IT professional Lendl Chong (47) and his wife, PR professional Karen Tan (39), have had quite a property journey, which intertwined closely with their romantic life. Having worked for 42 years combined, they made their first property investments more than 13 years ago with a freehold condo apartment at The Nexus, Bukit Timah, and The Esta at Katong.
Then, in 2008, Lendl bought an 893-sqft, 2-bedder penthouse apartment at Jalan Besar with the profits of his last property at The Nexus. He paid S$838,000 (S$938 psf) for the freehold condominium.
“For the past 13 years, I’ve been renting the penthouse out. The location makes it easy for me to secure a tenant as it’s at the fringe of the CBD,” Lendl said.
With the convenient location, which is within walking distance from three different MRT stations, the tenancy was easy. So when they got married, 2021 is the first time both Lendl and Karen decided to move in and live at the property, having previously rented in Novena and Katong.
As the property is 14+ years old and to make their matrimonial home more suited to their lifestyles, a major overhaul was planned before their move.
“I must say that as a 2-storey penthouse, the apartment design allows us to make it unique. For example, we converted the upstairs master bedroom into a bar as there’s an open terrace beside it – which makes it ideal for this sort of setup.”
Lendl’s right. The apartment’s terrace overlooks many hipster cafes and F&B joints like Chye Seng Huat Hardware cafe, Druggists pub, etc., which have popped up in the neighbourhood. Anyone yearning to experience a bon vivant lifestyle knows this is the right place to be, especially if it’s right from your doorstep.
The couple overhauled both the 1st and 2nd-floor bathrooms by refurbishing the flooring, toilets, sinks, walls – the whole works.
The stairway was transformed to a chill corner with a bench, mirror and plant to brighten up the space and make the area less stark, with a light installation at the entrance of the attic to transport guests to a different space.
For the attic upstairs, the previous ensuite master bedroom was converted into their pièce de résistance: a bar and lounge/ living room, with glass doors leading out to a balcony overlooking the neighbourhood. A love for entertaining inspired the couple to create a self-sufficient cove for guests to experience.
For the balcony next to the bar and lounge/ living room, the flooring, fixtures and furniture have been completely transformed.
Read the full article on 99.co. Thank you 99.co for the feature!
Comentários