Valley Life

Find out why this couple moved from Singapore’s East to buy their gorgeous River Valley house.

- Amy Brook-Partridge

I’d coveted this property many years ago, when I first arrived in Singapore. Our first two years here saw us live in a condo overlooking this particular row of shophouses – three of them to be exact, attached to a small condo just off Mohamed Sultan Road. Walking down the road with my little girl in her buggy, I’d slow down as we passed this house with its high gates, and I’d try to get a peek in to see what it looked like on the inside; now, finally, I get my chance.

Its owners, Jonathan Roelandts and Katrien Bollen, run Ethnicraft Online in Singapore, Jonathan as its managing director, and Katrien as its marketing director, alongside her other job, a full-time position with Google. The couple purchased the property three years ago, having lived in the East for the majority of their eight years here. “We’d always lived in condos,” explains Katrien, “and although you can have nice furniture in condo apartments, and try to dress them up in the way you want, they can miss the mark when it comes to adding your own character. We really like a modern touch on an authentic style, and we felt we could bring that to life here.”