Languid, Flower-Filled Haven That Exudes Vintage Charm

Singer-songwriter and florist Aude Giraud’s home is a languid, flower-filled haven that exudes vintage charm.

- Tracy Lee

Dictionaries define the French D phrase “je ne sais quoi” as an appealing quality that cannot be adequately described or expressed. Well, Aude Giraud’s home, an airy, high-ceilinged, three-bedroom conservation terrace house in East Coast, certainly exudes it in spades.

She moved into the rented 100sqm space a year ago, and shares it with her husband and their baby. “People say it’s an unusual home for Singapore—retro and charming,” says the French-Javanese founder of Ask A French – Flowers, whose arrangements are inspired by classic 18th-century still lifes. “I fell in love with it because it’s within the Katong-Joo Chiat heritage area, where it’s like time has come to a standstill. The layout is exactly as it was in the 1930s. I found out that the sea used to be just at the end of the street, before the land was reclaimed. Leatherback turtles used to lay eggs in the crawl space under the house. The neighbourhood’s mix of traditional coffee shops and western eateries is amazing.”

Giraud is also Flanery, the singer-songwriter whose debut album Oh Boy is a folksy exploration of life, love, heartbreak and healing. Her stage name was inspired by the French word “flânerie”, an aimless state that leads to wanderings, and though she’s classically trained in the viola (and has been since her pre-teens), the guitar is now her instrument of choice.