Her interior designer disappeared, and this Taobao Queen took over
When her renovation descended into chaos, Najiha took control herself, sourcing nearly 80% of her family’s home from Taobao and proving that determination can be just as important as good design.
By Gwyneth Goh -
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Looking around Najiha and Iqbal’s warm, character-filled Bishan flat today, it’s impossible to guess how close it came to becoming a renovation nightmare.
The vintage-inspired shelving lined with treasured keepsakes, the cosy olive-green sofa where the family now gathers every evening, and the clever details tucked throughout the home all suggest a renovation that unfolded exactly as planned. It didn’t.
Halfway through the project, their interior designer disappeared.
Determined not to give up on the home they had waited years for, Najiha took the reins. One decision, one Taobao order and one problem at a time, she steered the renovation back on course, with Iqbal by her side, until she became what friends now jokingly call the “Taobao Queen.”
Who Lives Here: Najiha, 38, a studio manager and producer, her husband Iqbal, who works in the broadcast industry, their two children, aged 10 and 3, and their helper.
Home: 4-room BTO flat in Bishan
Size: Approximately 1,033 sq ft
Interior Designer: Originally conceived with an interior designer but completed by homeowner Najiha after taking over the project herself.
Warm, welcoming and layered with personality, the living room reflects Najiha and Iqbal’s shared love of vintage design, music and film.
ACT I: The Dream
For Najiha and Iqbal, home has always been more than just a place to come back to. Both work in the television industry, and between a shared love of films, music and good food, they’ve built a life around stories—whether watching them, creating them or collecting little pieces of them along the way.
Vintage cameras, vinyl records and treasured keepsakes now fill the shelves of their Bishan home, quietly reflecting the passions they’ve shared throughout the years.
More than a TV feature wall, the display shelf showcases vintage cameras, vinyl records, books and treasured keepsakes collected together.
After spending years trying their luck with Sale of Balance Flats and resale homes, the couple finally secured a 4-room BTO flat in Bishan during the pandemic. It wasn’t a neighbourhood they had originally set their hearts on, but its central location and excellent transport links quickly won them over.
“It didn’t cross our mind that we wanted to live in Bishan,” recalls Najiha. “My husband said, ‘Let’s just try.’ We were very happy that we got it.”
Collected curios, analogue photography gear and personal memorabilia offer a glimpse into the stories that shaped this creative couple’s lives.
As first-time homeowners, they wanted to get things right. They engaged an interior designer whose portfolio resonated with Najiha’s love of vintage, mid-century and eclectic interiors. Better still, he seemed to understand exactly what she had in mind.
“He said he also had the same style, so that made me feel like maybe he could understand it,” she says.
Everything finally seemed to be falling into place.
Cheerful butter-yellow cabinetry, handcrafted-look tiles and warm timber create the welcoming kitchen Najiha and Iqbal had imagined from the start.
ACT II: The Unravelling
With the design direction settled, Najiha and Iqbal looked forward to moving into the home they had spent years waiting for. Unfortunately, as the renovation progressed, confidence slowly gave way to concern.
Replies from their ID became less frequent. Renovation timelines slipped. One flimsy excuse followed another.
A built-in cabinet transforms the service yard into a functional extension of the kitchen, housing laundry appliances, pantry staples and the fridge.
“I didn’t rush him because I had six months,” Najiha says. “I got the keys in July and thought by December everything would be ready.”
Then came the moment that confirmed her fears. “I saw on Google all the bad reviews started to come—only in October or November,” she recalls. “In the end, he just disappeared.”
The consequences became painfully clear when moving day arrived.
Open shelving keeps everyday essentials within easy reach, making the kitchen feel warm, welcoming, and practical.
Instead of unpacking into a completed home, the family moved into a renovation site. There were no bathroom or bedroom doors, forcing them to hang curtains for privacy. The pantry was unfinished, the common bathroom had no shower screen, and the planned glass-block partition in the master bathroom never materialised.
The biggest setback, however, was the kitchen. With the sintered stone countertop still nowhere to be seen, the space couldn’t be used at all. The family spent their first weeks in the flat ordering in every meal and washing dishes in the common bathroom while waiting for the countertop to finally arrive in mid-January.
The common bathroom was one of several spaces left incomplete when the family moved in, requiring last-minute fixes after handover.
As they juggled unpacking, settling into a new neighbourhood and helping their children adjust to a new school, the reality of their situation finally hit. “So it wasn’t just the new house but having to deal with our kids, having to make new friends, no bathroom and bedroom doors,” Najiha shares. “It was chaotic.”
Plans for a striking glass-block partition never materialised, forcing the couple to rethink the space as their renovation unravelled.
“I really can’t believe I went through that,” Najiha shakes her head. “When you hear about these things happening to other people, you think, ‘That’s horrible.’ I can’t believe I actually had to live through it.”
A long corridor connects the bedrooms to bright communal spaces that keep the family naturally connected every day.
ACT III: Making Do
Moving into a half-finished home wasn’t how Najiha had imagined starting the new year. But with two young children to settle, waiting for everything to be perfect simply wasn’t an option.
Instead, she learnt to adapt.
