Homeowner Calvin Ho has moved places 10 times in the last 15 years. A businessman and a creative multi-hyphenate, he renovated the homes he lived in himself. ‘Quirky’, ‘unusual’ and ‘out-of-box’ are the words he uses to describe his design approach. “If someone walks into the space that I designed and doesn’t ask about or comment on it, I consider that a failure,” Calvin says.
Calvin’s first home, which he designed himself, was an HDB flat fashioned in Antonio Gaudi’s style featured in Home & Decor more than a decade ago. “Everything was either angled, curved or decorated in that home. There was nothing that did not catch the eye,” he shares.
Home A two-bedroom (formerly three) HDB flat
Size 1,196 sq ft (111 sqm)
Who Lives Here A couple in their 50s and a dog named Snoopy
Interior Design Calvin Ho
4-Room turned 3-Room HDB in Tampines
It couldn’t be more different than his current home. Completed in February 2020, the two-bedroom HDB flat in Tampines features open spaces, linear lines, and mostly a crowd-pleasing modern contemporary look.
It took only four months from Calvin’s first viewing to completing the renovation and moving in.
Previously Lived in Waterview Condo
He had no plan to move in from his last home at the nearby Waterview Condo, but then he just reached his retirement age of 55 and has a convenient window to use his CPF for a retirement home.
“My first home was an HDB flat, and I have lived in all types of homes in Singapore since. So, I thought to myself, why don’t we go back to HDB? Pay and settle everything and retire,” he says. The then 35-year-old HDB unit originally had three bedrooms and generous natural light. It is also located on the top floor and has only one direct neighbour.
“I wanted to go back to the basics. Why? Because age catches up with you and no matter how stylish or fancy the design of your home is, if you can’t keep it tidy then it’s useless.”
Calvin ho
Back to Basics
Calvin immediately knew what he wanted to do with the space. “I wanted to go back to the basics,” he admits, “Why? Because age catches up with you and no matter how stylish or fancy the design of your home is, if you can’t keep it tidy then it’s useless.”
The finished home, though, is anything but basic, thanks to a slew of thoughtful design details.
Entrepreneur behind Superhero Cafes
A serial entrepreneur who had at one time owned an art gallery and superhero-themed cafes, Calvin is no stranger to making the most of tight renovation budgets, such that his DIY renovation skill attracted friends and family to commission him to design the interior of their homes.
Total Renovation Cost: $70,000
Calvin spent a total of $70,000 renovating the entire home, including getting all new architectural finishes and customising his furniture pieces.
80% Furniture from Taobao
“Eighty per cent of what you see in this home are from a Chinese online platform,” he reveals, sharing that the secret to getting exactly what you want is not by merely clicking what you see, but to engage the sellers in a conversation and taking your time to compare products on the platform.
“I have been buying and dealing a lot on it for a long time that I know which sellers to buy from and talk to.”
The label ‘made in China’ has evolved, he says. No longer it means cheap and low-quality items, it has now become synonymous with sheer options, customisations, and value for money.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-01-livingroom-1024x691-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-01-livingroom-1024x691-1.jpg)
Taobao Sliding Door
The custom sliding door that separates the kitchen from the living area, for example, could cost up to $2,000 to source and install in Singapore. Calvin sourced the mechanism online for $70 and had it installed for $300.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-05a-kitchen-sliding-door-632x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-05a-kitchen-sliding-door-632x1024-1.jpg)
Hacked One Bedroom
Knocking down one bedroom created a bright and open living and dining area populated by only a few key furniture pieces. A plush leather sofa from Grado takes centre stage on the living room while a flatscreen Xiaomi TV in rose gold finish presides the wall.
At the far end of the room is Calvin’s ‘museum’ – a wall of custom cabinets displaying his superhero figurines collection.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-03-living-room-frontal-1024x667-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-03-living-room-frontal-1024x667-1.jpg)
Superhero Toy Collection
Calvin takes pleasure in mixing and matching his figurine collection, like this 1/2- and 1/6-scale figurines of Captain America, which are seamlessly featured on the same base.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-10-collectibles-marvel-detail-683x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-10-collectibles-marvel-detail-683x1024-1.jpg)
Taobao Dining Set
The dining table and chairs in front of it were sourced from Taobao. Calvin reupholstered the chairs with leather and added brass caps onto the legs.
