Home Tour: $850,000 Renovation for a 30s lawyer couple’s semi-detached house

When lawyers Wilbur Lim and Hazell Ng purchased this semi-detached home, their priority was to reconstruct a bigger swimming pool for their two young daughters aged seven and five. As the property was in very good condition and the family wanted to move into their new home within a specific timeframe, they decided to retain the existing structure and renovate instead of demolishing and rebuilding the house. 

The couple, who are in their 30s, decided to work with Lemonfridge Studio based on a friend’s referral and the positive reviews that they read online. “We already knew what we wanted, so we shared our ideas with the interior designers along with inspiration photos and 3D renderings which were generated by a previous designer that we engaged,” says Wilbur.

This turned out to be the right decision as the team not only contributed their professional views in terms of both the micro and macro aspects of the renovation, but also provided the couple with a lot of help throughout the entire process. 

Who: A couple and their two young daughters
Home: A semi-detached home

Hotel-Inspired Interior Design

Wilbur and Hazell wanted a style that exudes luxury and elegance coupled with neutral and creamy tones that will achieve a classic and timeless look. “We took inspiration from various hotels that we have visited in different countries, such as The Peninsula in Shanghai and Tokyo, and boutique hotels like Hotel Sacher, Salzburg and The Hotel Maria, Helsinki,” shares Hazell. As fans of Space Molly and Royal Molly, which is part of the Mega collection alongside Labubu, they also wanted sufficient display shelves for their prized collection. 

The homeowners adopted a very hands-on approach for the interior design and renovation and were very involved with the selection of materials and fittings. Marble was something that they were extremely particular about and they went to the extent of personally viewing and selecting the marble slabs for every part of the house.

“We chose a huge slab of the Calacatta Viola Italian marble and engaged a third party to fabricate a dining table from it. The dining table, including its legs and base, was carved from the same slab. It is extremely heavy and required about eight workers to lift,” Wilbur points out.  

Modern French Interior Design

A display niche with a French arc and mirrored backdrop beside the dining table reflects the modern French style of the home interior. The pantry area incorporates concealed storage behind walls with French mouldings. The French theme is also evident in the living room with Venus white marble complemented by mouldings, cornices, black fluted panels and gold trims. 

Master Bedroom Design

The master bedroom is a cosy and inviting space designed for rest and relaxation with finishes and soft furnishings- including a headboard from Bode, in a neutral colour palette. A settee has been integrated with the bay window, along with built-in shelving at one end for displaying the couple’s books and collectibles.

The centrepiece of the room is a freestanding divider. The side facing the bed houses a television set, while the other side showcases a Hermes scarf from the homeowners’ extensive collection of scarves. In one corner of the room, a faux fireplace provides another opportunity for the couple to display their vast collection. 

Walk-In Wardrobe

Access to the walk-in wardrobe is through a pair of arched French doors on one side of the master bedroom. The walls are lined with wardrobes, drawers and shelves that provide ample room for the couple’s clothes, handbags and accessories. 

Another set of French doors leads to the attached master bathroom through an arched portal that offers a clue to the importance that the couple places upon this space. They hacked the walls to extend the master bathroom to about three times its original size.

“The children love a good soak in the bathtub after a swim, so we wanted sufficient space for that. It is also important for us to have large vanity areas on both sides of the bathroom,” Hazell explains.   

Master Bathroom Design

The selection of laminates and the placement of French mouldings on each wall and door reveal just how exacting the couple was when it came to the carpentry. For the master bathroom, they even went to the extent of selecting handles with a dark coloured marble finish for the drawers on one side of the bathroom vanity to complement the Volakas and White Portoro marble. 

Daughters’ Bedroom

The girls share a bedroom with two bunk beds whose design marries whimsy and timelessness, something that they can still appreciate even when they are older. The arch motif ties in with the rest of the home and a soft, L-shaped headboard in a blush pink adds just a touch of princess femininity.

Swimming Pool Design

A series of outdoor features and spaces complement the interior of the home. The swimming pool shimmers with its white, iridescent Ezarri Diamond mosaic tiles imported from Spain. There is a sky terrace in the attic that is inspired by the Shakusui-en, an 800-year-old pond garden in the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. Wilbur and Hazell’s version features a Japanese zen garden with mood lighting that sets the perfect ambience for al fresco dining or hosting guests in the evenings with a view overlooking the Katong area.

$850,000 Renovation Cost

The renovation took a few months to complete and the family moved into their new home in December 2023. The cost of renovating the interiors, which included hacking the walls and replacing the existing flooring with marble came up to about $500,000. An additional $350,000 was spent on the reconstruction of the pool, as well as the fittings and materials, including marble and tiles.