Belonging to couple Surojit and Jayne, this 1,600 sqf, three-bedroom condo has its interiors rendered in vintage Indian style to give the space a sense of comfort and childhood nostalgia to the expat owners. Confident and bearing a strong design direction, the couple was able to do up their apartment with the help of a contractor, Louis Lim of Homeland Design.
Their balcony, which is atypical in its large size, is sheltered and comes with a planter. Wanting to make use of its spaciousness, the couple moved their dining area here, where they and their friends can enjoy al fresco meals and the view of Mount Faber.
Jayne wanted wooden furniture with cane and wicker work for the living room, and being eco-conscious, had a lot of the furniture custom-made using recycled teak. The sofa with cane weaving is from Prakalayam Gallery, while the two Bengal librarian chairs were purchased online at The Calcutta Restoration Co.
The couple had the wall separating the living room and study area demolished, and installed folding doors in its place. The vintage rug, extendable bar and secretary desk, both made using Pakistani rosewood and feature brass inlay patterns, are from Brasswoods.
One of Jayne’s favourite furniture pieces is a vintage rosewood Rajabari chair. Inspired by the kings in India, it has three reclining positions, and is traditionally used for relaxing on the verandah.
The couple wanted an old Indian vintage style with colonial elements for the master bedroom. A 19th century antique colonial French cot bed made of Burmese teak, from Prakalayam Gallery, features prominently. The curtains and cushion covers for the bay window were made using Jayne’s grandmother’s old silk saris.
Mr Kasivishvanaath Visvanaath and his wife Veshali, who are part of the second-generation owners of Muthu’s Curry, decorated their three-story house in Bright Hill Crescent to remind their three children – Ayyadarshan, 14, Pujaa, 13, and Hrithhish, 10 – where their ancestors came from.To decorate it, they made numerous trips over a year to various parts of India to buy the antiques, spending about $300,000.
As a result, their house is dotted with over 50 antiques that reflect their Indian heritage as well as the Indo- Portuguese, Indo-Dutch, Anglo-Indian and British heritage of India. Their dining area on the second floor features an eight-seat rosewood dining table, which is typical of 18th-century English furniture.
Study desks for the three children date back to the early 18th century.
Mrs Visvanaath, 36, says the children are not worried about knocking over the antiques, but adds: “As the pieces can be more than 100 years old, they were initially worried about spirits. They’ve watched too many movies. Once they saw how nice the antiques looked in the home, they couldn’t wait to invite their friends over.”
Great finds include a whatnot – a series of open shelves meant to display ornamental items – from C. Lazarus & Co, a renowned cabinet-maker known for its furniture during the British rule.
The biggest challenge was fitting the large pieces in their home. For example, they had trouble moving in a 200kg uttaram. This is a 3m-long traditional Chettinad ceiling made of teak, which has colourful paintings of eight Ashta Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of beauty, wealth and fertility.