Home Tour: Children’s wear brand Maison Q founders’ HDB Maisonette at Lengkong Tiga
The interior design of the couple’s home is a blend of Maison Q’s signature prints adapted for a more calming residential environment without compromising on visual interest.
By Lynn Tan -
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Who Lives Here: A couple in their early 40s and their three children
Home: A HDB Maisonette at Lengkong Tiga
Size: 1,450 sqft
Interior Designer: Bowerman Interior
Suhana Ab and Fadhil Abdat bought their first home when they were 25. As a young couple, they stuck to the basics and went with what they could afford on a very tight budget. Almost two decades on, the 44-year-old couple, who owns and manage kidswear company, Maison Q, have three children - a 12-year-old girl and two boys aged nine and five. With a large family and a live-in helper, space was in short supply and this prompted their decision to move to a larger home.
Having been living in the Eastern part of Singapore, they limited their search for a new home to Eunos and Kembangan and viewed a few units in these areas. This HDB Maisonette at Lengkong Tiga checked not one, not two, but almost every criteria that you can think of.
Fadhil fell in love with the excellent cross ventilation right from the moment he stepped into the unit. He also liked the quiet neighbourhood and the block’s easy access to the car park. The fact that his parents live a stone’s throw away is a bonus. He got chatting with the elderly couple who owned the unit and connected like old friends.
For Suhana, the layout of the unit was identical to her childhood home in Simei, so it aroused sentimental emotions in her. The old and dilapidated condition of the unit suited them just fine. “I knew from the very beginning that I would completely overhaul the home that we buy according to our own specifications and needs, and design it in our style,” she says.
Artistic influences a bridge between home and work
While the Maison Q brand is synonymous with fun, whimsical and colourful prints, for their home, the couple wanted to create a calmer living environment, one that is still full of character and not boring, but not as visually stimulating as their apparels. The wallpapers around the home and the checkered floors in the dining room showcase Suhana’s love for prints, but in a more “grown up” fashion more suited for the home.
“I incorporate hints of Maison Q via our fabric ‘fruits’ place in a bowl that sits on my shelf and also our drink coasters and placemats. I also have cushion covers made from our Maison Q prints. These details remind me of the world that I have built through the brand, but in a softer, more personal way,” Suhana shares.
Armed with an eight-page brief, the couple met with six interior designers, all of whom fell short, except for Bowerman Interior. “Bowerman were the only ones who presented some ideas to me at the first meeting. They were good ideas and I have never seen them implemented in a maisonette before. I was impressed with their work attitude and at that point, they had not even secured us as a client and yet, they pitched those ideas,” Suhana points out.
Bowerman Interior space planners Jason Q and Chris Huang drew inspiration from Suhana’s love for marble and bright colours, balancing them with warm wood parquet flooring and wallpaper. “We also incorporated playful elements such as colours and patterns, taking reference from Maison Q,” says interior designer Jason. “Our goal is to create a house that evolves with the owner’s personality and shared experiences,” he adds.
Living room
The living room is the first space right by the main entrance and this is where the family watches movies together on their King Living modular sofa, or where the kids play games. The idea of having bookshelves integrated into the television console appealed to the family of book lovers.
Having the back of the built-in carpentry abut the side of the staircase balustrade is an efficient use of space. Visually, the white laminates with gold hardware of the television console and shelves blend in with the adjacent door to the helper’s room and cabinets that have been built under the staircase. This fully utilises the triangulated space for shoes and storage.
Kitchen
In her brief to Jason, Suhana requested for an open concept kitchen with an island that can accommodate three stools, one for each of her children. “I imagine standing across from the kids while we have a quick breakfast before school,” she says.
She got her wish and despite its compact footprint, the kitchen is extremely functional. It comprises two separate zones- one where the island is, and the other where the actual cooking takes place.
“In my old house, my helper and I used to bump into each other when we were cooking. While we still share the space, there is less bumping into each other,” she points out.
Dining room
The couple frequently host gatherings of up to ten guests at home, so one of the space planning strategies was to turn the existing balcony area into the new dining room. It now feels like an integral part of the open concept kitchen and living area and can comfortably accommodate a ten-seater dining set.
The built-in cabinetry continues from the kitchen into the dining area where they house the washer and dryer, an additional sink and some open display shelves. This not only gets the maximum mileage out of the space, but the arched shelves and the checkered floor also create a cosy, country home vibe.
Master bedroom and master bathroom
The master bedroom is a calming space for the couple after a busy day at work and with the kids. The light and neutral colour palette and the light-filled space instantly relaxes the mind.
The wall adjacent to the stairwell has been replaced by a glass wall that opens up both these spaces and allows the light from the bedroom window into the stairwell. Built into the carpentry is a retractable work desk that offers the couple the flexibility of working from within the bedroom when necessary.
By strategically relocating the original door to the master bathroom, the designers managed to introduce a long vanity counter into the existing footprint. “We specifically sourced for curved marble Kit Kat wall tiles and marble mosaic flooring for this bathroom. We also incorporated a soft cove light to enhance the overall ambience,” says interior designer Chris.
Daughter’s bedroom
The couple’s 12-year-old daughter gets her own bedroom. The rattan headboard and straw rug with nature-inspired motifs add a feminine touch without being overly girly, perfect for a pre-teen.
Similar to the master bedroom, the wall adjacent to the staircase has been replaced with a full-height fixed glass wall that allows borrowed light from the bedroom window to illuminate the originally dark stairwell.
Boys’ bedroom
The two boys share a bigger bedroom and the house bed is a firm favourite that injects an element of fun and visual interest. Various shelves around the room keep the books and toys organised.
Bathrooms
Besides the master bathroom, the other two bathrooms in the home also deserve mention. Both are decked out in statement wallpaper with equally interesting floor tiles to match, giving each bathroom its own unique identity.
18-month renovation
The renovation took 18 months, much longer that anticipated due to various reasons. One was because the couple chose to manage the project themselves despite juggling full time work and family commitments. As they had no prior experience in project management, they erred on the side of caution and scheduled the works one after another rather than have them proceed concurrently.
There were some delays in obtaining approval for the floor-to-ceiling windows and due to contractor worker allocations. At the tail end of the renovation, the balustrades delivery and installation got held back. Even though the rest of the home was pretty much in move-in condition, they held off moving in as it was not safe for the children to go up and down the stairs without the balustrades in place.
“The delays were really frustrating. We were fortunate that my parents-in-law have a property where we could stay while waiting for our home to be ready. We were supposed to stay there for just three months but we ended up staying for 18 months,” she recalls.
The family finally moved into their new home in April 2024, in the middle of Ramadan. What with the moving, unpacking and getting the house in order before the Hari Raya celebrations, it was a stressful period, but it was all worth it. “We are very happy with the space and the location and we are likely to live in this home for many years to come,” says Suhana.
Can’t get enough of this home? We spoke with the homeowner to understand more about their design thinking and favourite home pieces here: