A house is not a home

THERE are some people who live in the same homes all their lives, and then there are those who seem to move as frequently as the seasons change. Calsia Lee belongs to the latter.

She moves nearly every two years, the longest being four years at her last home in Paya Lebar.

"I like to have a change in environment, to discover new neighbourhoods and new driving routes to the office or whatever," says Ms Lee. "Unlike others who feel sentimental to a place, I have no attachment to a house."

Her current residence is a two-and-a-half-storey detached house in Yio Chu Kang, which she moved into last October.

The managing director of Mudian, a kitchen and wardrobe specialist, lives with her business partner of 20 years, Selina Tay, principal designer of Collective Designs.

Thankfully, Ms Tay has no trouble moving homes too. They know it is time to move when "we chance upon a nice property", says Ms Lee. But it has to be an old house, as "it is easy to tear down and rebuild but we much rather just make additions and alteration works to the house."

She adds that "some people may find it unusual for business partners to live together, but we see it as living with our best friend".

As with their previous homes, Ms Tay designed the interiors while Ms Lee took charge of the necessary carpentry work.

The home's slanted wooden ceiling and its large outdoor space, which faces a park at the back, are its main attractions.

Ms Tay kept the structure of the house intact, but reconfigured the internal space to make it more liveable. First to go was the car porch which is now a walk-in wardrobe just for shoes, as well as a bedroom for Ms Tay's sister.

The slanted ceiling, previously brown and looking dated, has been painted over in white to give it a more modern look while brightening the interior space.

As both women are avid cooks, and family gatherings which number 20 to 30 people are frequent affairs, the kitchen is a key area of the house.

What was once the backyard is now a wet kitchen that is naturally lit, thanks to the surrounding large windows. Even washing the dishes becomes less of a chore as the kitchen looks out into the garden.

The all-white kitchen has a large island counter that is just right for making home-made pineapple tarts during Chinese New Year, and even an industrial-strength stove to boot.

The home was renovated in a quick five months, and running her own carpentry company meant that "we could add in stuff as and when we wanted", says Ms Lee.

But after designing her own kitchen so many times, Ms Lee says: "I know exactly how many drawers, how many cabinets we would need. I have the precise number and dimensions down pat."

In contrast, the dry kitchen area is decked out in grey, giving the area a warmer touch.

The cabinets come with detailed panelling that hides glassware and other items such as cookbooks.

Ms Lee says the island counter is one of her favourite spots at home as "this is where we always have breakfast".

Her second favourite spot is at the terrace which faces the pool.

Standing at a far corner of the pool, looking back at the white-washed home, the home could easily pass off as a villa in Australia.

This is possibly why residents using the park nearby, which sits on slightly higher ground, often like to look into the home. "Rather than watching park-goers, we are the ones being watched," says Ms Lee.

The house looks big on the outside, but Ms Tay has kept the number of rooms to the bare minimum.

In fact, a guest room is now the family room, where everyone gathers to watch TV. "We found no need for a guest room in the end," says Ms Lee.

The partners have their bedrooms on the top floor, and both are vastly different in looks.

Ms Tay's room has a more feminine touch, and a luxury resort feel with its light blue wallpaper matched with the white timber ceiling.

When it came to designing her room, Ms Lee told her partner to make it "look like the Ritz Carlton as I like the hotel room feel".

Up went silver wallpaper and darker coloured curtains, and the home's original timber flooring which is now stained black. Ms Lee's room did not allow for a full walk-in wardrobe so she had a partial one done instead.

To create this, a row of built-in cabinets were removed and replaced with open shelves and racks. Sliding glass panels keep the dust out.

Artworks, including those by Joan Miro, Picasso and Dali which the duo have bought over the years adorn the walls. But what gets Ms Lee truly excited about her home are not the artworks, nor the furniture which have been with her for many years.

Her eyes light up when talking about her collection of Persian carpets which number more than 20. Her oldest one is in her bedroom which is about 20 years old.

"The carpets are like works of art, and they look different from all angles," says Ms Lee, who recently added more to her collection from a recent holiday in Abu Dhabi.

"My heart was beating really fast when the carpet owner took out one particular piece that was so spectacular," she adds. The piece is now in her home, casually laid out with the rest in the living room.

It has been eight months since their move and are they getting itchy feet again? "We always say to each other we will not move ever again. But judging from our track record, we know this not to be true," quips Ms Lee.

taysc@sph.com.sg