IN LIVING COLOUR

A 1980s-era apartment is given a new lease of life with bold bites, an audacious use of prints, a masterful mix of textures, and loads of tropical accents

- TRACY LEE

Amy Long and her home are perfect examples of how it's never too late for reinvention. Having worked in the energy industry for 15 years, Long made a mid-career switch in August 2020 and scored an apprenticeship at interior design firm Elizabeth Hay Design. There, she learned about the finer points of the craft as well as client servicing, troubleshooting, and logistics. In March 2021, she took on the role of general manager of Vermillion, a luxury B2B e-commerce platform that connects Asian creators and designers to hospitality groups and boutiques globally.

So you could almost say that Long's home, a 1980s-era, four-bedroom apartment in the Mount Sinai neighbourhood, is the colour-filled manifestation of her lifelong passion for design. And what a home it is with rooms and pockets of space filled with distinct identities that fit harmoniously into a whole.

"It's large, yet all on one floor," Long says of the 4,100sqft space that she shares with her husband, two daughters, Sierra (eight) and Willow (six), and her helper, Marilyn. "The large veranda enjoys strong cross breezes, allowing for an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. The unusual floor plan, a legacy of the previous owner, suited us perfectly: A separate living room and family room, separate office spaces for my husband and myself, and a main bedroom separated from the rest of the bedrooms. The building's back gate connects to the park connector, and the MRT station is a short walk away."

On the decision to minimize construction waste, she says: "We didn't want to rip things out just because we didn't fancy them; we tried to reuse and refresh as much as we could." As such, the only major changes consisted of raising the ceiling heights, and a complete gut job of the kitchen and yard. Existing bathroom cabinetry was kept but repainted a fresher colour, while existing wardrobe doors were wallpapered over and their knobs switched out.