Positioned beside the dining table, a cosy bench encourages lingering over meals while adding flexible seating for everyday family life.
“Sometimes things don’t go your way and you just have to make do,” she says. “It’s always in progress.”
That philosophy slowly changed the way she looked at the renovation. Rather than dwelling on what was missing, she began focusing on what she could improve herself.
Thoughtfully open spaces allow the family to move effortlessly between cooking, dining and relaxing while remaining visually connected throughout.
One of the biggest turning points came in the pantry. The original design called for fluted glass doors, but they were never installed. Rather than chase another contractor to finish the job, Najiha decided to try something different.
“I have to thank Taobao,” she laughs. “I used Taobao curtains over my pantry cabinet and found out I didn’t need a door.”
Originally intended for fluted glass doors, the pantry now hides behind embroidered café curtains—a simple solution Najiha wouldn’t change now.
What started as a temporary fix became one of her favourite features in the home. The embroidered café curtains softened the space, concealed everyday clutter and made the pantry feel more relaxed than the original design had intended.
It was a small victory, but an important one. For the first time since the renovation began to unravel, Najiha realised that some of the solutions she was coming up with were in fact better than the ones she’d originally planned.
Floating shelves and clean-lined panelling transform an ordinary wall into a striking feature that quietly conceals a door.
ACT IV: The Taobao Queen
Before the renovation was over, Najiha had discovered something about herself. “As a studio manager, I tend to manage,” she says. “If there are issues, I like to resolve. Basically, I’m not afraid of challenges. It is stressful, but I’m used to that kind of time urgency problems. I guess it’s part of my habit to be able to handle this.”
Being resourceful also led Najiha to discover something else. “People always said, ‘Try Taobao,’ but I didn’t know they had cute things, like mid-century things,” she says.
The home office reflects Najiha’s knack for finding stylish pieces that look far more expensive than they really are.
The turning point came while searching for her modular TV console. “The first thing I got was furniture from Lofthome. They sell a lot of things that are featured on Taobao. So when I looked at Taobao, I thought, ‘Oh, it’s actually the same thing.’ Then I realised it’s actually from China and I can get it at a cheaper price.”
Playful displays, colourful accents and practical furniture ensure the room can easily adapt as the family’s needs continue evolving.
From there, the shopping snowballed. “After that I just bought everything else from Taobao—fans, lights, faucets, showerheads. They’re quite solid. People have commented that they’re quite solid.”
Every spare moment became an opportunity to compare products, read reviews and plan her next buy. “Any pocket of time I had, I looked. I guess it took me months to finalise.”
Soft pink tones, cheerful hues and fun details create a bedroom designed to grow alongside its young occupants.
Najiha estimates that around 80 per cent of the home came from Taobao. “Even the frames. The wardrobes in the workroom are from Taobao, the working desk is from Taobao... about 80%. What didn’t I buy from Taobao? The dining table, sofa, the master bed, my kids’ bed, maybe one lounge chair.”
A cute study corner balances personality with practicality.
Shopping there, however, came with its own learning curve. “I did have to shop in the Chinese interface. I asked one of the sellers how come when I changed to the English interface, some of the things were more expensive and not even there. She said, ‘You just have to change to the Chinese interface.’”
Rather than give up, Najiha found a workaround. “I had to use Google or ChatGPT to translate and make sure the items were correct, and I had to translate our chats.”
Whimsical fruit-shaped handles add a joyful touch.
Far from putting her off, the experience gave her more confidence. “To me it’s okay, quite manageable, and their service is quite good. If some items are broken, they’ll immediately refund. That’s why I wasn’t worried about getting from them again because it’s easy to get a response.”
Family photographs and thoughtful personal touches transform a simple corner into a quiet celebration of everyday life.
ACT V: Home
Visitors are often surprised to learn that much of the home was sourced by Najiha herself. The TV console, lights, faucets, wardrobes and countless finishing touches all began as late-night Taobao discoveries before finding their way into the family’s Bishan flat.
The experience has even changed how she thinks about future renovations. “Yes,” she says when asked if she’d rather source and style her own home than leave everything to an interior designer. “I like being in control. I like the process. I like choosing and finding things. I like shopping.”
After months of uncertainty, the master bedroom finally became the restful sanctuary Najiha and Iqbal had imagined from the very beginning.
Today, friends regularly message asking where she found a particular light fitting, storage cabinet or piece of furniture. Her TikTok videos documenting the home have attracted thousands of fellow homeowners, many looking for reassurance that beautiful interiors don’t always require an unlimited budget.
“I wanted to show people that you could get cute things at an affordable price,” she says. “Quality matters to me too.”
Balancing generous storage with a warm, cocooning palette, their bedroom makes a fitting finale for a home built through patience, perseverance and vision.
She estimates that sourcing the home herself saved close to over $5,000 to $8,000. “On Taobao I think I spent about $3,000. Everything was $3,000 and it would’ve cost $10,000.”
Looking around the home now, it’s hard to imagine it began with so much uncertainty. Every carefully chosen piece, every colourful corner and every thoughtful detail tell the story of a homeowner who refused to compromise on the home she had imagined from the beginning.
“Basically, I feel Taobao has made it possible to follow my vision.”