Happy Monday everyone! Today I wanted to share a little project I completed a while back here in Singapore. As usual my love affair with blues + neutrals runs deep, but in this case it was so fun to add a hit of rich orange and terra cotta to balance it all out. The color scheme was inspired by a vibrant paining the client had purchased in Vietnam. The room was very large and felt quite cold, with white marble floors and walls of windows. So I relied on lots of small scale patterns and uniquely textured textiles to warm up the space. My lovely client had relocated from Tokyo so we also had a few very pretty antique pieces to work with. Overall, I love the sophisticated, welcoming vibe we achieved! Any details you love?

Textile selections in process. . . I love my client's sweet little dog guarding his new rug :) 

{all photos taken by the talented Claire}

Inpsiration Files: An Entry with Style

In space-tight Singapore, it is rare I get to decorate a true entry - so I am excited to tackle one for a new project! Usually it's more of an entry hallway, common in condos, but this house has a proper room to welcome you into the home. Must haves include an interesting pendant fixture, a sideboard for shoe storage (a necessity in Asia!) and a piece of comfy upholstered seating. I love when an entry declares the personality of the owners right as you come in. Here are few compact but lively entries packed with style from our inspiration files . . . 

{image via}

Sunny Singapore Design: Coronation Drive

Today I am so happy to share this fresh, vibrant home I finished up a few months back. The clients have 3 adorable young boys so along with style, durability and comfort were certainly on the wish list! A palette of whites, sand, wood hues and wide range of lovely blues runs throughout the whole house. Thank you to my amazing clients - I loved working on this one! 

An oversized photograph of Bondi Beach by Jarrod Corbett creates a fresh but sophisticated focal point for the dining room. He is one of my favorite Etsy finds (you can see his pieces here!)

A custom made bench and pewter coats hook helps organize a busy hallway! 

My client had the great idea to hang all these frames using 3M velcro strips! Not only is there no damage to the walls but the frames are so stable and stay perfectly in place (even when say, hit by a errant soccer ball :)

Especially in homes with little ones, I love an upholstered ottoman in place of a coffee table. No sharp edges to worry about and lots of extra space to spread out. This one adds a fun element of pattern in a Robert Allen printed linen.  

We wanted the master bedroom to be a calming, peaceful space but made sure that rich indigo and plenty of pattern kept it from feeling washed out. 

Hope you enjoyed touring this home as much I did working on it!

 {photos taken by the talented Claire}

Singapore Style: Industrial-Vintage in Tiong Bahru

Life in Singapore means apartment living for many of us, and creating stylish and functional homes in small spaces is a big challenge! This incredible industrial home nails it - it is full of personal style and vintage pieces. The 1930's walk-up apartment is located in the trendy Tiong Bahru neighborhood, and was designed by Singapore architects WY-TO. I love the open layout of this interior, and the use of bold patterns and pops of primary color. The patterned rugs layered on the amazing vintage tile = a big win! Lots of older Tiong Bahru apartments have the original tile work and I loved that they saved it. I also love choice of a shop-style metal gate to act as a stairwell railing - such a great nod to the surrounding neighborhood. 

If you are looking to come visit soon here is a fun guide to the neighborhood! Hope to see you there!

{images via and via}

Mini House Tour: Our Singapore Style

A few weeks back my friend and talented photographer Claire, snapped these photos of our current apartment and so I had to share! As a designer, I can't seem to stop arranging and re-styling everything at home, but here are a few images of our home's current state. My husband and I arrived in Singapore almost 6 years ago (wow!) with only two suitcases of clothes - leaving all our furniture and books in boxes at home. One can spot quite a few basic Ikea pieces here, and while one day we hope to splurge on some amazing new pieces, I love mixing high and low. I feel that with the right accessories, interesting objects and bursts of color, even simple spaces can be full of life and personal style. It is certainly still a work in progress but I have had so much fun over the years and all our travels filling in the gaps!

Its quite a modern building and a rental with loads of white walls, so I brought in lots of art and textiles to help warm up the cool space.

My husband will tell you I have a bit of a pillow addiction, but I can't help it, I just love them! Plus pillows are such an easy and cozy way to change up an interior or basic upholstery.

I pulled this nursery together for our little guy when he came along. I love the bold stripe of the rug - and it's indoor-outdoor which is amazing for weathering all the spills and stains babies bring! 

Claire also handmade this lovely abstract dot art piece for us before Wyatt arrived and it was the best color inspiration!

Fresh tropical flowers are one of the best little luxuries of life here - I adore these tiny lemon yellow orchids.

We have no idea where we will land next, but for now, we are loving the journey and life with our little one here in the tropics. Hope you enjoyed our home tour! 

Favorite Sources:

Etsy

Dash & Albert

NuLOOM

Crate & Barrel

Taylor B. Furniture

Society 6 Prints

Ikea

Comfort Design

Land of Nod

FrancFranc
Chelin Co. Upholstery