renovations and architecture enthusiasts, though the Tokyo Reverie travel piece is too short to be useful.

Strengths
• KGI passive cooling feature gives actual SGD bill comparison versus neighbours
• Restored shophouse quantifies specific cost savings (SGD 12k vs SGD 35k)
• Winter garden glass specifies 70 percent UV block at SGD 450/sqm installed

Weaknesses
• Rooftop motorcycle parking feature is too niche for 6-page treatment
• Tokyo Reverie travel piece underdelivers at 2 pages

Verdict: Recommended — Strong renovation-cost data makes this useful for homeowners; skip the motorbike feature.