PAST PERFECT

In her sprawling black and white colonial house, Lynette Wong combines her passion for mid-century modern furniture design with a love of contemporary art, resulting in space filled with unexpected charm.

- Renée Batchelor

Stepping into Lynette Wong's colonial-style, two-storey bungalow just off Alexandra Road, there is a sense that we are no longer in the city-there is almost an English country estate-like atmosphere. The move to this serene space 12 years ago was a deliberate one on the part of Wong, who resides there with her family of five.

Wong, who owns furniture gallery 1B2G Important Design which specialises in original vintage Scandinavian furniture, is a warm host, inviting us inside the peaceful haven she has carefully created and curated. "When I get home, I just feel an instant slowing down of my heart rate," Wong says, alluding to the calm character of her graceful home with its high ceilings and airy rooms.

The light-filled house has had minimal renovation done, beyond the dry kitchen and some bathroom work, leaving its heritage charm fully intact. Instead, Wong and her husband express their decorating flair in the form of mid-century furniture by Danish designers like Hans Wegner and Poul Kjærholm, and contemporary artworks that they both love. Collecting vintage furniture and lighting is a passion for Wong. She started out sourcing pieces for herself and quickly realised the gap in the local market for authentic, historically-significant pieces that would not just beautify the home but become investment pieces. "You can use it and it's an investment that you can really enjoy which is so nice, isn't it?" quips Wong. And thus, her furniture business was born in 2017.