JUHI BIMBHET and her husband Aadit live in Singapore with their six-year-old daughter, two helpers and, until recently, two senior adopted dogs, Bebe and Poh (who both sadly passed away in the past four months). Their older, beautifully laid-out Bukit Timah condo they bought is on Arcadia Road. We take a look inside!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in Mumbai, India but moved to London when I was 15 with my family (through my father’s job). I went to university in Scotland, and then spent my early career years in London before moving to Singapore in 2012. My parents moved here a few years before I did, and completely fell in love with the city during one of my visits. I took a punt during that vacation to meet with a recruiter, and one month later, I had a job here and was leaving a wintry London for sunny Singapore. I work in advertising on an iconic brand, which is a busy but fun job that is very much a career dream.
My husband, like me, grew up in both India and the UK, before going to the US to study, and then moving here a little while after me. He works in e-commerce. We’ve now been here 12 years, we are Singapore PRs, and we very much feel like this is our home.
Where did you first live when you came here?
I first lived with my parents at their beautiful home in Leedon Park, then in my own place in River Valley. It was a little one-bedroom but near my friend circle, and we adopted our first fur-kid, Bebe, while there. After we got married, we moved into a three bedroom apartment on Holt Road which we expanded our family into.
We had our best friends in the same condo, and our kids formed lifelong second generation friendships during that time. It was a beautiful 1,600-square-foot space with a very flexible landlord, which meant I could do a lot of experimenting with the interiors to really make it our own.
What areas and properties did you look at when choosing this place?
We’d always planned to buy our own home but finding one that met our brief took some time. We wanted something bright, with well-proportioned rooms and that was modern. We saw lots of new builds with incredible facilities, but quite small, boxy living spaces. So, we decided to look at older condos that would give us the space, and most importantly the community feeling we wanted.
That’s how we found the home we now live in. It was during the initial stages of the re-opening post lockdown with only two guests allowed. So, we did a 10-minute viewing of the house, and knew instantly it would be our forever home. We were lucky to have our offer accepted, and after three months of renovations, we moved in.
What do you love about your current Bukit Timah condo and Arcadia Road?
Without doubt, our favourite thing is the space and the layout. When you open the double-entry front doors (which I absolutely fell in love with), you can see straight out to the balcony, where we get the most beautiful view of the sunset. Our balcony is our favourite for when we entertain, and the orientation of our unit means we hear no traffic – it feels like we’re in a resort! I also have a very soft spot for our den, which is my jungle sanctuary!
We love the tree-lined street the condo is in, and the fact that there are only two apartment blocks – it feels quiet and residential. We especially love having Greenwood at our doorstep, and the great neighbourhood feeling it has, along with lots of fantastic eating options too.
Did you have an initial interior design concept in mind?
Yes, I wanted a home that would reflect our love for the tropics, and especially places like Bali, but that was also a nod to our time in big cities like London and Mumbai. So, my brief when looking for a designer was someone who could bring to life “Bali meets New York”. We met with many interior decorators, but no one quite got it – I felt they always brought too much of their own aesthetic to the table rather than trying to understand mine.
That was until I met Nazli from Inline Interiors. Her pitch mood board was absolutely on point, and she brought to life what I had in my head better than I could have imagined; she also has an impeccable eye for detail and knew that every corner mattered to me.
Nazli also had fantastic connections, endless patience and an incredible eye – all of which meant she was able to source the best pieces for our home. She is now a friend and the person I will always credit to for giving me a space that finally made me stop constantly re-inventing my home – because I really wouldn’t change any of it.
Thanks to Nazli, I’ve also learnt to appreciate the importance of the little things in creating big impact – so, scent (candles, room sprays and even linen sprays), handwashes, coffee tables and so on. We also worked with Defour Studios who were our interior design partners and did all the renovation work.
We had a lot of heavy renovation work for our bathrooms and kitchen and they were great value, patient and always going the extra mile for us. (I remember Jonathan from Defour Studios sending me hundreds of photos of door handles until I found just the one I wanted!)
What have been your best buys home-décor wise?
