A Place To Call Home

Creating comfort in a living space can be achieved in many different ways. For some, that sense of peace comes from soft, plush, sink-in furniture; for others, warmth is evoked by eclecticism and vibrancy. But a look at some of the cosiest homes and boutiques in singapore reveal that meaningfulness is at the core of it all

- Chelsea Tang

“THE KIND of WARMTH, VIBRANCY and LIFE THAT RESULTS WHEN DISPARATE STYLES COME TOGETHER BRINGS MORE PERSONALITY TO the HOUSE.” — Lauren Cheung-Rajoo

Stepping into Jayne Tan and Nigel Heng’s quaint apartment at Farrer Road feels like a trip into a rustic trinket store. Nothing matches perfectly, yet everything fits together so well — and the space almost magically, hypnotically beckons one to wander around it.

The first things to catch the eye are the round maple wood dining table, the maple wood kitchen island, the multipanelled enclave of books (home to a 15-year-old-and-counting National Geographic collection, as well as Bryan Koh’s Milkier Pigs & Violet Gold), a framed scenic mountainous shot of Ladakh and a double-doored chestnut cabinet that houses an array of ceramic dishes. Peer closer, and more nifty details start to surface: a red-mint-blue Persian rug rolled out at the lounge area, “We saw about 50 carpets at Arab Street, couldn’t decide, sat down and had tea with the Iranian boss, and bought the one we were sitting on in the store,” Tan recalls; a qinqin from Xinjiang with a Michael Jackson caricature sitting amongst its strings, “He passed away the day we were on the Flaming Mountains!” Heng quips; little Batman figurines perched atop the said chestnut cabinet, “Yeah… there’s sh*t on every surface,” Tan adds.

The couple’s four-room flat is chock-full of stories. It’s overflowing in every sense of the word — physically, evidenced by say, the booze corner packed to the brim with Roku gin and Disaronno amaretto, and emotionally, by how the home truly reflects who they are on the inside.