An apartment block built in 1985 is considered old by Singaporean standards. It comes with a certain charm no longer found in the city-state’s more contemporary builds, in which apartments are smaller, ceilings lower, layouts less considered, and finishes arguably more economical. Interior designer Elizabeth Hay knows this. Having lived in Singapore for 12 years, she has inside knowledge of the construction industry and is familiar with the variety of homes on offer. The homeowner, an intern of Hay’s who had traded a career in the energy industry for the opportunity to pursue her passion for styling and design, was also familiar with the city’s residential offering. Not long before the Covid-19 pandemic, the homeowner and her husband bought one such ‘old’ apartment for their young family of four.
Chosen by the couple for its sensical flow of spacious rooms and lofty ceilings, there was much about the dated four-bedroomed apartment in a 28-storey building that didn’t appeal to them. Floors throughout had been treated with an orange stain, and combined with feature walls clad in stone, and lowered ceilings, the overall look had an out-of-date Balinese aesthetic.
Having lived in cities around the world, the homeowner wished to give the apartment a cosmopolitan decor facelift inspired by her travels: a light renovation, complete with updated soft furnishings. Who better to conceptualise and execute this new look than her employer, who herself had lived in several countries. British born, Hay was raised in South West England, and prior to moving to Singapore, had lived in both Kenya and the US. Following her university studies, she worked in interior design in London for Sibyl Colefax and Veere Grenney, icons of the British decorating scene. This invaluable experience – coupled with the first-hand knowledge of global design she gleaned from living abroad – has shaped her aesthetic, a fresh interpretation of modern British decorating imbued with cosmopolitan influences.
One such influence was a wallpaper inspired by late 18thcentury hand-coloured aquatints of India, which caught both Hay and her client’s eye, and which became the starting point for much of the project. ‘The inspiration for the design and colours in the main living areas was taken from de Gournay’s Early Views of India scenic wallpaper, which we used in the sitting room,’ says Hay. ‘The deep blues, oranges and reds are echoed throughout the home.’ They repeat in an Uzbek suzani-covered ottoman and a pair of locallysourced chairs (custom-sprayed in blue) in the sitting room and in Beata Heuman’s Palm Drop fabric and grass cloth wallcovering in the dining room. They reappear in the kitchen’s terracotta joinery and blueand-white crockery, and in the family room, with its Moghul-arched shelving, wraparound blue ‘ribbon’ and reflective ceiling.
Conscious of the excesses of Singapore’s construction industry, Hay’s client sought to reuse what was in good condition in the apartment, as well as to minimise waste by repurposing many of the family’s existing furniture pieces.
‘A fun challenge in the brief was my client’s wish to recycle as much of the property’s materials as possible,’ explains Hay. ‘For instance, wallpapering built-in wardrobe doors rather than having them remade.’ Pattern play being a signature trademark of the designer, this presented Hay with the opportunity to have fun, and her harmonious combinations in the daughters’ bedroom, the couple’s dressing room, and the study particularly reflect her decorating confidence.
The considered introduction of cherished pieces (including a pair of reupholstered mid-century chairs) and décor accessories (like an Indian-made inlaid coffee table) completes the globally-inspired look. Much of the lighting, for example, comes from as far afield as New York and Indonesia, and both designer and client’s appreciation of updated takes on traditional Asian rattan design manifests in compelling ways, including in woven wicker wall panelling in the sitting room. The end result, both agree, is a visually arresting creative journey that reflects both Hay and her client’s global travels.
by Martin Jacobs
