Home Tour: Late 30s couple’s retro Mid Century 4-room HDB corner unit on Bedok Reservoir Road
“I love that we managed to feng shui our home, but no one would ever be able to tell.”
By Shannon Osztonits -
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Sometimes in life, things just don’t go according to plan. For these millennial homeowners, their initial mid-century modern dream warped more into an eclectic retro-esque one as time passed by, as this homeowner and cat mom, Samantha, began her fervent collection of art and decor from homegrown artists and creators.
It’s something the newbie “funemployed” content creator (@holoh.there) is really passionate about, especially promoting local female Singaporean artists!
“Mostly the things I collect are homegrown; some things have an oriental touch as they’re from Singapore,” says Samantha. “My husband studied music in the UK, and he loves colours too. He didn’t want any wabi-sabi. Because I am a designer, we worked on the primary and secondary colours we wanted for the house together.”
Who Lives Here: A husband and wife in their late-30s and their three cats, Bacon, Salad and Mayo
Home: 4-room HDB Resale Corner unit
Size: 1,087 sq ft
Interior designer: Space Atelier
The home features a funky, retro living room, a feng-shui-placed dining area, a special cat room, a WFH space interleading into the master bedroom, a kitchen, and two bathrooms.
Originally, the house comprised three bedrooms. One of the rooms was converted into a cat room. They also changed the room layout to an L-shaped master bedroom with a WFH section forming part of the L. The unobscured vistas are a huge bonus, thanks to the unit’s corner positioning.
“We love the unblocked view mostly because of the cats, so they stop being iPad/TV babies and enjoy nature’s TV instead!”
Modernising Feng Shui
Overflowing with illustrations, colourful ceramics, and other cutesy decor (which Sam’s Instagram page is loaded with), the next question was how to feng shui their home, according to their Feng Shui Master, but not make it feel bare or too traditional.
Stumbling upon @dearmodern’s account, it was Mr Cliff Tan who opened up her eyes to creating feng shui in a home in a more contemporary and accessible way.
“When Cliff Tan talks about feng shui, interestingly, it’s not too superstitious. It’s more along the lines of how do you create harmony in the house with item placement…What makes you feel good when you’re in the space?” Sam explains.
“It doesn’t have to be a certain way, or super Chinese, it can be about how you relate to it. It can still be your own. For example, my Feng Shui Master told me to get a picture of some fish. But it doesn’t have to be the typical red goldfish. Instead, I got this really cute illustrated artwork of Sardines off Shopee.”
There were, of course, some feng shui non-negotiables the couple stuck to: a heavy wood main door (for protection), and no red, green, black or white — Sam was initially heartset on a black front door. The dining room’s positioning in close proximity to the front door is also for feng shui reasons.
Wealth spots were added to the foundations, throwing in fake gold ingots and money beneath the concrete. A red niche shelf is the husband and wife’s benefactor corner, where they pay homage to the things and people they love.
Promoting homegrown female artists
Hailing from a graphic design/marketing/branding background, Sam’s adoration for illustrations is evident throughout the entire house. She has made a point of buying and showcasing local homegrown female artists’ work at home.
Starting to rediscover herself after working the grind for a non-stop 12 years, this homeowner soon realised she had a real passion for locality, whether it be in the form of home decor or meeting up with like-minded women for coffee and chats.
“I never had time for hobbies. For the first time, I am “funemployed” and I am realising I really enjoy creating content, writing and taking photos that accompany it,” tells Samantha. “I’ve got into a new swing of things where I enjoy meeting up with other local female creators. We speak, discuss our inspirations, and kind of understand the pivot that we have in our 30s.”
Mid-Century-esque Living Room
Hinting at modern Mid-Century modern vibes, the living room isn’t outright this theme. But there are elements of the style, carried through with colour palette choices (warm wood tones, darker neutrals, and some bold colours like reds and blues), as well as the furniture selection.
Covering a funky light green/grey checkered IKEA carpet is an L-shaped leather sofa from Castlery. Next to the couch is a chrome pendant light (from Taobao). More decorative Taobao purchases include a green-check vase, a silver steel abstract geometric-shaped coffee table, and the modern-vintage TV console.
They opted for a concrete-looking vinyl tile in the living room. The living room and dining area share an open concept setting.
Behind the TV in the corner is the benefactor’s shelf, lined with polaroids, a baby picture of Sam’s husband, and other trinkets like a little bowl from the Clay Festival in Singapore, an embroidery done by a local artist, and a plushy bouquet from when Sam intended to propose, but her husband beat her to it.
Feng Shui Placed Dining Area
“The reason why my dining table is so close to the living room is because our Feng Shui Master said from the main door, you are supposed to be able to have a very clear, straight path from the main door to the master bedroom,” explains Sam. “If my dining table had moved over a little more, it would have blocked that path.”
At first, the homeowner was against the idea, with a “ridiculous” amount of space left empty. But over time, it’s grown on her, and she feels like there is more air breathing through the home. The dining area now happens to be her favourite spot, and where she spends a lot of her day.
The round Castlery dining table is surrounded by three transparent and red chairs from IKEA. A silver chrome mushroom lamp from Shopee adds another cute touch.
In front of the dining table is a metal bookshelf, lined with books collected on her travels.
“My latest one is ‘Normal People.’”
Modular Dry Pantry
Homeowners with small kitchen space, but keen on the idea of a wet and dry pantry, take a note from Samantha and her husband: why not opt for a movable dry pantry unit, just like their 1.8-meter-high cupboard from Taobao?
“Our interior designer wanted to build one in, but I liked that it was modular,” the homeowner says. “We didn’t have to tear open an entire space. And it’s something we can replace in future if we want to.”
The wet half of the kitchen is parallel to the modular dry pantry. The kitchen floor shows off a herringbone-pattern ceramic tile. The common room where the bathroom is accessible via the kitchen.
“Friends say it feels like shophouses in Singapore,” Sam laughs, “where you have to go through the back to get to the toilet.”
Master Bedroom and Study Room
The master bedroom is attached to the WFH space, using an L-shape construction. A glass block wall feature was designed, with a plain glass panel above it. Next to this entrance wall is a custom-built door with a cat flap.
“I love our cat door that was specially customised (best brainchild of mine ever) for the cats to come in/out of our room without the typical off-the-rack cat doors,” the homeowner relays.
Although the initial design was for a home office area for Samantha, she much prefers her happy place at the dining table.
“This area was supposed to be my original work-from-home spot. Due to this kind of partition wall that we have here, the light can’t really shine through, and I don’t really get the natural light that I want. However, my husband does use it when he works late at night.”
Sentimental moments
Apart from all of the love shown for local artists and creators, there are plenty of sentimental corners in Samantha and her husband’s home. An illustrated family portrait on the wall…An ‘I love you, I love’ declaration created by her husband and framed next to the bedroom wall.
“There’s something special I want to mention. In our family, when a child gets married, we get an artwork of rice fields for abundance and harvesting life’s hard work,” smiles Samantha. “It’s so sentimental to me because it’s like a wedding present from my dad, who passed away earlier this year. He loved art and walked the streets in China to find the perfect frame.”
Would you love to learn more about the local artists showcased in Samantha and her hubby’s home? Dive straight into our Beyond the Tour to learn more, including social links!