He also added rose gold caps onto the table legs. These metallic accents unify the whole house.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-11-dining-chair-detail-682x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-11-dining-chair-detail-682x1024-1.jpg)
Kitchen
The kitchen cabinets, walls and ceiling are white – an anomaly for Calvin. “I usually prefer dark colours, but I like how the white brightens up the room,” he says.
The decal on the sliding door and the graffiti artworks by The London Police printed on canvas lend a graphic touch.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-05-kitchen-1024x641-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-05-kitchen-1024x641-1.jpg)
Dining Ware All Imported
All the appliances, table wares and accessories have rose gold or brass finish, which Calvin painstakingly sourced online from all over the world.
What couldn’t be shipped over, like the rose gold knife set, he asked his friends to hand-carry home from their travels.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-04-kitchen-1024x676-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-04-kitchen-1024x676-1.jpg)
Wall Mounted Fan
Even the wall fan got a bespoke treatment via its new spiral cable.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-03-wall-fan-682x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-03-wall-fan-682x1024-1.jpg)
Low-Maintenance Household
The material palette was curated to be low maintenance, visually arresting and feels great to the touch.
Barring the bathroom and the yard, the flooring is uniform: engineered wood planks set in a herringbone pattern, providing a visual continuity between rooms.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-12-dining-room-toy-collection-1024x645-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-12-dining-room-toy-collection-1024x645-1.jpg)
Engineered Wood
The dark engineered wood wall finish, the ornate frame of this Daredevil and Black Widor artwork, and the dark light switch create a sumptuous material palette.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-09-artwork-detail-683x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-09-artwork-detail-683x1024-1.jpg)
Concealed Wiring
Cables and wirings are hidden behind plywood and finished with graphic wallpaper, leaving the walls flush with the column while fortifying the room’s acoustics.
Calvin enjoys customising artworks. This Marilyn Monroe portrait was handcrafted with colourful tiny plastic toys, creating a playful, one-of-a-kind gestalt artwork.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-08-marilyn-monroe-detail-683x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-08-marilyn-monroe-detail-683x1024-1.jpg)
Ceiling Lights
The ceiling lights in the living and dining area are track lights, which work in tandem with the wall lights – two horizontal bars that Calvin rotated and installed vertically – to create museum-quality illumination.
The cement board with metallic grouting and clean cut white cabinet make the Hulkbuster Iron Man figurine pops.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-13-wall-lighting-752x1024-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-13-wall-lighting-752x1024-1.jpg)
Bedroom
The bedroom sports a dark material palette, comprising leather, timber and dusky pink accent while the master bathroom features all-white tiles in various modular shapes.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-07-bedroom-1024x640-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-07-bedroom-1024x640-1.jpg)
Bathroom
The light grey, scalloped tiles of the shower provide a subtle contrast with white triangle tiles of the bathroom.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-06-bathroom-1024x683-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-06-bathroom-1024x683-1.jpg)
Smart Mirror
The smart mirror displays temperature and calendar.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-06a-bathroom](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-06a-bathroom.jpg)
Downsized Toy Collection
While planning for his retirement, Calvin downsized his figurine collection to a manageable size and kept only a few items of sentimental value. These are displayed in the study, which features overhead cabinets, a katana collection, and a 12-year old leather chesterfield sofa that the family dog, Snoopy, loves so much.
“It’s just the right amount of stuff that we can manage as we grow old, with details that still start conversations,” describes Calvin of the house. So far, Calvin has no plans to move to another home in the future. “But never say never,” he quips.
This story first appeared in Sona Decor in 2021. Photography Veronica Tay. Art Direction Nonie Chen.
![hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-02-study-1024x634-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hd-house-tour-calvin-ho-02-study-1024x634-1.jpg)