Makeover gives East Coast apartment a masculine, modern edge

Interior designer Warren Foster-Brown is more used to taking on huge hotel projects for a living, but here we find out how he transformed his own apartment to create a contemporary but comfy home in the popular East Coast area.

Who lives here: British expat Warren Foster-Brown
Size of home: Three-bedroom condo owned by Warren
How long has he lived here: Since July 2011
Style of home: Modern, with a warm masculine edge

East coast apartment warren — Warren sits in one of his favourite spots in his home, which looks out onto the peaceful communal condo area.

Originally from the UK, Warren has now spent over two decades working and living in Asia. After finishing his degree in interior architectural design in London, he first moved to Hong Kong, joining a top architectural firm for four and a half years before being headhunted to work for another firm in Singapore in 2000.

After he decided to take the plunge and set up his own company in 2005, the creatively titled FBEYE was born, and the studio now works for well-known hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Marriott, Amari, Shangri-La and InterContinental, kitting out their interiors across Asia-Pacific. In fact, you can spot his handiwork in The Westin Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali, and in The Westin here in Singapore – just two examples of the many award-winning projects his company has had a hand in.

One of the more personal projects Warren has been involved in is his own home, having purchased his originally three-bedroom apartment in 2011. Along with replacing walls between the lift lobby and the living room, he also removed one of the walls between the second and third bedrooms, making it a larger, more accommodating space. There are plenty of custom-made pieces seen throughout this apartment, including a large, fun drinks cabinet in the open-plan kitchen area, and a unit in the master bedroom that hides a pop-up television.

East coast apartment - Bedroom — The collection of photos on the wall are from Warren’s 40th birthday celebrations.

Putting down roots

Warren hasn’t always lived on the East Coast; he started off his Singapore life in a condo near Holland Village. He then moved to a black-and-white on McNair Road, where he stayed for seven years. “But I then went through a traumatic event in my life, which saw me have brain surgery,” he admits, “and I decided I needed to go from a dark to a light house.” After renting a house in Siglap, he found this apartment. “Typically, the landlord wanted to hike up the rent of the place I had in Siglap. The company was well-established by then and I just felt it was the right time to buy.”

East coast apartment dining room — The chair in the corner of the balcony is from Taylor B, where Warren also bought a lot of the furniture for his house in France and had it shipped over

Warren also has a house in Limoges in France, close to where his parents have retired to. “It’s in the middle of nowhere and it’s just been renovated.” He admits that his own home style changes a fair amount, as trends come and go, and his home here is quite different from his property in France. “Here I wanted a place to come back to and chill out in, as I travel a lot. I wanted a casual feel to it, and comfortable too.”

With much of his time spent travelling for business, he finds his biggest design influences are found while he’s abroad. “I don’t think there’s a day goes by when you’re not influenced by something. If, say, we’re working on a project in Myanmar, we explore the area and its architecture and artefacts, we talk to the locals, and try to get a sense of the space around us.”

East coast apartment pool — “One of the reasons I bought the apartment was the peaceful aspect of the condo. The pool is cool, with hammocks hanging across it, and the landscaping is really beautiful.”

Warren’s plan is to stay put in Singapore for the foreseeable future; “I’m a PR, I have my business with a head office in Singapore and an office in Manila, and we’re growing into other areas.” This includes opening an office in Shanghai, and possibly looking at European expansion down the line. Asked if he sees himself ever returning to the UK, his response is doubtful. “I’ll admit I sometimes miss it in the summer, but definitely not in the winter!”