Singapore Chefs Craft a Personalized, Host-Ready Home

Professional chefs Ian and Nicolette, both 29, have created a warm, eclectic home that reflects their personalities and love for hosting. Their Singapore apartment is a blend of walnut tones, terracotta tiles, stainless steel, and Peranakan influences, with a focus on natural light and a connection to the surrounding greenery.

A Home Without a Theme

When designing their space, the couple’s interior designer, Kai of Resistance, encouraged them to follow a simple philosophy: “No theme, just whatever the both of you like.” This approach resonated with Ian and Nicolette, who wanted their home to be a reflection of their tastes and experiences.

The result is a unique blend of styles, where warm walnut, terracotta, and stainless steel coexist with Peranakan references and personal objects collected over seven years. It’s a space that feels accumulated rather than decorated.

The couple first met while interning at Stellar at 1-Altitude and have since worked at restaurants including VUE, Cloudstreet, Meta, and Seroja. With their days spent in fast-paced professional kitchens, home needed to offer something different. “We knew we wanted a home filled with natural sunlight and warm walnut tones,” they share. For Ian, that warmth recalls the teak furniture he grew up around, from the family dining table to lounge chairs and the TV console. Nicolette’s childhood home, meanwhile, was bright and sunlit, filled with Peranakan antiques collected by her mother.

The Heart of the Home

A 2.1-metre walnut dining table anchors the space and can accommodate as many as 12 guests. Since moving in six months ago, the couple have already filled it with gatherings revolving around food, wine, and sake, as well as drinks such as sato from Thailand. “At home, we naturally gravitate towards Asian cuisines,” they say, with Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai flavours regularly making their way onto the table.

A Space That Evolves

The couple’s home is a living timeline of their relationship, with objects scattered throughout the apartment that hold personal significance. Some were used at their wedding, while others were collected over their seven years together.

They deliberately kept permanent carpentry to a minimum and sourced much of their furniture from independent suppliers, giving them the freedom to choose pieces gradually. Among their favourites is a Vitsoe shelving system from Haack Haus, which holds an assortment of wine bottles, cookbooks, and personal objects alongside their altar. Its modular design means the arrangement can evolve with them rather than remain fixed.

Contrasts and Character

The interplay between warm walnut tones, terracotta tiles, and stainless steel creates a unique character in the home. The cooler, industrial finish of stainless steel provides an unexpected counterpoint to the warmer materials, catching the afternoon sunlight and preventing the space from becoming overly rustic.

This tension between elements is what gives the home its personality. As Ian and Nicolette note, “a little warmth, visual tension, or even a touch of chaos” can make a space feel personal and lived-in. Their home is a sign of the idea that contrasts can create a sense of depth and interest, making it a welcoming and engaging environment for both the couple and their guests.

Terracotta tiles in the foyer and a rust-coloured carpet in the living room add warmth and texture, while stainless steel accents, starting with the kitchen backsplash, provide a cooler contrast. The couple are already considering reconfiguring their Vitsoe shelving with Haack Haus, and they suspect more ceramics, books, and stainless steel objects will find their way home with them eventually, ensuring their space continues to evolve organically.