Home Tour: A tech professional and her cat’s 1-bedroom walk-up apartment in Tiong Bahru
By Shannon Osztonits -
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Inspired by 1980s Japanese tea house interiors, the Retrofuturism movement, and Pop Art, one feels instantly transported stepping inside Michelle’s decorative and playful abode. For all the creatives reading this: prepare to have your imaginations tickled.
A complete expression of the homeowner’s personal style (eclectic, emotive and colourful), together, homeowner Michelle and interior designer JJ from no-sense.studio honored the home’s retro charm for this project whilst creating a space to reflect the homeowner’s personality.
“I wanted my home to feel like me, layered with humour, art, colour, and memory,” relays homeowner Michelle.
However, the home reno was not just for our homeowner. Lest we forget about Michelle’s darling feline companion, Char Siew Mao.
“I live with my beloved cat, Char Siew Mao, who’s fluffy, opinionated, and very much the boss of the house,” Michelle recounts with a twinkle in her eye.
Throughout the home are subtle industrial-cool elements contrasted with pops of colour.
Tucked away beneath lush trees, the home’s peaceful, old-world charm and overall great vibes are what drew her to the property, along with its retro-style elements. Something a little different from your typical find, homeowner Michelle was very much open to preserving the original character of the space — a factor interior designer JJ appreciated.
With this task at hand, the skeleton works were kept as simple as possible, focusing on meeting the client’s design brief. Except for the kitchen and bathroom, the layout stuck closely to the original, with the spotlight on the creative design process of this home renovation.
“I could immediately imagine how the house’s bones could support a renovation that stayed true to its heritage but still reflected my personal style,” says homeowner Michelle.
Who Lives Here: A tech professional fur-mom and her beloved cat, Char Siew Mao
Home: A walk-up HDB in Tiong Bahru
Size: 947 sq ft
Interior Designer: JJ from no-sense.studio
The all-pink walk-in closet of this homeowner’s dreams.
Walk-In Wardrobe
Out of all the must-haves Michelle dreamt of when she and JJ created her design scope, a “substantial, pink walk-in wardrobe” was a non-negotiable.
Exuding a slight industrial feel, almost like the homes in Brooklyn, NYC-meets old-school Japanese minimalism (with its exposed walls and contrasting textures), interior designer JJ also added a slight mid-century modern touch in the furnishings.
“It’s a combination of mid-century, but not exactly a theme, more towards the furnishings we used…the choice of laminates and veneers that we paired along with a little bit of minimal industrial…a little bit of stainless steel…with the use of car park lightings and things like that…a very subtle touch of materials to complement little bits of corners rather than the whole entire space,” explains JJ from no-sense.studio.
The cut-out door leads straight into the Master Bedroom from the walk-in.
An open-concept walk-in closet with no doors (which had to be done in a shade of pink) was mandatory for this homeowner. Going behind the scenes, the bright pink walk-in closet is a huge highlight — Barbie closet enthusiast, perhaps?
When asked about her own style, Michelle said: “Some days I’m in head-to-toe black, and the next I’m all about bold pops of orange. I love mixing it up, from more androgynous vintage looks to something a little more feminine and form-fitting.”
Constructed and envisioned by the design team, between JJ and Michelle, the two finally settled on a more subtle, softer shade of pink for the closet over Michelle’s original hot pink idea. This was to blend with the stainless steel and wooden laminates. JJ was inspired by high-end fashion boutiques and the single use of colour. The terrazzo flooring contrasts against the all-around pink interiors, as well as the light wooden door frame with its hollow circular cut-outs.
“Like my outfits, my home was never meant to have just one aesthetic, and that’s exactly how I like it,” shares this homeowner.
The Master Bedroom.
Master Bedroom Design
Spending more time in the home’s other spaces, Michelle requested a simple bedroom setup with a low-to-the-ground queen bed and side tables. The cut-out door in the Master leads to her walk-in closet. The terrazzo flooring is carried throughout this room too, as well as industrial-esque features like steel electricals.
