How on earth do creative minds work? How do artists turn a blank canvas into a work of art? In today's Welcome Home story, we find out how Siang turned an empty shell of an apartment into a stunning home filled with warmth and style, a place you'd be only too happy to spend your Circuit Breaker days, pretending you're in a 6 Star hotel suite. Forget Staycations! This is all you need to StayHappy.
From as far back as I remember, Siang has always had this flair. Growing up, he always added a touch of design to everything he did. Not satisfied with a plain painted bedroom wall when he was in junior college, he proceeded to stencil in a broad stripe across, and thus was born his feature wall. He took his design skills to his cars too. Adding a stripe here, upping the colour intensity there (this was the 1970s, when stripes were De Rigueur)
But his homes !
Boy, they were always on trend. I remember his first 700sq ft apartment along East Coast Road, in full Art Decor glory with a kitchen accented with Alessi homeware. To work with the tight space constraints, a turquoise bean shaped table top became a hanging piece on his living room wall, brought down to seat friends coming over for dinner. Clever!
Today, we take a look at Siang's latest home, to see how all the design elements come together
Colours
A colour palette that is warm, and a little more on the darker tones for the key feature walls.
Furniture
Browns, woods, dark rich coloured metals
Accent Pieces
Based on a theme of nostalgia. Vintage luggages, hairsalon lamp
Flower Arrangements
It should come as no surprise that these were created by Siang. Bold and eyecatching, they add a pop of colour to the baseline colour scheme.
Cement Screed Wall
The raw effect of a 'cement wall' adds an 'industrial' feel to the home, and complements the metal trimmings on his dining room furniture.
Form or Function?
How about both? Siang's pantry is a spacious home to his can and dried food, hidden from view behind the white doors that give his kitchen a clutter free and clean look.
Practical Tip: Shallower shelves make it easier to find stuff. About two bigs cans deep is ideal. That way, you don't end up storing food till way past their expiry date because they were hidden from view.
Rome wasn't built in a day
It's all about layering - Adding a 1960s Hair salon light piece here, changing up the sofa there, changing up the color of a feature wall, buying and shifting things around. It's clearly an ebb and flow process. Buy new stuff, rearrange to integrate with old stuff, and donating stuff that doesn't fit in anymore. In other words, designing for Siang is a non static and ever evolving process that never hits the brakes.
Who's calling the shots now !
Some days, it feels like his latest addition to the family, Sheba , thinks she's the queen of the house. Especially after she got her own DIY retro fitted Doggie Door to 'her' Master Bedroom. I guess that's where the phrase, Queen of Sheba comes from?
FLOWERS ADD COLOUR AND SETS THE TONE OF THE ROOM
Flower Arrangements can change the mood of any room. But remember, like fashion and clothes, it needs a revamp every now and then, to keep up with the latest trends in colour and choice of blooms.
Tired of a piece of furniture? Vamp it up DIY style. It's easier than you think! And you'll feel so proud of yourself too!
Instead of just shopping for clothes and groceries, change it up a little and shimmy your way down the aisles of Spotlight or Arab Street for new and interesting material to redo those tired looking dining room chairs. All you need is a Staple Gun and your fabric and a dose of DIY energy.
Definitely a Conversation Piece
Ah... the 60s ! Back when our mothers would visit the Hair Salon at least twice a week to wash and style their hair. That was the time of heavy perms and major hair teasing. If nostalgia is your thing, relive those memories by turning iconic pieces into everyday appliances. Siang picked up this piece of history in a vintage store when a Hair Salon in Tiong Bahru closed its doors for good. It now stands in his living room as a lamp.
UPDATE !
Told you it's always a Work-in-Progress thing for Siang! His updated Ottoman is now a Moo-In to win the title of Trendiest Furniture Piece in the west!
