My Houzz: A Dose of Singaporean Flavour in a Barcelona Apartment
Singaporean artist Pearlyn Ong and her young family build their expat nest in Spain
When watercolour artist and wedding stationery designer Pearlyn K.min of Pearlyn and Paper moved to Barcelona, Spain with her husband, they rented a two-bedroom apartment measuring just 538 square feet (50 square metres). “Once our little girl, Rey, was born, we felt like the home had shrunk in size. There was not enough room for two strollers and all her baby stuff, plus she was starting to move around. Who knew a baby would take so much space!”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple with a one-year-old daughter
Where is it: Barcelona, Spain
Size: 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple with a one-year-old daughter
Where is it: Barcelona, Spain
Size: 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom
What we loved about this apartment was the size of the living area; as a family, we realise how important living areas are as most of our time is spent in the living room. The parquet floors were another draw. I love our dark hardwood floors as it gives a lot of warmth to the home. We didn’t do any renovations as the apartment was in a good state with a refurbished kitchen and bathrooms.
Decorating style
Our decor is a mix of my style and my husband’s. I’ve always loved the textures, prints and greens of the boho theme while the husband loves the wood and blackened iron of the industrial style. So, we mixed industrial-looking furniture with soft boho elements like plants, rattan and printed fabrics.
Our decor is a mix of my style and my husband’s. I’ve always loved the textures, prints and greens of the boho theme while the husband loves the wood and blackened iron of the industrial style. So, we mixed industrial-looking furniture with soft boho elements like plants, rattan and printed fabrics.
Design strategy
We didn’t work with any contractors as we didn’t renovate the home; we simply furnished the entire apartment.
Believe it or not, we selected most of our furniture online! When our dining table and chairs arrived, the two didn’t match at all! Instead of returning it, I decided to stain the table myself and it turned out better than I had imagined. We also ordered a glass cage chandelier with four bulbs as our statement light above the dining table, but it broke each time it was delivered. This happened three times and we spent two months eating in the dark before we finally gave up and chose this current light.
We didn’t work with any contractors as we didn’t renovate the home; we simply furnished the entire apartment.
Believe it or not, we selected most of our furniture online! When our dining table and chairs arrived, the two didn’t match at all! Instead of returning it, I decided to stain the table myself and it turned out better than I had imagined. We also ordered a glass cage chandelier with four bulbs as our statement light above the dining table, but it broke each time it was delivered. This happened three times and we spent two months eating in the dark before we finally gave up and chose this current light.
Favourite features
My favourite part of the home is by far the living area, where we spend most of our time. It’s especially gorgeous in the morning when the morning light spills through those linen curtains – it makes everything so light and airy.
As you can see we don’t have a coffee table; we planned it that way so our baby can play on the carpet. The carpet makes a great play mat, without the childish, brightly-coloured prints I don’t quite fancy.
My favourite part of the home is by far the living area, where we spend most of our time. It’s especially gorgeous in the morning when the morning light spills through those linen curtains – it makes everything so light and airy.
As you can see we don’t have a coffee table; we planned it that way so our baby can play on the carpet. The carpet makes a great play mat, without the childish, brightly-coloured prints I don’t quite fancy.
We like to travel, and when we do, I always collect ethnic/ cultural handmade pieces and/or vintage pieces. Vintage markets are always a great place to source for unique decor items. The hand-painted porcelain swallows above the TV are one of my favourite decor items and we got them in Portugal. Each is different, intricate and handmade, but above that, swallows are a symbol of family and home in Portugal. The other items we’ve collected over the years include the vintage mirror and many paintings and prints.
Design budget
As we weren’t sure how long we were going to live in Barcelona, we didn’t want to splurge and buy expensive labels. Most of our furniture came from either Ikea or Maisons du Monde.
The only thing we splurged on was our bed. After moving homes five times in the last three years, we knew the importance of a good bed. It goes a long way, but even then, we bought ours from Ikea. The rest of the items we splurged on were really small decor items, like the pillow covers, the plants and the rattan decor items we bought. This was how we stayed within budget – finding cheap staple furniture (like our 299€ sofa bed, 299€ dining table and 198€ carpet was such a steal), and splurging on unique decorating items instead.
As we weren’t sure how long we were going to live in Barcelona, we didn’t want to splurge and buy expensive labels. Most of our furniture came from either Ikea or Maisons du Monde.
The only thing we splurged on was our bed. After moving homes five times in the last three years, we knew the importance of a good bed. It goes a long way, but even then, we bought ours from Ikea. The rest of the items we splurged on were really small decor items, like the pillow covers, the plants and the rattan decor items we bought. This was how we stayed within budget – finding cheap staple furniture (like our 299€ sofa bed, 299€ dining table and 198€ carpet was such a steal), and splurging on unique decorating items instead.
TELL US
What do you like about this apartment? Let us know in the Comments section.
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit creative, personality-filled homes in Singapore or of Singaporeans, and speak with the people who inhabit them.
What do you like about this apartment? Let us know in the Comments section.
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit creative, personality-filled homes in Singapore or of Singaporeans, and speak with the people who inhabit them.
In her own words, Pearlyn shares about setting up home for her growing family in Spain.
The home
We started to look for a bigger space that would also be closer to my husband’s office and Rey’s childcare. We struck gold when we found this apartment, it was more than we asked for as it has four bedrooms. The apartment came completely unfurnished, without lights, just dangling wires when we first viewed the apartment one night.