The Master Bathroom is playful yet serene with a separate shower and bath area.
A vanity basin and cabinet are conveniently placed in the master bedroom with a customised Japanese steel sink. Interior designer JJ suggested installing a medicine-type cabinet above the sink (with a built-in slide mirror) to store toothbrushes, etc., to elevate that industrial vibe. Nemo lighting was chosen for the master, an Italian brand. All these elements create a rather geometric feel.
The Master Bathroom is playful yet serene with a separate shower and bath area. Image by Marcus @marcus.ip.
Master Bathroom Design
The master bathroom reminds me of a scene from Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel. The entire shower part of the bathroom is a single tone. After deliberating between palettes, a gorgeous mustard-y yellow was chosen.
Part of the bathroom where the tub is placed used to be a section of the original kitchen, which interior designer JJ shifted. This was to accommodate homeowner Michelle’s request for a “mini resort-style bathtub corner.” A bright red wall lamp hangs over the tub, creating a serene ambiance.
Throughout the home are subtle industrial-cool elements contrasted with pops of colour.
“It’s now my weekly ritual to soak in my bathtub and enjoy my dramatic 1.8m Flos light that adds a spa-like glow,” Michelle adds.
The Living Room with its low-to-the-ground furniture and green street views.
Living Dining Room Design
With an affinity for Japan, Michelle requested a Kissaten-style (Japanese tea house-inspired) living and dining area. The TV stand with legs on the ground sits parallel to the window, with a comfortable Togo sofa opposite.
Behind this is her dining table, reinforcing Michelle’s idea of an open-space layout. She specifically requested no low-clearance furniture to avoid Char Siew Mao hiding under the sofa or other areas. Beneath the living room window is a solid cement screed “bench” — a great display area for her decorative collectibles. Overall, the aesthetic matches her love for Japanese kissaten cafés with a touch of industrial elements, for example, the exposed conduit wiring. The area has now become her favourite space in her apartment.
“This is where my cat and I spend most of our time. I love lounging on the Togo sofa, with the view of Tiong Bahru’s trees behind us. It’s the heart of the home,” says Michelle.
Pendant lighting inspired by Takashi Murakami’s cafe in Tokyo.
Lighting
Reminiscent of hard candy; dripping from the ceiling above the dining room table in varying ombre shades, the hanging circular pendant lights are a statement piece. It’s one of the very first things one notices as you enter the home.
Interior designer JJ suggested this to draw one’s focus, and it works! Especially inspired by Takashi Murakami’s cafe in Tokyo, Coffee Zingaro, if you’re familiar with it, you will pick up on the similarities between these pendant lights and Coffee Zingaro’s solid colourful hanging pendants.
The original terrazzo lighting was preserved and carries throughout the home.
Terrazzo Flooring
Part of the original house design, the terrazzo flooring was one of the reasons homeowner Michelle loved the place when house hunting, and she wanted to preserve the original terrazzo flooring throughout the apartment.
The original terrazzo lighting was preserved and carries throughout the home.
“We actually decided not to reconfigure a lot of the space, and the main reason was actually, there was a lot of character to the existing terrazzo flooring from the 70s or 80s, but yeah, that was the very, very original flooring,” details interior designer JJ.
The Master Bedroom vanity.
“Michelle was quite trusting and allowing me to free play on the space. Design process was actually roughly about one month in terms of, you know, churning out the visuals and things like that,” relays JJ.
The actual renovation process took four months. Michelle and Char Siew Mao moved into their home in September 2024.
“I didn’t follow a strict theme. I wanted the space to feel personal and expressive,” explains Michelle. “I was excited (and a little nervous) to finally build something of my own, but I’m glad I found an ID I vibe with and who gets me!”
It just goes to show that, sometimes, you don’t have to follow a particular theme or trend to create the home of your dreams. Staying true to who you are; a space where you’re excited to relax after a long day, a space to look around and feel like yourself is being echoed back at you, is really the most important part.