During their hotel quarantine last year, homeowners Jason Poh and Chelsea Lim contacted Design Intervention. In their 30s, the couple had just returned to Singapore from Hong Kong when the circuit breaker set in. Having read about Design Intervention in Home & Decor, they asked the firm to design their new home.
“Jason and Chelsea sent us a floor plan, we talked via Zoom, and we were given an appointment without us ever having seen the apartment or meeting them. It’s certainly a new way to work!” says Nikki Hunt, founder of Design Intervention.
The majority of architectural design decisions for the home were made online, while final approvals for finishes were done in the office. Jason is a banking professional, and Chelsea is a beauty industry entrepreneur who owns the lash company Mink Mink Australia. The couple wanted a glamorous house with pops of colour and a sense of fun so they could entertain in style.
The apartment, located in District 15, was originally 1,600 sq ft with a low, 2.4m ceiling and old terrazzo flooring in the living and dining areas that had yellowed with age.
AT A GLANCE
Who lives here: A couple in their 30s
Home: A 3-bedroom condo apartment in District 15
Size: 1,600 sq ft
ID: Design Intervention
The design team – confident that, given the proper treatment, the floor could be beautifully integrated into the concept – urged them to keep the project on time and within the budget because hacking and replacing the floor takes a lot of time, money, and noise.
Jason and Chelsea had initially wanted a light grey or white palette, but Nikki suggested a soft powder blue to balance the yellow undertones.
The use of this colour on the ceiling, walls, and cabinet doors accentuates the prominence of the room, while mirrors and trims give the impression of a taller ceiling.
Design Intervention completely redesigned the existing floor plan, adding a master bathroom with a bathtub and separate his and hers walk-in wardrobes.
Andrea Savage, the firm’s co-CEO, worked closely with Chelsea and Jason on the kitchen and walk-in wardrobe design, imbuing the areas with fine details.
As Chelsea enjoys cooking and entertaining in the kitchen, she requested a bright space with an eat-in island, so Andrea found a pink marble backsplash.
Meanwhile, the walk-in wardrobe features a vibrant wallpaper by English designer Emma J Shipley that pairs splendidly with the pop of turquoise on the ceiling.
Emma J Shipley’s Lemur wallpaper adds visual interest to the piano corner.
The wallpaper pairs splendidly with the turquoise ceiling as seen in this mahjong corner.
The apartment’s original guest toilet could only be accessed through the kitchen, which wasn’t ideal for entertaining. As a result, the team carved out a new powder room within reach of the dining area. Since it lacks natural light, it is fitted with a mechanical extractor fan and dressed luxuriously with textured wallpaper from Osborne & Little called Grove Garden to give it a jewel box feel.
A glamorous wallpaper also adds a zing in the dining room, featuring a lush tropical garden design that echoes the greenery visible from the nearby window.
Depicting tropical greenery inside a greenhouse, Osborne & Little’s Palm House wallpaper brightens up the dining room and echoes the greenery outside the adjoining window.
More feminine touches, such as the wallpaper, bedding and colours like peach and chartreuse, exist alongside a more masculine toy collection in this bedroom.
Although most of the home is fun and vibrant, the master suite is designed to offer respite. “We kept the vibe restrained and elegant, with a distinct undercurrent of romance here,” Nikki says.
It features timber flooring with subtle textures and patterns in white, grey and silver accents. The bathroom features white walls and lots of mirrors.
A fur rug, wallpaper with a delicate silver floral design, and a pink dresser with a curvy mauve seat decorate this vanity corner.
Mirrored panels on the bathroom cabinet doors make the space seem larger.
Some key pieces of furniture, including the dining room rug and chandelier, were brought from the previous owners’ residence. Except for the dining chairs, the rest of the furniture was sourced or custom-made by Design Intervention.
Navigating the lack of manpower and fluctuating covid restrictions, the renovation took 25 weeks, but the end result was well worth the wait.
Photography by Design Intervention.