A neurodivergent homeowner explains how he decorated his eclectic, Mid-Century Modern style home with second-hand furniture

Colour. Eclectic decor like vintage food cans. A favouring of wood furniture from the past.

Special corners – where, upon closer inspection, hold memories. And even design choices inspired by some of Singapore’s past building icons dating to the 80s.

To the average person, Avin’s home might look like an interesting curation of the Mid-Century Modern design style.

Guess what? It’s not! There’s more than meets the eye behind this variegated home.

Yes, it is an exciting celebration of the interiors theme (becoming increasingly popular in Singapore as 2027 approaches – goodbye, Japandi and those Minimalist vibes). And yes, it is a super cool and one-of-a-kind space dripping with an amalgamation of second-hand vibes.

But for this Singaporean homeowner, the curation of his space meant something more. His design process breaks ordinary boundaries, going beyond typical thought processes.

Avin’s world

Three years ago, Avin was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. As neurodivergent, he doesn’t see things like colour the way every other person does, and even the way he reacts to light and sound is different.

These factors all impacted his decision to create his home the way he did; not just a retreat for him, but a safe space for many others, from peers to friends.

Colours are associated with mood and feeling. Furniture textures affect the way he reacts to them. Nature is important to him. Space and patterns matter. Even the way a door or a handle operates makes a difference.

Perhaps this is why he is drawn to second-hand/old-school furniture and decor? Monotonous designs and plain minimalist furniture of the 21st century – these home goods can all feel the same.

Home and Decor sat down to chat with Avin, learning more about his unique home-curation journey, inspired by the Mid-century Modern style, and his home filled with second-hand pieces, from furniture to decor. We dived into his thought processes, decision-making choices, and why he loves the things he does.

We also got his expert insight as to where he did and does a lot of his sourcing for second hand furniture Singapore goods!

Back to topt

Colour used to evoke emotion, memories and mood

For this home, colour is extremely intentional. Avin views colour as a big role player in his day-to-day life, and its importance in his home is unmatched.

First, he conceptualised how the overall look of the house should be. Then, he drilled down and narrowed the function of each room. Then, it was down to individual spaces. For this, he compared colours, from material shades to room walls.

In the living room sits a mustard yellow coloured chair. The walls behind it are brown. A dark blue wall decorates this bedroom’s last wall. From the chair’s vantage point, you see a collective colour swatch of yellow, brown and blue. The same goes for many other parts of the home; different angles showcase various colours stacking up.

Back to top

Home and Decor: What does colour mean to you, Avin? 

Avin: Colour means a lot, and different colours mean many things. I have a very good colour perception. They dip often, but always bring out different emotions, memories or put me in a certain mood. It’s something very important. I would be very upset if I lost the ability to enjoy colours. 

Home and Decor: What type of role does colour play in your life?

Avin: I spend a lot of time looking at colour. I do quite a bit of colour design for communication pieces or fundraising. Colours are important from a branding perspective, ensuring they evoke an emotion and connection to the brand.

On a day-to-day basis, I receive so much information from everything around me. If I am walking down the lane and see a bush, I see 10 different shades of green around me. I enjoy my surroundings so much more because of the richness of colour I get to experience. I also had the opportunity to learn about colour in my education and how they are used in architecture and design, which helps me appreciate them even more. 

Home and Decor: Tell us about some of your favourite explosive colour pieces/decor in your home? 

Avin: The red triangle clock and the orange cabinets in the back. Red, orange and purple have always been colours I love; I keep going back to them.

Every year, Pantone announces their colour of the year, and I will use a lot of it in my design. But specifically for the red triangle clock, it looks very old school. I love trains, and it reminded me of a train station I lived near, the Jurong East MRT Station. The station’s pyramid shape is a defining characteristic of it. The pattern in the clock is striking, and for someone with autism, we find ourselves looking at repeated patterns – like fans going around and around or repeated tiles.

Back to top

Home and Decor: Any furniture you specifically chose for its colour?

Avin: Actually, a lot of the furniture I have is quite neutral, except for the red, blue and yellow chairs. The red and blue are foldable and look classic, not modern. Their pops of colour are meant to complement the splashes of red and blue in the home – which has a lot of wood. My dinnerware is also super colourful, so when we have a feast at the dining table, it’s filled with different shapes, colours and sizes. 

It might irritate some people, as nothing is standardised. But every piece of dining ware has a purpose or story. Either hand-me-downs, from a second-hand store, or I picked a specific dish for its colour-complements. It makes the dining experience better.

Material choices because of texture and functionality

Home and Decor: Are there any materials you tend to avoid because of how they feel? 

Avin: Oh yes. A lot of materials like yarn, because this type of material is so tactile. Even talking about it makes my skin crawl! 

Home and Decor: How important were material choices to you during your home renovation?

Avin: I have a lot of wood and some metal, but material is very important, especially the finishes, and I was trying to layer as much as possible. The tactile feeling again is very important, so I would spend a lot of time touching materials and furniture before considering them; rubbing my hands against them or my feet. If I were choosing tiles, I would walk on them and spend time feeling them. 

