Doing it her way: Mom of 3’s first expensive home renovation ($70,000) for her colourful HDB n Toa Payoh
“This island is the identity of the house. The moment people step into the house, they are drawn here. I host a lot of parties, and it’s always around the island. Every night I will do homework with the kids and eat here. I do my work here, and I close a lot of business at the island–it’s my lucky space.”
By Shannon Osztonits -
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Ever wondered what the home of a bubbly, extroverted Libra (who also happens to be a mom of three young kiddos who live at home with her) looks like?
Among the zodiac, this star sign is renowned for romanticising life and appreciating anything aesthetically pleasing. With cutesy anime-like bow hanging pendant lights, terrazzo materials, dusty pink walls, and a paddle-pop colour palette, this colourful home is a total expression of homeowner Andrea Lim’s cheerful and positive personality!
Initially, the homeowner was keen on an all-vintage theme, but was afraid that over time, the heavier style would wear off on her. That being said, she still loves her vintage collectables, like her set of the Seven Dwarfs on display, which she has had since childhood.
In the end, she opted to go with a pastel colour palette after searching TikTok and Instagram posts on interior design.
“I wanted something more vibrant that can suit my personality. I loved all the vibrant houses I saw online,” says Andrea.
She loves playing the piano, singing songs, travelling and hanging out with friends.
Who Lives Here: A 41-year-old Singaporean financial consultant and her three children
Home: HDB 3-room in Toa Payoh
Size: 700 sq ft
Interior designer: Kasey and Gene from Reborn Interior
Reborn Interior Design
A bonus is that homeowner Andrea’s parents live in the same block, although this wasn’t the reason she ended up buying this unit. It happened by chance. Although her kids go to school in Bedok and Tampines, she decided that staying closer to her parents was more important than a school commute.
The property comprises three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a separate toilet. For this complete makeover (where Andrea also redid and replaced all of the existing flooring, windows, and doors), Kasey and Gene from Reborn Interior were the two interior designers that Andrea worked with.
In typical Libra fashion, Andrea consulted at least eight interior designers.
“It was only Kasey and Gene who were supportive of my idea. They didn’t say it was too bright, like some of the other designers said.”
The homeowner was hesitant if the colours would mix well in the house, but her interior designers took the time to really find the right combinations, all three slowly delving into the colour combos together.
Whilst some homeowners have a particular room they want to focus on, for Andrea, it was more of a statement piece, which has now become centre stage: the terrazzo and pink island!
The centre stage dining island
Picture relaxing with your girlfriends, drinking a cup of tea or sharing a glass of wine around this super sweet corner? Who needs a cute cafe when you have a dining island like this?
Constructed with a pink and terrazzo laminate (which Andrea ended up sourcing and importing from Korea, albeit it delayed the home renovation process by two–worth it–weeks), the dining island features a sintered stone countertop, which extends across the kitchen counters, too.
To match its enchanting disposition, the homeowner opted for plush pastel high stools (two pink and one in blue). Above the island hang two bow pendant lights (from Taobao), which Andrea simply fell in love with because of how adorable they are. One is transparent, the other is opaque. The countertop lights up underneath for an ambient touch.
“I spend a lot of time here eating and enjoying time with my friends, so I installed a corner fan, too.”
Pastel Kitchen
The special dining nook’s counter extends into the kitchen, separating the living room, and an explosion of pastel goodness greets you all around. The primary colour palette of the kitchen is sunshine yellow, turquoise blue and variations of soft pinks.
Matching this pastel wonderland are themed appliances, like a Hello Kitty rice cooker, a pastel pink Smeg knife set, and a layered hamburger set that opens up as plates for the kids’ snack time.
“I am very drawn to cutesy stuff, as long as it’s cute and functional, I will spend money,” tells this Libra.
Bottom cabinets are pastel pink, and the top ones are turquoise and yellow. The backsplash is a light mint green, and the kitchen walls are a dusty baby pink. Cabinetry extends all the way down to the end wall of the room.
Opposite the island-side cabinetry is another matching cabinet set, where the sink, dishwasher and stove sit. Andrea didn’t feel the need to have an oven, as it wouldn’t be utilised.
“If I want an oven, I will buy a tabletop oven down the line.”
A Fun Living Room
Entering this cheerful abode, the living room is the first space that you walk into via a pastel purple door. A set of Peranakan tiles outlines the home’s entrance, in a way, acting as a “mini foyer.” The living room walls are a light pink.
“I saw online that people do their foyer tiles in another colour,” she explains. “I wanted something vibrant as you enter, so I asked Kasey what she thought of doing my foyer with Peranakan tiles, so we chose these tiles.”
Right in front of the door hangs a star-shaped ceiling light, which creates a sparkly star shadow when turned on.
“I thought it was very romantic.”
A stepped sky blue cupboard-cum-shoe storage set sits flush against the window in this area. Reborn Interior custom-built the TV console, using this matching sky blue shade for the console as well as the side display cabinets. The TV sits on a 3D curved baby pink wall, and a yellow wavy print decorates the edge for some funky design. This is lit up by an LED strip for extra dimension.
“This was designed by Kasey. She gave me some ideas. Since I like colour, she said why don’t we design the TV area with some colours. The whole TV unit area was Kasey’s idea,” tells the homeowner.
Andrea chose a leather Hermes orange sofa, and her beloved piano is placed next to this, which was a non-negotiable for the singing enthusiast.
“I especially told Kasey I wanted a piano and needed space for one,” says the mom of three. “That’s why there isn’t a dining room table. I have a piano instead.”
A Soft Master Bedroom Design
“I told Kasey that I didn’t want my bedroom to follow too much of the same theme as the rest of the house. I wanted more of a hotel feel as I love staying in hotels with my kids,” explains Andrea. “But in the end, I still couldn’t help but go with one pink wall.”
A pink queen-size storage bed has an in-built headboard with little diamantes in it. The mattress is from Four Stars Mattress. Sleep is very important to this homeowner, so she had no problem splurging more on a quality mattress.
Next to the bed is a custom-designed vanity area which lights up, with flip-up, convertible storage drawers containing all of her makeup and beauty products, with a shelf next to this to display her perfumes. The vanity’s countertop is a very light pink colour, and the structure boasts a soft limewash laminate finish.
The bedroom cupboards behind this are also custom-built with this same limewash laminate look.
The design process was quite fast, taking one month total. The construction work took two months.
As the unit was an older HDB, there were some unexpected learning curves along the way that Andrea thought useful to share.
“We realised after hacking the walls that there was a gas pipe in the living kitchen area, so we needed to cover this up. Then, another wall we had to plaster before we could paint over it,” recalls the homeowner. “There are some unforeseen things that you need to have some sort of extra budget for.”
The mother of three also built a lot of storage space as the apartment did not have a storeroom.
“But it was a good thing for me not to have a storeroom, as it means I will keep fewer things and clutter in the house. I try to minimise buying things that don’t fit into the house or the home’s theme.”
That’s one smart way to look at things; a testament to Andrea’s always positive outlook on life!
Lastly, she advises: “Enjoy the journey and do what you like. I didn’t compromise; for example, I changed all the windows. If I didn’t do this, I would feel like I would regret it at a later stage. I feel like if you want something, just go for it! Spoken like a true Libra. #noregrets