The Chic Home: Tiong Bahru walk-up apartment doubles as private dining space
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This 1,400 sq ft, two-bedroom ground-floor apartment in Tiong Poh Road is the home of Fatt Leong Private Kitchen.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Home & Decor
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SINGAPORE – The Covid-19 pandemic was a period of upheaval and reflection for many. Among them were private chef Justin Leong and his partner, baker Eileen Teo, now in their mid-40s.
The pair – he was a graphic designer and she was running a shop in Haji Lane – were inspired to do something different. “We decided to give private dining a chance,” Leong says.
However, they were worried that hosting frequent dinner guests in their three-room flat in McNair Road would be disruptive to their neighbours. So, they rented out that unit and hunted for a new space.
The terracotta tiles not only create a warm ambience, but are also easy to clean.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
They rented a 1,400 sq ft, two-bedroom ground-floor apartment in Tiong Poh Road that perfectly fit their venture, which they named Fatt Leong Private Kitchen.
Leong creates a seasonal omakase menu, while Teo works on cakes and desserts.
The unit’s central hallway is lined with empty wine bottles for ambience.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
There is a long hallway leading to the bedrooms, two bathrooms and kitchen. The couple lined it with empty wine bottles to add to the ambience. As the kitchen is some distance from the living and dining areas, guests enjoy privacy while dining.
The bathroom is designed in a New York style, with white subway tiles on the walls and mosaic floor tiles in black and white.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
The couple did not engage an interior designer, as the unit had already been renovated.
They spent $5,000 and three months kitting the place out with furniture, which came mostly second-hand from e-commerce platform Carousell and were chosen in earthy colours to match the terracotta flooring.
The patterned wall feature in the living area is reminiscent of the concrete air vents found in many old structures in Singapore.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
“We had to be imaginative to see how the pieces fit into the environment,” says Leong. Along the way, they made mistakes and sold off some pieces, replacing them with more suitable ones.
Most of the furniture is second-hand from Carousell.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
There were also a few mishaps.
For example, they found a 3½-seater sofa which was perfect for the space but could not fit through the unit’s 70cm-wide doorway.
“Since it’s a ground-floor unit, Eileen and I worked together with the deliverymen to move it via the windows,” Leong says with a laugh.
The couple, who moved into the unit in March 2022, say a homely ambience is central to the experience of private dining.
Loeng says: “Here, it is not fine dining. Our equipment consists of home appliances. In that spirit, we want our guests to know that it’s possible to cook restaurant-standard cuisine without fancy equipment.”
This article first appeared in Home & Decor Singapore. Go to
homeanddecor.com.sg
for more beautiful homes, space-saving ideas and interior inspiration.
