Walk into WahBanana co-founder Xiong Lingyi’s Joo Chiat home, and it’s hard not to feel like you’ve entered a beach resort. The 3-bedroom resale condo combines boho and farmhouse influences into a warm, textured home for her and her husband.
The couple’s 4-month renovation, led by Rezt & Relax, transformed the 1,250sqft space into the retreat they’d envisioned. They wanted their home to feel like a getaway inspired by places near the sea, with earthy colours and natural wood tones throughout the space.
Here are 8 things we love about her condo, from the touches that make it practical to the ones that give it real character.
1. Boho farmhouse-inspired living room
Lingyi originally envisioned a boho farmhouse look, though the finished space leans more boho than farmhouse; the couple preferred something minimalist and uncluttered. The living room sets the tone for the rest of the home with its warm wood palette, cool white furniture and relaxed boho styling.
Staying true to the rest of the home, the couple made it a non-negotiable to keep and revarnish the original wooden flooring instead of replacing it with vinyl, bringing a sense of groundedness to the space.
Above the living and dining area, exposed wooden slats immediately draw the eye as an accent piece. They add texture for that farmhouse touch and help the ceiling stand out, while unifying the wooden tones found in the furniture and original flooring below.
Curved elements on the wall bring a touch of wabi-sabi to the room, softening the sharp edges of pieces like the rectangular sofa and coffee table.
As with the flooring, the couple kept the original TV feature wall left by the previous homeowner, reimagining the recess wall into a cosy nook for books and personal knickknacks.
2. Dining & bar corner with a surprisingly luxe $30 Taobao find
The dining area continues the home’s warm wood palette, while including metal accents to keep the space from feeling overly uniform. The standout piece is the dining pendant light, a Taobao find that surprisingly cost just $30.
Its metal frame plays off the wooden slats above, giving the space a polished edge that feeds into the overall beach retreat feel. The couple also mixed in affordable finds like the pendant light with more considered furniture pieces, such as the extendable dining table, perfect for hosting guests.
Tiles were a priority from the start of the renovation, with the couple picking them out before deciding on anything else for the home. In the dining area, that shows up in the sleek kit-kat green tiles at the coffee nook, adding a pop of contrast to the warm space.
They’re balanced out by the light wood cabinets nearby, which keep the corner feeling airy and visually connected to the rest of the home. Small details tied to the overall boho aesthetic show up here too, right down to the wood-grain finish on the power tracks.
3. Cosy balcony space with outdoor grill
Balconies are a coveted premium among condo owners, and it was a non-negotiable for Lingyi when house-hunting. She shared that she specifically wanted a home with a balcony, as living without one would make the space feel too enclosed.
Instead of leaving the balcony as an afterthought, the couple turned it into an outdoor grill space, complete with spacious views of greenery right from the comfort of their dining area. It has since become their go-to spot for weekend barbecues and get-togethers with guests.
The tall balcony windows draw in plenty of natural light that spills into the rest of the living area, creating an open, bright feel throughout the space. Extending the cosy ambience of the dining area, a set of bar stools complements the grill area, making it the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy this quiet corner of Joo Chiat.
4. Closed kitchen designed around Lingyi’s cooking needs
For Lingyi, the kitchen is where she feels most at home. While open-concept kitchens have become the norm in many modern homes, she intentionally opted for a closed kitchen to accommodate her cooking preferences and keep heavy cooking smells from drifting into the rest of the house.
Interestingly, the space was left open for a short while before the glass doors were installed. Although she admits it looked great, it simply wasn’t practical. The enclosed layout now gives her a quiet space to cook without interruptions, while the glass doors still allow plenty of natural light to flow through.
Paired with views of a large mango tree and terracotta floor tiles, the kitchen feels bright and surprisingly spacious despite being enclosed. It’s also fully equipped with thoughtful additions, including a built-in dishwasher tucked neatly beneath the sink.
