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Text Cherell SoonImages courtesy of Briey Interior unless otherwise stated

runway readyWho says local homes are boring? This airport themed home is a dream come true for married couple Darren Ng and Veronica Looi

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LIVING AREA A customised wallpaper of an airport runway sets the theme of the home right from the entrance.

Who they are:Married couple Darren Ng and Veronica Looi, both 38 years old, share a love story that would be the envy of most. The pair became friends through a magazines pen pal service when they were just 13. They began dating at 18 years old, and finally tied the knot six years after. Darren is an online entrepreneur while Veronica works in the public service line. The couple lives with their two daughters Destinee, 9, and Desiree, 2.

The place: Their third home so far, Darren and Veronica were looking specifically for a home in the Queenstown area since Veronicas parents live in the neighbourhood. Also, they wanted a close proximity to Gan Eng Seng Primary School where their daughter attends school at. Deciding against HDB flats because the prices were close to that of private housing, the couple finally decided on Queens Condo. Not only is it relatively new and well-maintained, it is located conveniently close to the MRT station.

Talking point:If theres one thing that stands out about their home, its definitely the unconventional and fun theme its based on. Inspired by their love for travelling, each area of the home is designed and decorated to look like an airport terminal, aircraft and hotel respectively. Spearheaded by interior designer Brigette Hew from Briey Interior, the total renovation cost of the apartment was approximately S$100,000, and the overhaul covered almost 90 percent of the home.

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We cant help but feel impressed with the bold decision to furnish your home in such a unique theme. How did this idea come about?Darren: I think its fun to have a theme for a home. A house can look immensely luxurious, but without a theme, its kind of boring and pointless. This theme was inspired by our love for travelling, so the entire home is designed with a flow that takes one from the departure hall of an airport terminal, checking of flight schedules, the waiting area, the aircraft cabin and then to the destination the bedrooms that are designed with a hotel feel. We did consider if the home would be difficult to sell off, but I guess we liked the theme enough to forgo other doubts.

Since the theme and design is unusual, did you have a difficult time looking for a designer who could deliver what you had in mind?Veronica: We were deciding between two designers initially, both of which were located near our old home. We were attracted to Briey Designs showroom which looks like pre-war houses, where we met Brigette. As compared to the other designer we spoke to, Brigettes ideas were definitely more creative and the design of the wall that looks like the aircraft cabin was what won us over.

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For a clean and seamless look, the TV is kept hidden from view when not in use, allowing the limelight to shine on the flight schedule board just above.

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was too costly so we decided against it and created a lookalike instead.

What about furniture shopping, was your interior designer involved in the process?V: No we did it mostly on our own, which was a big mistake! We thought we could handle it and decided to go ahead to purchase some furniture pieces which in the end, couldnt fit into our space because we didnt take the necessary measurements. The bedframe for our master bedroom was too big and we threw it away in the end as it couldnt be returned. Our daughters bedframe managed to fit, but it didnt leave enough space for the cupboard doors to swing open. As a result, Brigette had to change the swing-out doors to sliding ones to accomodate the bigger bed. We realised we should have taken her advice and gone furniture shopping with her instead!

was prolonged because of the condos rules that we have to avoid noise between 1 to 2pm. That meant that renovation works could only be carried out from 9am to 1pm, then 3 to 5pm.

We noticed lots of attention to detail, like the wallpaper and flight schedule board. Whose ideas were they?D: Some were ours and some Brigettes. For the wallpaper with the aircraft in the background, I wanted something with a blurry, unfocused effect instead of the usual sharp, landscape ones. Brigette was the one who found a suitable picture and had it customised. For the flight schedule board, we actually considered having the actual from that you see in the airport! Brigette found out that its possible to purchase the screen and projector that reflects the actual flight schedules direct from the airport, but it

Apart from the designers creativity, what other criteria do you look for when contracting an interior designer?D: The first thing is the budget. But besides that, I think its very important that the designer is able to listen and understand what we are looking for and what we want our home to look like. Our previous designer was too individualistic and was adamant on implementing her own ideas instead of incorporating ours. Brigette however, knew what we wanted and worked round our ideas and enhanced them.

Were there any challenges faced during the renovation process?V: One problem was the floor tiles. They were initially almost all-white ones, but halfway through the laying process due to unforseen circumstances, we decided to replace them with the more greyish ones we now have. Also, the renovation process

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For a young couple to have moved three houses so far is quite unusual. Isnt it tiring?D: We enjoy it! Actually, our plan is to move every five years, which is what weve been doing so far. For me, its like a motivation to upgrade with each move. Our first home was a five-room HDB flat unit, then a two-bedroom condominium, and now a three-bedroom condominium. For our next move, were aiming for a landed property in Holland area. Also, we would like to create varying childhood memories for our children with the

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change of environments. I already have two themes in mind for our next home: A carnival one for the garden and a sea cruise one for the indoors!

That sounds like so much fun! Can you share some advice for homeowners who want to be more adventurous with their themes as well?D: Society and mind sets are changing. Instead of sticking to safe, tried-and-tested designs to increase chances of selling off the house in future, I think that being more daring and bold reflects personality and captures attention. Your home is going to be the place you spend the most time, so you should be able to have fun when youre at home. After all, you only live once and shouldnt have any regrets. Just do whatever you want!

Briey Interior Ptd Ltd, +65 6396 6668, www.brieyinterior.comP

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