Lecturer’s four-room flat in Sunset Way celebrates family and heritage

SINGAPORE – The owner of this four-room Sunset Way resale HDB flat lived in it for nearly two decades before deciding to renovate in 2024.

An educator who goes only by Ms Mush, she spruced up the 1,120 sq ft unit with keepsakes and gifts from her late parents, as well as her personal touch: a growing collection of cheeseboards. The space is shared with three cats and a helper.

When she moved into the place in 2006, she did not do much due to budget constraints, she says. She kept the terrazzo flooring and spent money only on essentials like rewiring. It was only in 2024, after her mother’s passing and the sale of their 50-year-old family home, that she decided it was time for an overhaul – in a way that would remind her of her former home.

This became the guideline for the months-long renovation by AR-Kee Design Studio, which cost Ms Mush $130,000. She collaborated with a young architect introduced by a fellow lecturer.

The result is a deeply personal space that defies trend or template. Though some have casually described the home as “Peranakan”, Ms Mush is quick to correct this. Her heritage, she says, blends Thai, Indonesian and Singapore Malay roots.

At the threshold of the home stands an elegant, cream-painted iron grille that was once part of Ms Mush’s childhood home. Flanked by wood panelling and open shelving filled with trinkets, the restored grille not only divides but also frames the living area.

Beneath it lie several glass bottles of her mother’s keychains. “My dad travelled around a lot and he would always ask my mum, ‘What do you want?’ And her request was always, ‘Bring me back some keychains’,” Ms Mush says wistfully.

The space’s palette is warm yet eclectic. Wooden accents take the form of a pair of asymmetric coffee tables and a low-slung frame that supports the plush green sofa. The patterned tile floor is inspired by traditional Peranakan ceramic tiles.

There is tactile richness in the living room, from the soft cushions to smooth tabletops to matt tiles. At the far end of the living room, a vintage Singer sewing table finds new life as a display for a classic radio and other collectibles.

The dining area is intentionally modest. “It’s me and my helper most of the time,” Ms Mush says, so there was no need for a large dining set-up. Instead, a round marble-top table and two dark-stained chairs evoke classic kopitiam sets.

On the wall, a framed rattan installation adds texture, while a sculptural pendant lamp casts gentle shadows in the evening light.

Though compact, the kitchenette is a bright, functional space. Most of the cabinetry is painted a lively green, contrasted with off-white upper cabinets and grounded by a central island clad in warm wood and curved brass. Terrazzo backsplash tiles add texture, while a trio of woven pendant lights introduces a playful artisanal touch.

Across the island is Ms Mush’s beloved cheeseboard collection, hung from a custom wooden rack. A glass-fronted cabinet reveals a neatly stacked collection of dishes and ceramics.

The former master bedroom is now a study, while the second bedroom serves as the master suite. This, Ms Mush says, was to create a more functional layout. To do so, she had to remove the wall separating the two rooms.

“I work very late and spend a lot of time here,” she says, pointing to the wooden table that anchors the space.

Her study is lined with custom cabinetry, the shelves painted a vibrant turquoise and filled with books, old cameras and several wooden Babushka dolls. One doll was also a gift from her father after a trip to Moscow in the 1970s.

Separated by a folding wooden divider, the bedroom sits just across from the study. The bed anchors the room centrally, flanked by built-in cabinetry on one side and a slim dressing table on the other.

A landscape painting stretches above the wood-accented headboard, mirroring the horizontal lines of the cabinetry and window blinds. A vintage rocking chair, upholstered in deep red, sits by the bed.

Ms Mush says of her flat: “When you’re surrounded by artefacts that tell stories, you continue the story. I think you relive those stories. And I think a home is not a home when there’s nothing that you can talk about.”