A Fashionable Life: Inside Maddy Barber's Rustic Mediterranean Terrace House

At Maddy Barber’s home in Serangoon Gardens, you can enjoy ample daylight and see soothing greenery from any room in the house. That’s quite a feat, considering the 2,750 sq ft inter-terrace landed property is sandwiched between solid party walls.

Related article: A Fashionable Life: Inside Aashna Singh’s Whimsical, Plant-Filled Walk-up Apartment

Bought by her parents in 2006 and refurbished by her brother—award-winning multidisciplinary designer Gabriel Tan—in 2021, the house is a charming mix of old and new that makes the most of our tropical climate. 

“Our tastes are quite different,” says the jewellery brand owner and beloved former Kiss92 DJ. “His is more minimalist, influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian designs, and mine is more maximalist. I like the decorative and rustic elements you see in the sunny Mediterranean countries.”

But the siblings could agree on one thing—updating the interior to suit their evolving lifestyles while honouring the original architectural shell that had witnessed some of the family’s happiest years.

Tan had done some intervention to the existing home when his parents had bought the house. Realising that the living room’s false ceiling had hidden a pitched roof, he had asked his parents to expose the original structure. This resulted in an airy space with a timber structure and exposed brick wall, two features that Barber decided to keep during the most recent refurbishment. 

Related article: A Fashionable Life: Inside Sophie Mong’s Artsy Ocean View Apartment

As its side elevations are closed off, the house relies on its inner courtyard to allow natural light and airflow in. Previously a forgotten dumping ground for random furniture and appliances, the courtyard is now a cheerful spot dressed with greenery and decorative tile—a worthy place to which all openings in the bedroom—bar her younger daughter Alicia’s—and bathrooms are oriented to. 

The living and dining areas are one large open space fit to accommodate large family gatherings. The walls here have been kept white, serving as a canvas for the colourful artworks and furnishings favoured by Barber.

She might have admitted to having a penchant for maximalism, but that doesn’t mean that the furniture and decor were not carefully considered. On the contrary, the selection process was pretty rigorous. 

On the far wall is a trio of paintings she and one of her best friends co-created. “She asked me to think of three words as the intent for this house when we made these artworks. I thought of love, peace and joy.” The result is three vibrant abstract artworks in gold and primary colours of red, blue, yellow, and green that pop out in the space.

The only other ‘loud’ item in the space is the black and white houndstooth rug from Grafunkt; the rest have a neutral palette. The Thomas Bina sculptural dining table features concrete and wood finishes, the Sponge Up terracotta lamps from Hand & Eye studio lend a handmade texture to the space, while pale blonde timber carpentry allows the many framed pictures and knick-knacks displayed on it to stand out. 

Related article: A Fashionable Life: Inside Claire Wu’s Elegant, Minimalist Home

Each room has a designated focal point—a rose-coloured feature wall in the master bedroom, a shower stall in dramatic swirling courtesy of Dekton Liquid Sky in the master bedroom—but the kitchen is where Barber went big.

It features a full suite of mint green Smeg appliances and carpentry to match the colour, a Dekton Liquid Shell island and countertop, and show-stopping Palladiana terrazzo flooring. Made with broken marble slabs and grey cement, this flooring feels both retro and contemporary, and it surprisingly goes well with the rest of the kitchen. 

“I love looking at something and thinking, ‘That is not supposed to go together, but somehow it works!—that’s a surprise, and I love finding surprises where you least expect it. It’s what makes life interesting,” she shares.

The same applies to her wardrobe and jewellery. While she does have a favourite colour, green, and is partial to a classic jewellery style, she always adds a twist to her ensemble. “I aim to complement and create contrast rather than go matchy-matchy,” she says.

Barber’s first jewellery love was a pink solitaire ring her mother wore often when she was little. “Perhaps it’s true that a little girl’s first love is pink,” she recalls fondly. She later found out that it was a synthetic sapphire when she was looking to have the pink stone reset.

While that diminished its commercial value, it remained precious to her because of its story. Thus, for Barber, the story becomes an intangible yet crucial part of a piece of jewellery’s value. 

One of her most valuable pieces is an emerald ring she custom-ordered to celebrate her 40th birthday in 2013. She sourced the stone herself. “I wanted a significant piece of jewellery for that milestone, but I was shocked when I heard the price. Emerald is one of the big three precious coloured gemstones, and they were priced according to their hue, tone and saturation. So one carat of vivid deep green emerald could fetch 10 times the price of a pale emerald of the same size,” she shares. 

She found one such ‘pale’ three-carat emerald she was happy with and brought it to a jeweller her family frequented. But the shop’s service fell short.

“The shop owner talked my stone down, which happened a lot when you didn’t buy the stone from the shop where you wanted to have your jewellery made. There wasn’t really a design process, just a quick squiggle on a paper, and that’s it. There I was with a stone I spent my savings on, wanting something special to commemorate a personal milestone, paying thousands of dollars, and the experience was so underwhelming.” 

She was and still is happy with the finished ring and considers it an heirloom she will pass down to one of her daughters, but she did wish for a better experience. At this point, Barber began to think of what an ideal bespoke jewellery service would be like. The idea crystallised the following year when she founded her own jewellery brand, Madly. 

Madly specialises in bespoke pieces crafted with ethically sourced coloured gems. In 2021, Barber left her decades-long radio DJ job to manage the brand full-time and opened its first brick-and-mortar outpost on Ann Siang Road.

At the Madly Experience Centre, each piece is created in collaboration with the clients and uses their stories as inspirations. Today, the brand employs 25 staff members, 13 of whom are jewellery designers from various nationalities stationed in Singapore and Dubai, where it just opened a new store managed by Barber’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth. 

When it comes to fashion, Barber dresses how she wants to project to the world at a particular time. Contrary to what people thought of her as a jewellery brand founder, she builds her wardrobe first, then finds the pieces to complete the ensemble. “Classic with a twist applies here, too,” she quips. She is partial to dresses rather than separates because they simplify the getting ready part of the day.

Local brand In Good Company and Australian brand Scanlan Theodore are amongst her favourites. The former is because of its relaxed yet flattering cuts, and the latter is for its innovative crepe knit fabric, which “cinches you in all the right places and gives you such a beautiful form.” 

Barber had another milestone emerald ring made recently to commemorate her 50th birthday in November. This time, she got an unparalleled bespoke experience, and the emerald was a deep forest green that she acquired from a trusted partner even before it was certified.

“I trusted his early appraisal, and as it turned out when it’s certified, it could have been sold for three times the price I paid. It was meant for me,” she says, emphasising the importance of having the right people in the jewellery industry. She often wears her two emerald rings, especially during talk engagements, to show the audience and to remind herself of her precious milestones.

Photographed by Lawrence Teo
Creative direction by Daphne Tso
Styled by Gracia Phang 
Video by Brandon Chia
Makeup: Rina Sim using Chanel Beauty
Hair: Jimmy Yap/Kimistry using Dyson
Stylist's assistant: Joelle Iong
Flowers courtesy of Floret & Teddies (S) PTE LTD