Ventilation grille added to the drawer front (left), pull-out condiment drawer (right)
The kitchen is also packed with practical details that reflect how Lingyi actually uses the space. Before finalising the cabinetry, her interior designer asked for photos of every appliance and gadget they owned, so each cabinet could be sized around the actual items going into it.
One clever example is the slim pull-out condiment drawer beside the induction hob, which is perfectly sized to store commonly used sauce bottles while making use of what would otherwise be wasted space.
Another practical detail is the discreet ventilation grille built into the drawer front beneath the induction hob. After moving in, Lingyi realised the hob was overheating due to insufficient airflow, so the team retrofitted the cabinet with the slim vent to help heat escape, while maintaining the kitchen’s seamless look.
5. Luxurious & spacious walk-in wardrobe
To free up space in the master bedroom, the couple knocked down its built-in wardrobe entirely and converted an adjacent bedroom into a dedicated walk-in wardrobe instead. Taking up half of the original bedroom, the walk-in wardrobe is fitted with his-and-her sections built to fit different clothing lengths.
The room includes practical features like LED lighting built into the shelves and open shelving that lets the couple see everything at a glance. Luggage and other bulky items are also tucked away on the upper shelves, so the space stays clutter-free.
The entrance is fitted with a sleek glass door that contrasts nicely against the wood cupboards inside, echoing the warm wood tones found throughout the rest of the home.
6. Resort-style master bedroom
The master bedroom carries the coastal boho theme into a more intimate setting. Wooden slats along the ceiling echo similar details in the living room, helping the home feel cohesive from room to room.
Combined with soft furnishings and bedside lamps from Island Living, the space looks and feels like a relaxed beach resort. The couple also knocked down the original built-in wardrobe, creating a more spacious, calming retreat.
Just beside the master bathroom sits a vanity corner, doubling as a practical transition between the 2 spaces. With similar warm tones and wooden blinds, the nook wouldn’t look out of place in a hotel room, rounding off the whole retreat-like feel of the space.
7. Variety of tiles to balance out the warm wood palette
Master bathroom tiles (left), vanity corner tiles (right)
While wood is the dominant material throughout the home, it’s the different tiles that keep the interior from feeling visually flat. What we love is that every area carries its own distinct tile motif, a visual detail that quietly adds up to a cohesive aesthetic across the home.
The master bathroom uses cooler tones similar to the coffee nook in the dining room, while the dressing area introduces a contrasting floor treatment underfoot. Elsewhere, terrazzo tiles and touches of green add extra texture, reinforcing the home’s boho aesthetic throughout.
8. Decorative & durable textured lime plaster walls
One of Lingyi’s favourite investments in the home is the lime plaster used across much of the space, done by Loopy Paint. Unlike limewash, lime plaster creates a more pronounced and tactile texture, adding depth to the walls beyond just colour.
It’s also more practical and durable than a regular paint job in the long run. As the surface is already textured, minor scratches and imperfections are far less noticeable than they’d be on a smooth wall, making it a smart pick for a home that’s actually lived in.
WahBanana co-founder Lingyi’s coastal boho condo
By blending coastal, boho and farmhouse influences, Lingyi’s Joo Chiat condo comes together as a warm and textured home.
For homeowners hoping to pull off something similar, Lingyi’s advice starts with Pinterest. She recommends building out a board before you even meet your ID, since it’s often the quickest way to communicate your taste without having to find the words for it. Beyond inspiration, she also recommends engaging an ID rather than going the DIY route, especially for a project this involved.
Having a professional who could execute the vision from start to finish saved her and her husband a significant amount of time and effort, letting them focus on the fun part of making the space feel like home.
For more featured homes:
- 6 things we love about Zina Ng’s 5-room minimalist BTO flat
- 5 things we love about Nicole Chang Min & James Seah’s Hanok-inspired BTO
- $1,000 faux skylight in a 3-room HDB BTO
Photography by: Vivien Del Valle
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