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Moving into this two-bedroom condominium apartment marked the start of a new chapter in life for 72-year-old Bebe Seet. If you find her name familiar, that’s because she’s the founder and owner of Katong-based Peranakan heritage boutique Rumah Bebe, which also serves homemade nyonya food.
At A Glance
Who lives here: A homeowner with her helper
Home: Two-bedroom condominium apartment at Amber Road
Size 1,612 sq ft
ID: Oz Titus
It’s no wonder, then, that her home is every bit as elegant as the owner. A mix of traditional Peranakan heritage, resort elements, and a dash of colonial charm, her home is an example of how different styles can come together to form a design narrative that’s unique and timeless to the homeowner.
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Bebe engaged designer Oz Titus to put together the look for her apartment. Having met through a shared love of Peranakan heritage and cuisine, Bebe and Oz had become friends some years earlier. When it was time for her store to undergo a makeover, she enlisted his help for the design. Since Oz is intimately familiar with the culture, having Peranakan heritage himself, she gave him full creative rein.
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Oz admits that he is a perfectionist who pays attention to the smallest details. “The design has to create the maximum impact,” he says. It was with this ethos that he approached the design of the 1,612 sq ft apartment, taking into account Bebe’s existing furnishings as well as the need for practicality.
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To complement the antique pieces that Bebe had amassed over the years, Oz chose a clean neutral palette accented by open-pore cerused wood veneers. The cerusing emphasises the grain of the wood, making it a beautiful backdrop to showcase her vintage pieces.
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In the foyer, the wood creates a warm and intimate vestibule that welcomes visitors into the home, before opening up into the living and dining areas. Oz paid particular attention to the spatial flow, using layers to subtly define each area. The ceiling structure changes and rises as one moves from the dining area to the living room, a feature Oz emphasised with the use of wooden slats that run around the perimeter of the living room ceiling. “The wooden slats also lend a colonial touch to the space,” he says of this design element.
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Maintaining cohesiveness was an important strategy in streamlining the overall look, especially in a home with several intricate pieces of furniture. The wooden shutter doors leading to the master bedroom, for instance, echo the lines of the wooden slats in the living room.
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And though each bathroom has its own distinct personality, Oz tied the look together by incorporating a quatrefoil motif into the window grilles – an astute design choice that walks a fine line between minimalist and retro.
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By keeping the look balanced, Oz was able to add elaborate flourishes. The wardrobe doors are covered in vivid floral hand-painted silk from Just Anthony, while the master bathroom showcases a tableau of tropical jungle life on custom wallpaper by Craft Axis. These complement Bebe’s collection of Peranakan-styled home accessories, which are often painted or embroidered by hand with similarly intricate florals.
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Of course, these stylish touches are not without a sense of practicality. One of the priorities in the brief was for this home to be age-proof and fully accessible. To achieve this, Oz ensured that all the flooring was level, with no tricky steps to navigate. He also switched out the guest bathroom’s swing door for a sliding barn door, included shower seats, and made sure there were no awkward corners.
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Every bit of this home was designed with loving care, but if Bebe had to pick a favourite room, it would be the living and dining area. A generously sized dining counter, custom-made and overlaid with Calacatta marble, is where her loved ones can gather. Oz designed the table to pay homage to the concept of Tok Panjang, the Peranakan custom of having an extravagant feast laid out over a long table for friends and family to eat together.
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The living area is also where Bebe loves to sit, surrounded by her favourite antique pieces and doing her beading work while looking out at the view of the pool. “This space is so cosy, and you can see everything that’s going on,” she says. “I love doing my work here – it’s a place where I can relax.”
Photography: Veronica Tay
Art Direction: Nonie Chen
All images courtesy of Veronica Tay.
