When decorating their new home, most homeowners would invariably want a complete change from where they've been living before. But when Cell Lim went to meet his interior designer Raymond Seow, it was to see how he could make his new home look exactly like his old one. The 38-year-old counsellor, who has been living in the same ground floor Tiong Bahru flat since he was born, wanted a nostalgic look for his new "weekend" home in Sin Ming. He even invited Mr Seow – of Free Space Intent – home so he could get some inspiration.

More used to sleek, contemporary styling, Mr Seow was apprehensive about recreating an old look, but getting a feel of the pre-war structure and the surrounding neighbourhood gave him a better understanding.

The first step was to give the Sin Ming apartment a retro feel with the use of colours and material. The kitchen and bathroom are done up in green tiles that look just like his client's Tiong Bahru flat, while he also replicated the flooring, using parquet throughout the home.

Mr Lim didn't leave everything to his designer, either. While strolling through his neighbourhood, he chanced upon six discarded louvred windows, which were part of the flats' original design. Obviously, a neighbouring flat owner was replacing them, but Mr Lim salvaged them instead. "I had no idea where to put them, but I knew I had to take them with me to Sin Ming." Four of them are nicely installed in the bedroom, where Mr Lim can look out into the dining area from his bed. The remaining two windows are in the second bedroom as decorative pieces.

His love for old things extends to his choice of Wong Kar Wai movie posters around the home, which he likes for the "colour and the mood." The posters actually came from vinyl records featuring the soundtracks of Wong's movies. "It's a shame to leave them in the vinyl sleeves, so I had them framed."

Wooden textures abound in the living area.

Some items from his Tiong Bahru home also came over, like a lampshade which Mr Lim thought was black, but after a good cleaning, revealed its true colour – a bright orange.

Not everything in the house is old. There are new window grilles, but with a retro design. The light switches are regular modern ones. "I didn't hunt for the old style ones, because these are safer to use," Mr Lim explains.

A kitchen island is his only concession to modernism, and only because he wanted extra counter space and storage.

Raymond introduced trademark green coffee shop tiles. “Trying to get the elements and essentials of his Tiong Bahru home replicated in his new place was one of the main challenges,” Raymond shares. Both of them sourced for new and old furniture and lighting, pulling the look together. 

To further enhance the nostalgic look, Mr Lim selected new pieces that look old, mainly from Retro Colony store, known for carrying vintage yet stylish furniture. His bed frame is from Born in Colour, which comes with built-in shelves, a style that was popular in the 1960s.

A creative way to conceal exposed wiring is to put it in metal piping and turn that into a design feature.

“What I loved most about working on the project was the opportunity to understand and study the old Tiong Bahru apartments. It helped me to understand and relearn the lifestyle, and the heritage of the materials and furniture used in that area during the ’80s and ’90s,” says Raymond.

As for Cell, it can be said that his new home is a space for making fresh memories while retaining a connection to his early life, both at the same time.

(Photos: Yen Meng Jiin)

Adapted from The Business Times. Written by Tay Suan Chiang.

Additional reporting and photos by Rossara Jamil and Vernon Wong respectively.