Aside from an aesthetic point of view, it has to be functional; to serve a purpose. Like my dining table, which is wood. It has to be sturdy. The surface of the kitchen needs to be easy to clean and heat-proof. I chose only a few metals only.  

Home and Decor: Are you drawn to the material of vintage/Mid-century modern furniture more? 

Avin: Yes, a lot of it is made from wood as it’s old. I love wood, as it feels like bringing nature into my home.

Back to top

Home and Decor: What’s the reason for the non-modern door handles and levers? 

Avin: I prefer the way sliding door handles sound. But not just for the sound of the mechanism; I don’t like handles that protrude out; it’s almost invasive, and I find it creepy. Also, being ADHD, I have poor motor development. I round corners very closely, so anything sticking out, I will knock. My drawers and cabinets are all insets. Or the doors where my washing machine is are pocket doors, so they fold away – otherwise I will knock into it. 

Second-hand furniture and vintage decor

Home and Decor: You mentioned you sourced a lot of pieces from second-hand stores, Facebook Marketplace, Carousell, etc. Let’s begin with the study; talk us through where you found 2nd hand office furniture Singapore in this room. 

Avin: The vintage Dumex baby food tin I found randomly outside the apartment block. My partner’s desk below the window we bought for him second-hand from a university student selling it on Facebook Marketplace. My study desk we got from local second-hand online store, Hock Siong. When I saw it, I fell in love with it, but I was very curious about all these little markings. The sellers told me it’s actually original paint, as this desk is made from wood salvaged from the boats that would run down the Singapore River!

Home and Decor: What about your dining space? 

Avin: The dining table is from Carousell. It’s wood and metal on the side and looks very crate-and-barrel-ish. We found a table we loved on Hock Siong, but couldn’t find a place for it in our apartment because it was huge!

It was priced really well, but when we went back to buy it, it was already sold. But this one is well-maintained and serves us well. It’s extendable from standard to two meters and seats a lot of people. We serve all our meals family-style; a lot of dishes in the centre, so its size was important. It is the statement piece of the entire room. 

Home and Decor: And in the living room? 

Avin: The rattan and wooden chair is from Carousell, and the Mid-century Modern table in front of it with the drawer is from Hock Siong.

Avin’s favourite places to shop for second-hand furniture and decor in Singapore?

Home and Decor: Explain your thought process when looking for second-hand goods? 

Avin: Initially, it’s how I can save some money, but then actually falling in love with many of the pieces I see online. But I think the real reason for me why I love shopping for second-hand furniture is that I spend a lot of time with my dad, and he loves shopping for antiques. He loves that Chinese red teak furniture. I like the idea of it being old, but I don’t like the style of the redwood furniture.  

My interpretation of Mid-century Modern is that it brings a certain charm, and a lot of pieces I picked out are wooden. That was very important when shopping for things for my home – if it were glass or metal, I’d skip past it. If something is glass and I trip over it or drop my water bottle on it and smash it…Fragile things don’t last with me. It’s definitely something I considered when looking for furniture: sturdy.

Back to top

Home and Decor: Favourite second-hand stores in Singapore?  

Avin: Hock Song is definitely one of them. Another spot is a second-hand shop where I find my kitchenware, bowls, and plates. They serve hawkers and then also buy back kitchenware when restaurants or hawkers close. I love this shop because I can find utensils from very long ago; utensils my grandmother would use. These are not very common or used anymore today. 

Hock Siong

Avin often shops from Hock Siong, specialists in second-hand, eclectic decor and furniture, plus vintage furniture Singapore and collector’s items from decades ago. Much of his home’s second hand furniture Singapore was bought off the online shopping platform, from his study table to crockery to the stand in the living room. 

“You have to act quickly and fast when shopping on Hock Siong. I regretted so many things that I wasn’t able to get in time. I would think about where I should put it or mull over its price. Then the next day I’d go back to buy it, and it’s gone! So if you see something you like and it connects with you, just go for it!” 

Facebook Marketplace VS Carousell

Carousell started as an online shopping platform, similar to Etsy, where individual sellers can sell their second-hand goods. You buy directly from the website. 

Facebook Marketplace has become a playground for selling second-hand and pre-loved items, especially furniture. 

“Carousell is harder to navigate as they have done a really good job at masquerading brand new products in and around the second-hand stuff. I think that almost defeats the purpose of the platform. Very often I find myself clicking on something only to realise it’s a shop selling first-hand goods which look second-hand.

In that sense, Facebook Marketplace is a much better platform as it’s a community. You have so many groups; some of them, people are giving things away, are moving out of Singapore or even donating items as they are buying something new. It’s more of a friendlier place to negotiate something. I got a lot of my plants from Facebook communities.”

Avin hopes to raise awareness of developmental disability, showing that if you’re diagnosed as neurodivergent, you can buy and own a home in Singapore. It shouldn’t stop you from achieving your home goals and dreams.

Back to top