A Home With Old-World Charm in Singapore’s Tiong Bahru

Mikael Teh, founder of Monocot Studio, speaks to us about his firm’s renovation of a heritage Tiong Bahru apartment

For Mikael Teh of Monocot Studio, remodelling this apartment within an early Tiong Bahru public housing community in Singapore was a delight. His clients, a couple who had just relocated from Shanghai, wanted the place to keep its character, the same old-world charm of their previous home. ‘We love preserving bits of Singapore's heritage for future generations,’ says Teh, adding that, with Monocot, he wants ‘to show Singapore that public housing can be as nice or nicer than private housing.’ 

Flanked by two closed balconies, the original design featured two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. Teh adapted it by extending the living room and master bedroom into the balconies and transforming the second bedroom into a small study. He also integrated the previously enclosed kitchen into the living space.

‘Because this is one of the oldest estates in the country, we wanted to preserve as many architectural elements as possible, such as the window grilles, vents, the main door and the internal windows,’ the designer says. But using these elements, which he says were his favourite parts, was more than just keeping them. One of the internal shutter windows from the balcony now sits between the living and the new study, creating a boundary but still allowing both spaces to feel connected. ‘We had to send it for repair and repainting, giving it a new life after almost a century,’ Teh says. And rather than cluttering the space with shelving structures, he opted for wall niches to display the couple's books, a vase collection and an antique sewing machine. Oak flooring spans the entire apartment — another nod to Shanghai nostalgia.

Most of the furniture comprises pieces already owned by the couple. In the living room, an elegant dark brown marble coffee table takes centre stage. Marble reappears on a sculptural lamp by Australian designer Henry Wilson, placed on a mid-century sideboard in the dining room. Beneath a rice paper globe from HAY, a farmhouse dining table proudly displays its natural grains. In the kitchen, glazed cupboards and bespoke floor tiles create an English countryside feel. ‘Original Tiong Bahru kitchens tend to be dark, but we wanted to open this one to have light coming from both directions, something that makes it more welcoming and airy,’ says Teh.

In the bedroom, lime-washed walls compose a wabi-sabi aesthetic. ‘We cherish life's imperfections, and that’s precisely what our clients were seeking,' Teh explains. The previous bathroom was accessible through the kitchen. The new design, however, incorporates an en-suite while retaining a portion of the original bathroom as a powder room for guests. Featuring an extravagant wildlife wallpaper by Cole & Son and an asymmetrical mirror, the powder room contrasts with the rest of the home as a more lavish space that leaves a lasting impact.

As for life in the apartment, the space is now home to a variety of quotidian pleasures. The owners ‘love cooking and hosting’, says Teh. ‘I’m a big fan of Biggie, their dog. He enjoys jumping on the sofa and peering out the window to catch a glimpse of people downstairs.’

Text by Tomás Pinheiro
Images by Studio Periphery