A Surprising Material Makes This Singapore Apartment Feel Like a Park

When it comes to building materials, the humble brick has a lot going for it. It’s fireproof, low-maintenance, and durable in hot, humid conditions. When used thoughtfully as a finish, exposed brick can also create beautiful and cozy homes—like this apartment in Singapore.

One of the homeowners used to work in finance before he retired, and he now enjoys spending his time cooking and taking culinary classes. His partner studied at the National University of Singapore and is now a teacher. The latter approached one of his former classmates, Lim Shing Hui of L Architects, to renovate the apartment, as he appreciated Lim’s creative use of natural materials in their unembellished states.

"In our projects, we deliberately work with humble, everyday materials," says Lim. "Through precise detailing and considered composition, we aim to elevate the ordinary, revealing the beauty within the seemingly mundane."

Lim’s former classmate had become an amateur horticulturalist during the pandemic, and the compartmentalized layout of the existing apartment did not allow him to fully appreciate them. "He wanted to wake up with a view of plants," muses Lim—so she started drawing up plans for a home that feels like a park.