Joy and Shyan’s fondness for hosting can be seen in the expansive social spaces in their home that flow naturally into one another. Numerous cosy nooks are dotted around the flat for more intimate conversations and the affable couple’s late-night heart-to-heart sessions with their friends. We love the fun pops of colour that contrast with the otherwise masculine and metallic grey tones to create this welcoming sanctuary, all topped off with the warmest greetings from an affectionate little pooch named GouGou.
Shyan(S): “I’m a cinematographer. My job sounds cool and exciting but I’m actually a boring person with a fun job. I love Yakiniku, and my dream is to open a Yakiniku Bar in the future!”
J: “This is actually now GouGou’s home and we are mere tenants.”
“We were very inspired by European interior designers, like Studio Pepe and Supercraft. We didn’t want a cookie-cutter kind of design where one-size fits all, so I would say our house is an eclectic mix of a grungier mid-century modern and maximalism.”
J: “We are introverts who appreciate the company of our closest friends, so while we usually have friends over every other weekend, we also have little nooks and seats hidden all around the house to get some respite if needed. Open Studio, our ID turned friends, helped to shape the home’s layout to accomplish that.”
“Having a dedicated workspace in the study means I can leave everything work-related behind at the end of the day and go into home-mode when I re-enter the living space. At the same time, its quadrant-shaped window that looks out into the rest of the house helps me feel connected to the home and cushions the sometimes isolating experience of WFH.”
J: “A lot of the smaller pieces on display are either from a significant event or really just gifts from friends – like this lovely illustration of us. Almost all of our plants were from friends too.”
S: “I used to be quite militant about what was displayed but after some time I realised that it’s these little imperfect touches, and the stories they bring with them that really make a house a home.”
S: “My favourite spot in our home would be the balcony, sometimes I would just open up the windows fully, and just sit by the window and watch the clouds.”
“Our morning routine consists of GouGou waking us up at around 8-8.30am. Whoever is awake first would release the kraken from her pen for her sprint and high-jump into our bed, to wake the next person up.”
S: “My work hours are irregular, so on work days, I would just wash up and leave the house in less than 30min.”
“We have a chair that is now held together with twine because 1 month into moving in, a friend broke it while lol-ing too hard. We haven’t had the heart to throw it out because that was one of the best parties we had with all of the best people in our lives. So now it sits at our little dining table, leaving weird dings on the wall when the back gives way.”
J: “As far as our sleeping habits go, I’m afraid of the cold so I will usually burrito myself into the duvet. Shyan is really afraid of the heat, so the air-conditioning has to be turned on every night.”
J: “ SOJAO’s luxe Crisp sheets really rustle when we roll in them. Shyan falls asleep way too quickly because they’re cooling so that’s good! They’re much lighter in weight and dry quick. I think GouGou is the main beneficiary here though, she loves burrowing in them. The colours really bring the room together!”
Joy and Shyan’s bed is dressed in a Classic Mix & Match Bundle Set consisting a White Fitted Sheet, Blush Duvet Cover and a White Pillowcase Pair, finished with a Pillowcase Pair in Clay from our latest Crisp Collection.
“Mi Casa es Su Casa. Home is as much a space for us as it is for our family and friends, a place where others feel at ease and hopefully at peace.”
“But not too much actually, because we have a friend who always overstays her welcome (think 5am and she’s still there). It’s a running joke, she knows it and still does it anyway. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
