Wild At Art

Malissa Desmazieres’s home is an eclectic escape, set within a colonial gem filled with precious, personal treasures.

- Jeffrey Yan

With her background in art history and her past experience assisting in the Southeast Asian Paintings department at Sotheby’s Singapore, it’s little wonder that Malissa Desmazieres has such a refined appreciation for the stories and past lives of spaces and objects. That comes through in both her home, a two-story black-and-white colonial semi-detached house nestled in the verdant Wessex Estate, as well as in the treasure trove of objects with which she has filled it. “I’ve always loved heritage houses—I think they’re such an integral part of Singapore’s landscape and history. I love living amidst so much nature,” she says. “When I have friends over, they like to linger because they say it feels like they’re on holiday somewhere else. The house also lends itself very well to the way I decorate, which includes all the different elements of my culture, from my French-Laotian heritage to my Thai connection (she grew up in Thailand). I call it a neo-Indochine style—a mix of Indo-Chinese classical elements and a bit of French and European flair.”