The Ultimate Condo Renovation

How do you turn an older apartment into a forever home? This condo renovation at Scotts 28 by Singapore studio Arete Culture combines contemporary interior design with open-plan living, clever space planning and repurposed furniture. Take a look inside the home renovation – plus, five interior design tips to take from the project!

House hunting before a home renovation

Most people hire an interior stylist after they’ve bought a home. Eugene Lee did the opposite. Long before the sale of his apartment at Scotts 28 in the Orchard/Newton area was finalised, he was already sharing property listings with the team at Arete Culture, asking the same questions each time. Could this apartment work? Would the layout suit the way he wanted to live? Did it have the potential to become his forever home?

It was also far from their first project together. Eugene had already worked with Arete on two previous homes, making Scotts 28 their third collaboration in eight years – and their most extensive renovation yet.

For Arete founder Caroline Chin Geyler, it was unlike any project the studio had undertaken before. “We were involved right from the start of his home search,” she says. “That level of trust and belief was a real privilege.”

Three homes in eight years

The relationship began in 2018, when Eugene commissioned Arete to personalise his first home, a newly completed developer-built semi-detached house on Gilstead Road in Novena. Starting with an empty shell, the team oversaw everything from renovation work and bespoke carpentry to furniture sourcing and styling.

It was clearly a home people connected with. When Eugene sold the property in 2024, the buyers loved it so much they asked to purchase everything inside. “He only took a few personal keepsakes,” says Caroline. “They wanted the entire home exactly as it was.”

Next came a two-storey duplex at Chancery Court. It was always intended to be temporary – somewhere comfortable to live while Eugene searched for a home he could truly settle into. Even then, Arete was there to furnish and style the space, knowing another move was already on the horizon.

Then, in 2026, Scotts 28 became their third collaboration in eight years – and their most extensive home renovation yet. By then, the project didn’t begin with a mood board. It began with a relationship.

Designing a forever home with Arete Culture

Recently retired, Eugene wasn’t looking for a home that followed the latest trends or made a design statement. Instead, he wanted somewhere that reflected how he hoped to spend the years ahead – entertaining close friends, listening to music, enjoying his hobbies and settling into a slower pace of life.

By the time Scotts 28 came along, the usual design brief was almost unnecessary. After eight years and two previous homes together, Caroline and her team already understood what mattered most to Eugene and how he wanted his home to feel.

“The brief was simple: create a bright, open-plan home that embraced the greenery outside and would stand the test of time,” she says.

To bring that vision to life, Arete used a contemporary interior design approach, layering stone finishes, textured laminates, warm timber flooring and black detailing throughout the home. The same materials reappear from room to room, creating a consistent thread.

Reusing furniture in a new home

Not every piece of furniture was replaced during the home renovation. Around 95 percent of Eugene’s artwork, mirrors, carpets, accessories and furniture from his previous home were repurposed throughout Scotts 28, often finding a place in entirely different rooms.

Combined with a carefully chosen selection of new pieces, they create a home that feels fresh while retaining a connection to Eugene’s previous homes. Many of the pieces have simply been reimagined in different rooms, proving that a well-chosen collection doesn’t need replacing with every move.

For Arete, Scotts 28 represents far more than another completed renovation.

“We joked that we wanted to camp in the apartment before Eugene moved in,” says Caroline. “That’s how invested we’d become.”

After three homes together over eight years, perhaps that’s the strongest endorsement of all: not simply that Eugene returned for a third project, but that he trusted the process as much as the people behind it.

Contemporary interior design for a home renovation

It’s hard to imagine how compartmentalised the apartment once felt. Walls divided the living spaces, interrupted natural light and broke up the flow between rooms. For this condo renovation, Arete went well beyond updating the finishes, stripping the apartment back and completely reimagining the layout.

The result is a bright, open-plan living space where the kitchen, dining and lounge areas connect naturally, with greenery visible beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Designing the kitchen around a statement island

Wrapped in an arched profile finished with multi-toned tiles, the oversized island provides generous storage, incorporates discreet storage near the entrance, and serves as both a practical workspace and a natural gathering place when friends visit.

Homeowner Eugene Lee discusses his condo renovation

“This is my third time working with Caroline and Nirvi from Arete Culture. The project involved an extensive gut renovation of an old condo. We had to hack the kitchen, reinstate two bedrooms, and completely redo the kitchen and all three bathrooms. The process took six months because of the working-hour restrictions imposed by the condo management. Throughout it all, the Arete team remained cool, calm and collected, reassuring me there was light at the end of the tunnel when all I could see was rubble.

“We spent a lot of time brainstorming the space planning for the kitchen and master bathroom, based on Arete’s principle that fittings should be practical, not just aesthetically pleasing. On styling day, Caroline turned up with her arm in a sling after emergency surgery. She was so energetic and driven that she almost forgot she was in pain. Her passion for her work really shone through.

“The end result was gorgeous, and every one of my guests has been wowed. Even my neighbour, who was renovating a nearby condo, asked who my interior designer was after peeking into my apartment while it was still a work in progress. As usual, the Arete team did an A+ job.”

Space planning for a home renovation

Reconfiguring the master suite, guest room and music room required significant planning, while balancing storage throughout the apartment meant every centimetre had to work harder. Rather than hiding the resulting corridor doors, Arete turned them into a design feature through carefully detailed frameless panels, contrasting finishes and accent handles.

What could have become a purely functional hallway is now a design feature in its own right.

Designing rooms around the way you live

The bedrooms continue the home’s calm palette, while the master ensuite was designed as a spa-like retreat, complete with a freestanding bathtub, generous shower and ample storage. Even the compact powder room follows the same approach, with richly textured tiles, warm lighting and elegant detailing.

Perhaps the most personal room is the dedicated music room with double-glazed windows and sound absorbing rugs, carefully planned to accommodate Eugene’s collection of instruments while also functioning as an intimate space to entertain.

Five contemporary interior design ideas from this home

• Think long-term – Design for the next decade, not just the next few years.
• Let in more light – Prioritise natural light and open-plan living where possible.
• Store less – Build only the storage you genuinely need.
• Reuse before replacing – Existing furniture can feel new in a different setting.
• Make it personal – Create spaces that reflect your hobbies and the way you live.

Arete Culture
63 Hillview Avenue, Lam Soon Building, Unit #07-07/09/10/23 and #09-08
9640 3829 | areteculture.com

This article on a condo renovation by Arete Culture first appeared in the September 2026 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription, or read the digital version for free now.

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