In Nazli’s first mood board, she had a light blue console from Snowglobe. That was the first piece I fell in love with, and it has pride of place in our home now. While we didn’t buy it, my parents gave us their 20-year-old French-lacquered eight-seater dining table that is truly special as I’m yet to find another one like it! It holds memories of all our family meals together in London and Singapore.
We have also learnt how much impact you could add to a home with the right tiles (we went with a Raffles-style blackand-white theme in our master bathroom and a Spanish blue style in our guest bathroom) and with wallpaper. I wish I had used wallpaper more when we were renting as it absolutely transforms a space relatively inexpensively.
The one thing we would have done differently is go all in on anti-mould solutions. Mould is a recurring, serious issue in Singapore so definitely something to solve when renovating a home (or renting one too!)
Any advice for newcomers?
Singapore is the easiest city to settle into – just reach out to anyone you know to get started on building your social circle. No matter how old or young you are, people are always happy to find a spot for you in their lives.
Also – explore! There is a lot more to Singapore than meets the eye and it’s important to break the typical cycle of the same routine and places. There’s always a new café or restaurant or exhibition.
Any other work or special projects you’ve been involved in?
One of the best things I’ve done in Singapore is volunteer with SOSD – a dog charity – as a rehomer. I found my two doggies through them, but I also got to play a part in finding other homeless dogs their forever homes. If you love animals, please adopt or give your time to volunteering at a shelter.
Another big passion point of mine (and reflected in the photos) is tablescapes. I love having close friends and family around the table, and I try and make every detail special. This ranges from fresh flowers, to personalised name place settings (Shopee is a treasure trove). I find setting a special table incredibly meditative.
Name three of your best regional holidays and why they’re special.
Bali is a popular choice, I know, but even though we’ve been many, many times, it never disappoints. The food, the coffee and the home shopping makes it our default choice. There are so many areas to explore that it feels like a new destination each time.
Bangkok is often our kid-free getaway choice as we love to explore the city, go to the markets and malls, and just eat, eat and eat! Our favourite café there is Roast and we often try and stay near one so we can start our day there. It is also familiar enough now to feel like a second home!
While Mumbai is home, we’ve recently rediscovered different parts of India like New Delhi (go for the food, stay for the sights and the amazing shopping) and Coonoor, which is in the Nilgiri mountains (and like something out of a fairytale).
Any regional trips on your bucket list?
The Maldives!
What about further afield?
A road trip with my husband around Italy – Italian wine, food, weather and shopping; I cannot think of anything better.
Juhi’s Recommendations
Interior Design
- Nazli from Inline Interiors | IG: @inline_interiors
- Defour Home Studios
Furniture & Décor
- Finn Avenue | finnavenue.com
- Snowglobe | snowglobe.sg
- Castlery | castlery.com
- Dealya | IG @dealya.co
Doctors & Dentists
- IMC Camden | imc-healthcare.com
- Animal Infirmary (“for a great vet”) | animalinfirmary.com.sg
- Dental Essence | dentalessence.com.sg
Hairdresser
- Chez Vous Hideaway | chezvoushair.com/chez-vous-hide-away
Restaurants, Cafés & Bars
- Cluny Court, including Plain Vanilla | clunycourt.com | plainvanilla.com.sg
- Micro Bakery Kitchen | microbakerykitchen.com
- Writers Bar, Raffles | raffles.com/singapore/dining/writers-bar
- Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar | nassimhill.com.sg
- KOMA Singapore | komasingapore.com
- Fennel by Komala Vilas | fennel.com.sg
- Da Paolo Gastronomia (“for Sunday pizzas”) | dapaolo.com.sg/gastronomia
Travel
- Singapore Airlines | singaporeair.com
Things to Do in Singapore
- Walking around Joo Chiat, discovering new coffee spots
- Lazy Sundays at the Tanglin Club | tanglinclub.org
- Family book shopping at Kinokuniya | kinokuniya.com.sg
- Flower shopping at Ji Mei Flower | jm.com.sg
This article first appeared in the August 2024 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
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