House tour: Vintage furniture and a stainless steel kitchen in this apartment in Little India

House tour: Vintage furniture and a stainless steel kitchen in this apartment in Little India

Having dated around Little India before moving to Sydney over a decade ago, when this couple returned to Singapore it was an intuitive choice to buy an apartment in that area.

Though they liked its quaintness, the 750sq ft apartment they picked was dark, with too many walls that they wanted to tear down.

With just the two of them residing in the house, they only needed one bedroom, which was previously two smaller rooms. Instead of a solid wall separating the bedroom and the living room, they opted for sliding safety glass windows.

''This way, the light from the bedroom can spill into the living room,'' says Ping Tay, who appointed Mikael The of Monocot Studio to design her apartment.

In the latter, a series of shelves have been installed on the walls, to display the couple's collection of books, pre-loved toys and mementos from their time in Sydney.

Most of their furniture and lamps were made in the 1950s and 1960s which they picked up from flea markets, second hand stores and sometimes even off the streets when homeowners threw things out.

Ping's love for the industrial look comes across in her choice of materials.

For example, the floor is cement, picked for its low maintenance, and ''it is cool for the tropics,'' she says. In the master bathroom, she specified DTILE tile-system for its high versatility. Some of the plain white tiles come with built-in towel hangers and toilet paper holders.

Having worked in professional kitchens for more than 10 years, Ping was used to having a stainless steel kitchen, and naturally wanted one in her home.

The certified pastry chef insisted that the layout of her kitchen in Singapore be similar to what she had in Sydney, which means that the fridge, stove, and dishwater have to be in specific spots. She also brought back a kitchen island which she uses for baking.

Shelves in tight corners create storage space.

This article was first published in The Business Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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