Home Tour: Mu Dian carpentry founder’s spacious semi-detached home in Yio Chu Kang

A throwback to this beautiful and harmonious home that Calsia Lee, owner of Mudian, and her business partner moved into in October 2012.

Calsia Lee, founder of Mudian, poses for a photo in her kitchen.
Photo: The Straits Times
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Furniture shop owner Calsia Lee and her business partner have been housemates for over 12 years. Mudian’s managing director Calsia Lee believes in mixing business with pleasure.

Not only does she work closely with Ms Selina Tay, her business partner of over 20 years, but they also live in the same house. They have moved into five properties, together with their partners, over the past decades.

Ms Tay is the principal designer of interior design firm Collective Designs, while Mudian, a home-grown boutique firm which specialises in kitchen and wardrobe systems, supplies furniture for her projects.

Ms Lee says: “It’s strange how our dynamics work so well. I’m usually the one who wants to move, but it’s not hard to convince her, especially when we can make a profit by selling the house.”

Yio Chu Kang detached house

In October 2011, they moved into a 2.5-storey detached house in Yio Chu Kang, which has four bedrooms, a room for their maid and a pool.

Calsia Lee Mudian

 The patio and pool of Ms Calsia Lee’s 2.5-storey detached home in Yio Chu Kang. Ms Lee, who is the managing director of home-grown boutique firm Mudian, moved into the house in October 2012 with her business partner of 20 years Selina Tay and their partners. 

Photo: The Straits Times

Call it a nomadic complex. Ms Lee says: “We like to move around a lot, exploring new environments. I’m not very emotionally attached to a place. I just love a new experience.”

Ms Tay pays for the houses they buy, while Ms Lee’s job is to source for the properties. It is an arrangement that has worked out well for them.

The two, who met through a common friend, have no problem seeing each other all day.

Ms Lee says: “She really is my best buddy and she’s closer than family. But we have our own space in the house to do what we want. Of course, we do talk shop when we’re at home. I think it’s better for us to argue at home instead of at the office, in front of the staff.”

Retained original architecture

For their current place, they decided to keep the form of the house. Built in the 1990s, it has a land area of 10,500 sq ft and a 4,000 sq ft built-up one.

“We would rather make do with a smaller built-up area than rebuild it from scratch. Many home owners tear down these relatively new houses and rebuild massive structures that we call ‘embassies’... It’s such a waste.” 

They converted the original car porch into a new room, put in a pool where the koi pond used to be and raised the roof so that they could take advantage of the windy location. They also replaced the green aluminium roof with a chengai wood one.

Different wings in the house

The house is divided into individual “wings” on the top floor for each of them. Both Ms Lee and MsTay share their rooms with their partners, while Ms Tay’s older sister, who is a wheelchair user, has her own room on the ground floor.

Calsia Lee Mudian

Interior of the living room of Ms Calsia Lee’s 2.5-storey detached home in Yio Chu Kang

Photo: The Straits Times

There is also an entertainment and study area, where all their books, videos and collectibles are arranged neatly.

Separate enclosed wet kitchen

As they entertain friends and family often, the house is designed with both a dry kitchen, for preparation of snacks and drinks, and a wet one for “heavy-duty cooking”. Ms Lee says: “It was important to separate this space. We often cook Peranakan food and you don’t want the smell of belacan getting everywhere.”

As it can get pretty crowded with six people living in the house, Ms Lee and Ms Tay have one rule that applies to everyone. Ms Lee says: “Everything has its place, so if you take something, you have to put it back. I nag a lot and so does Selina. I can’t stand it when things are out of place, so it’s pretty neat around here.”

While there is ample space to kick back and relax indoors, Ms Lee likes to head outdoors when the weather is good.

She and Ms Tay often hang out with friends at the patio and the pool. They have also taken to growing things for their own consumption, such lemongrass, pandan leaves and passionfruit, on a patch at the side of the garden.

Calsia Lee Mudian

Interior of the entertainment and study area

Photo: The Straits Times

Located next to a park

What clinched the deal for Ms Lee, however, is the view of a small park right behind the house. Having such a green space so close by is rare, she says, which was why they decided not to have a wall for the space – a common move for many home owners who want privacy. Instead, they removed the existing brick wall.

“Our friends were more worried than us about people walking by and staring into our house. But it’s such a green view that we had to take advantage of it. It’s going to be hard to move again.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times in 2013.

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