T
alk about going back to
your roots. The Tiong
Bahru neighbourhood was
Edwin Goh’s childhood haunt,
and it’s where his residence is
located today. His father ran a
food stall at the old Seng Poh
Road Market there, and still does
so, at the renamed Tiong Bahru
Market and Food Centre. The old
estate always had a place in his
heart, so it wasn’t surprising that
the banker eventually moved
into a two-bedroom SIT flat (it
was originally a three-room
unit) with his partner, Vernon
Voon, a lawyer.
“The place oozes nostalgia,
but we also love the uniqueness,
feel and character of the SIT
flat,” says Edwin. “It’s a slice
of Singapore history, built
apparently by Samsui women,
has a low density living and, of
course, is just right next to the
famous Tiong Bahru market!”
Both also fell in love with the
longer window panels not found
in standard HDB flats. “The
windows give us a sense of space
of the surroundings and a good
view of the beautiful heritage
trees,” elaborates Edwin.
Setting up their dream home
in an SIT flat, which cost about
$90,000 to renovate, didn’t
come without challenges. They
had to plan the layout of the
interior around a baby grand
piano, which was brought
over from their terrace home.
“Vernon plays the piano and
we wanted a bigger living room
that could fit it, so we went
for a complete overhaul and
reconfigured the three-bedroom
apartment into a two-bedder,
which also resulted in a bigger
en-suite master bedroom
with built-in wardrobes,” says
Edwin. “We wanted a modern
retro design, something that
above
For a contrast
with the retro
theme that
permeates the
rest of the home,
the owners
opted for a
vibrant pop of
their favourite
colour “blue”
for the kitchen
cabinets.
opposite
In a nod
to the few
remaining coffee
shops in the
neighbourhood,
the owners got
a kopitiam-style
dining table,
customised
with slim,
sleek legs for a
modern touch.
