Open Courtyard House: Indoor-Outdoor Living Around a Pool and Garden
Open Courtyard House is a private residence in Singapore by Wallflower Architecture + Design, conceived as a luminous house organized around an internal courtyard, pool, and garden. Designed in 2024, the project draws daylight and air deep into the plan, reaching even a sunken basement garden. Travertine, teak, white marble, and walnut plywood keep the rooms calm and visually continuous.
About Open Courtyard House
Open Courtyard House is arranged around a pool and garden at its center, creating a bright, calm setting for daily life. The house is planned so that every level, including a sunken garden in the basement, receives natural light and steady ventilation.
The project begins with the idea of an internal courtyard. That move shapes the experience of the house, linking living and dining areas to the outdoors through the year and setting up a clear relationship between greenery, water, and the rooms around them. Cooking, working, relaxing, and entertaining all unfold within this open framework.
Natural light and airflow drive the plan. On the ground floor, an open layout allows sunlight and breezes to move easily through the house, while the courtyard helps bring cross ventilation and daylight into every room. The result is a home that feels consistently bright and connected across levels.
Upstairs, where the bedrooms are located, a screening strategy gives the facade a quieter role. It works as a light veil between public and private zones, softening exposure while maintaining the sense of openness established below.
A restrained material palette keeps the interior visually continuous. Travertine cladding and teakwood sunscreens and paneling bring texture and warmth, while a custom white dry kitchen acts as the social center of the house. White marble flooring adds to the luminous atmosphere.
Bespoke joinery introduces storage and order without interrupting that calm effect. Walnut plywood cabinetry and open bookshelves along the corridor provide practical use and a measured finish, reinforcing the house’s balance of function, light, and ease.
Photography courtesy of Wallflower Architecture + Design
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