From Nicole from – published
As it turns out, Harper's BAZAAR Singapore's senior beauty editor Arissa ha is truly a Tumblr girl all grown up. Certain parts of her house look straight out of the platform's 2010s feed – a plaster bust with a skull printed on it Alexander McQueen Scarf here, a casual one Rick Owens Jacket that was an integral part of the leisure models there – all unintentional, as she suggests. Other features of the 118 m² house in the Lavender area that she shares with her husband: Wong Wai Liongand her cat Cookie reveal other aspects of their identities and aesthetic preferences.
The couple purchased the recessed area from the Housing Development Board and transformed the space into a larger entryway.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
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Take, for example, the little splashes of blue that have become a trademark not only in her home, but also on the homepage of her Instagram account @northbridgenook. The grunge movement of the 2010s wasn't just a phase for Ha, who sports a sharp, blunt bob and a wardrobe full of black and leather; but she still loves this shade of blue. “I’ve always been interested in Kleinblau because it’s so fascinating, like: How do you patent a color?” She muses about a video call. “It's a synthetic color that was new and revolutionary in its time, and I really like that it stands out against the black, white and silver in the house.”
A bespoke parcel drop-off area for deliveries.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
Compared to her previous custom-built apartment in Toa Payoh, which had a more industrial feel with darker tones, concrete and wood, her new home, completed in June this year, is brighter and has many customized features that better suit her needs. A lot of planning, time and effort, as well as the help of the interior designer, went into achieving this Ruby Chong and her circle of friends in the DIY community.
The glass partition doubles as a display shelf for Arissa Ha and her husband's treasures
Photo: Mitchell Vong
First, the space had to be rearranged: part of the living room next to the front door was converted into Ha's studio; The bedroom made way for the living room and other parts of the house were remodeled to accommodate a walk-in closet – a non-negotiable issue for her.
Has bag collection in her walk-in closet.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
The walk-in closet houses the highlight of the room: a curved glass wall that faces the living room. The wall came from several sources of inspiration, including the old Tampines library where young Ha spent much of her time; and a dressing room in Melbourne. But it was the latter that gave her the idea of adding storage space. “I was looking for inspiration on Xiaohongshu and came across this picture of a boutique in Melbourne that had a changing room made of round glass blocks and these stainless steel shelves outside,” she remembers. “I've never thought of glass walls with actual storage space, so it was an interesting design feature that I wanted to have in my home.”
The result: a glass wall flanked by shelves on both sides. Embedded in the grout between the glass tiles are two thin stainless steel shelves that run the length of the house. On it are some of Ha's treasures, like a pair Dsquared2 She bought skate heels before her last flight as a flight attendant in Amsterdam Singapore Airlines; the Atacoma wedges Acne Studiosand a “melting” disco ball. On the other side of the wall is a stainless steel shelf that was custom designed to fit the curve of the wall and shows her love for fashion – bags like that Chanel 22 and the Givenchy Antigone.
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A coffee station is located near the kitchen where the stainless steel shelves end.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
Implementing the wall was not an easy task due to the delays in delivery of the glass blocks and the need to hire someone to calculate the curvature for the shelves to be inserted; but it was worth it. “It takes a lot of effort and money, but I really like the result.”
Ha in her studio with her cat Cookie.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
On a normal day, you can find her in her studio, a cozy space with a folding door mantel, a desk, an oversized ceiling lamp that doubles as a softbox light, and a custom-made storage unit with a removable rolling table that she uses for filming content. Ha designed the drawer to organize all the latest beauty releases she gets. “I showed it Taobao We delivered a design that I did on SketchUp and we figured out the appropriate measurements.”
Ha looks through the porthole into her husband's study.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
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On the other side of a corner with a window – designed to allow more natural light into the hallway – is her husband's work area. A porthole looks out onto the corridor and a large display case houses an army of award-winning Warhammer 40,000 figures that he has spent over 20 years assembling and painting.
Ha finds the contrasts in her interests fascinating, and the same goes for her guests. “When his friends would come to our house, they would rave about these things that they don't normally see. Like a severely dressed guy who works at a bank would never see something like that,” she says, pointing to the sculptural Dsquared2 heels. Referring to the characters, she adds: “Conversely, when my friends come over, they find my husband’s hobbies super interesting.”
A lava lamp from Retro Thinc.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
Ha is too BAZAARis the resident technical director and writes product reviews for harpersbazaar.com.sg. Therefore, it's no surprise that her home is filled with the coolest gadgets. Her top recommendations for home appliances include the LG Styler – a steam room to freshen up your most prized fashion purchases without the need for dry cleaning – and power strips Nexen with removable, sliding socket units.
Creating a smart home goes beyond owning the latest finds. “You shouldn’t just limit yourself to devices, plugs or light bulbs, but also pay attention to the choice of materials,” advises Ha. Your appliances, including such large appliances as double dishwashers, a camera drying box and a robot cleaner, are stored behind soft-close doors covered in matte laminate that protects against fingerprints and oil stains. A nanotechnological material is used in the kitchen worktop, which has a self-healing effect in the event of scratches.
A custom planter with an embossed custom designed “Nook” logo designed for your home.
Photo: Mitchell Vong
It's one thing to make a house a home and another to completely design a living space to suit your needs, but Ha has achieved both with a spark of imagination and a little technical magic.
Artistic direction: Sheryl Seah
Photographer: Mitchell Vong
Styling: Grace Phang
Hair: Greek use No hair cosmetics
Form: Rina Yes use Dior beauty
Photographer's Assistant: Kiong Wei Zhong