Style Decisions

KARIN RYSGAARD, owner of Cocoon Styling and co-owner of Island Living, chats about her different homes in Singapore, including this East-side abode – plus some budget saving tips!

- REBECCA BISSET

Tell us about your journey here.

I arrived in Singapore 17 years ago, originally from Melbourne. I’d lived in Copenhagen for three years previously. My daughter was just three when we arrived, so at first I was a full-time mum, doing playdates and baking cupcakes.

About the home

Style & size: Semidetached, three-bedder – approximately 1,800 square feet

Location: 34 Lorong Kembangan, near Kembangan MRT

Who lives here? Karin, long-term helper Sheron and rescue cat Athena (daughter Sophie, 20, is studying at university in Sydney)

Initially, we lived in a short-term rental apartment while I found something that I loved. The first home I found, just off Sixth Avenue, was rather run down – but it was a great space. The landlord was considering selling, but after some gentle arm-twisting I convinced her to rent it and allow us to renovate. We pulled the whole back of the house off and extended the kitchen into a lovely garden space. It was this project that led me to formally start Cocoon Styling 12 years ago.

How did you find your current home?

After living in three different rented landed properties very happily on the Bukit Timah and Thomson side of town (all of which I partially renovated), my daughter Sophie and I decided to move to the East. She had been a student at OFS since pre-K, and the school had relocated to Pasir Ris. One sleepless night, I had the epiphany: let’s move! I jumped into action immediately and trawled Property Guru at once, even though it was 2am.