The Chic Home: ‘Petit Paris’ in Tampines HDB maisonette

SINGAPORE – This French-style home belongs to married couple Ronald Wan and Rachel Ong, who love travel and based their Tampines home on apartments they saw in Paris.

As a former fashion blogger, Ms Ong – who is 34 and an assistant marketing director – loves the style of the French capital and wanted to reflect this in the interior of their 1,679 sq ft Housing Board executive maisonette. 

Like many Parisian apartments, their flat is decked out in shades of white and cream.

“A lot of Parisian apartments and houses are in either cream or pastel tones, which look elegant, chic and timeless,” says Mr Wan, a 41-year-old content strategy lead.   

They chose The Merry Men Interiors to overhaul the unit, as they had a positive experience working with the local interior design firm on their first home.

“The interior theme is a contemporary take on the classic French villa reimagined through an Asian understanding of the style, and adapted to the specific materials, resources and construction methods available in Singapore,” says Mr Douglas Choo, one of the firm’s co-founders. 

For the first floor, the designer focused on opening up spaces by removing existing walls around the main entrance, utility and kitchen areas. The former access corridor now forms part of an entrance foyer that evokes a French villa.

The wainscotting in the living room, together with the herringbone wood vinyl flooring, adds a sense of symmetry to the space and a touch of architectural refinement. A boucle sofa augments the French theme. 

With the walls between the living room and balcony removed, the two adjacent areas are one seamless space. As the balcony faces west, the afternoon sun gives the room a warm and welcoming glow. When bathed in this golden light, the Japanese Everfresh tree in the balcony looks enchanting.

Opening up the spaces also made it possible for Mr Choo to add a kitchen island that doubles as a culinary workspace and bar counter for quick meals or chats with guests.

The all-white staircase and clear glass balustrade are eye-catching features. Accentuated by a sculptural pendant light fixture, the space resembles an art gallery.

Although visitors with young children are often anxious about the stairs, the couple say it is safe, thanks to the double-layered glass panels.

More wainscotting can be found on the wall by the bed in the master bedroom on the second floor. Together with the fluted panels behind the headboard, they add visual interest and depth to the white palette. 

The common and master bathrooms have been combined into one large, spa-like bathroom with a spacious shower compartment and a freestanding bathtub.

“Self-care is important and our bathroom is our sanctuary. Merging two existing bathrooms creates a new bathroom that is spacious, open and inviting, perfect for unwinding after a long day,” says Ms Ong.    

Since moving into the home in August 2022, their son has been born. Despite being first-time parents, they are very laid-back, and the home reflects their approach to life. 

The renovation took three months to complete and cost $164,000.