How a Niseko stay inspired this Singapore Eunos home — SkimNews
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- Joshua Choo and Marilyn Lim, both in their 30s and working in shipping, first encountered Suiboku's lofts in Upper Hirafu Village during a snowboarding trip years ago, calling out the contrast between raw textures and modern luxury.
- The couple upgraded from a one-bedroom at One Pearl Bank to a four-bedroom Eunos apartment after COVID, citing space needs and plans to grow a family.
- Sherman Chua, founder of interior design practice Song & Opera and a childhood and National Service friend of Choo's, reinterpreted Brutalist architecture's sculptural qualities through rounded cabinet handles, curved ceiling edges, and bespoke furniture.
- Chua reconfigured the apartment by removing the dry kitchen counter and glass sliding door, opening the wet kitchen into a galley-style space and shifting the dining area toward the kitchen to free up the living room.
- A long built-in cabinet floats from the foyer to the living room, curving like a paper scroll and housing a minibar, shoe cabinet, and a Samsung The Frame television set against cream wallpaper.
- Custom furniture was sourced from Guangzhou—including a coffee table so heavy it required three workers to carry in—reflecting Chua's view that Singapore lacks more bespoke options.
- The couple continue to make annual winter trips to Niseko or Habuka and wanted the home to feel "a little like a staycation" every weekend, with porthole-like wall lights reinforcing the hotel-room atmosphere.
Why it matters: Sherman Chua reconfigured the apartment to put conversation over the television, removing the dry kitchen counter and glass sliding door to make room for a floating cabinet curving from foyer to living room. The Guangzhou-sourced custom furniture—including a coffee table requiring three workers to carry it in—reflects what Chua calls Singapore's gap in bespoke options.
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