Since emerging as the first runner-up in the second season of Singapore Idol in 2006, Jonathan Leong has been leading quite an exciting life.
He graduated from university, played the lead role in the original theatre production, Voyage De La Vie, released a solo album, embarked on a career in finance and tied the knot with digital marketer, Jeneen Goh.
After living in their matrimonial home for five years, the couple, both 41 years old, moved into their new home in August 2021 after renovations that took about five to six months.
With Jeneen being more design-oriented and Jonathan more pragmatic, the couple complement each other when putting together their new home.
Who Lives Here: A couple in their 40s
Home: A three-bedroom condominium at Kim Tian Road
Size: 1,421 sq ft
DIY interior design
Jeneen self-designed the interior and engaged a good friend, who is a contractor, to manage the renovation works. “I have always been very into design. I have a collection of images that I save whenever I come across good and nice designs,” she says.
She laments that if it was not because she had not known about architecture as a profession until it was too late, she might have ended up pursuing a career in architecture instead of digital marketing.
That is how big on design she is, so designing their own home was almost a given.
Hotel-style interior design
The existing layout was retained, along with the bedroom parquet flooring, which they stained to a dark wood. The rest of the flooring, built-in carpentry, sanitary fittings and doors were all replaced.
From an all-black interior in their first home, the couple has transitioned to a grey colour palette as they find the muted tones soothing.
In terms of both aesthetics and functional aspects, Jeneen drew inspiration from hotels, even down to the lighting, to create calming spaces that they can come home to after a day at work.
Balcony
Unlike most typical apartment layouts, the main entrance opens into a semi-open balcony that overlooks the Tiong Bahru enclave.
Jonathan associates the experience of entering the home through the balcony as a symbolic gesture of leaving their work stresses at the door.
They have their meals out on the balcony sometimes. It is also a chill-out space with friends over food, drinks and even hot pot.
Marble bathroom
Sliding glass doors separate the living room and the rest of the interior from the main entrance and balcony.
The living room was designed around a marble that the couple picked out, which has been used on the feature wall, television console, coffee table and bedside tables.
The marble for the feature wall was originally one large piece, but the painful decision was made to have it cut into three smaller pieces to be able to fit into the lift when transporting the stone up to the apartment.
“I did the next best thing, which was to align the marble joints with the drawers of the television console below,” Jeneen explains.
Moooi Meshmatics chandelier
The focal point of the dining room is a Moooi Meshmatics chandelier. Three layers of wire mesh cast interesting shadows on the ceiling that achieve an ephemeral, yet playful quality. An extendable dining table is useful when the couple hosts guests.
Open concept kitchen
The open-concept kitchen revolves around a peninsula island with counter seats that are right beside the dining table. This provides the perfect setting for interacting with friends while prepping food.
The marble used for the countertop is the same as the feature wall and coffee table. Jeneen went to great lengths to select a sintered stone for the kitchen countertop that matches this marble to achieve a cohesive look.
Bed headboard
A bespoke headboard that Jeneen designed anchors the master bedroom space. Due to its unique design with a convex profile and movable panels on either side, the fabrication took several attempts.
“Fortunately, we worked with a local carpenter, so we could collaborate very closely during the fabrication process,” she comments.
An L-shaped bay window wraps around two sides of the master bedroom. The addition of soft cushions and a movable table has transformed this into Jonathan’s favourite space within the home.
“This is where I read, write, meditate, or even take a quick nap,” he shares.
Master bathroom
The starting point for the design of the master bath was a bespoke, backlit round mirror. It was particularly challenging because it involved co-ordination between multiple trades – mirror fabricator, carpenter and electrician, but the end result is stunning.
Walk-in wardrobe
One of the bedrooms is currently being used as Jeneen’s walk-in wardrobe and it has been designed such that it can be converted into a nursery in future.
This is Jeneen’s favourite space in the home, especially the bay window where she likes to spend some downtime to herself.
The couple each have their own space within the home. For Jonathan, it is his study and music room while Jeneen’s is her walk-in wardrobe that occupies one bedroom.
Study and music room
The third bedroom is Jonathan’s study and music room, where he keeps his musical instruments and displays his collection of figurines.
SketchUp
Jeneen recalls staying up late into the night to work on their home design using SketchUp, but it has all been worth it. Inevitably, they encountered some challenges and issues, some of which she attributes to perhaps not being as familiar with materials and detailing as a full-time interior designer would.
Nevertheless, everything came together eventually. With her being more design-oriented, while Jonathan is more practical, it was also about meeting each other halfway and finding a middle ground that both of them were happy with.
Moody home decor
The couple look forward to coming home after work and they enjoy how the mood changes as night falls.
“The Perfect Soundtrack to the Home at night is the self-titled album by American band, Cigarettes After Sex. It calms me down and takes my mind off work,” says Jonathan.
During the day, the home takes on a different ambience due to the abundance of natural light.
“The album that complements the home’s daytime vibes is most probably John Mayer’s ‘Battle Studies’,” he adds.