A Fashionable Life: Inside Sophie Mong's Artsy Ocean View Apartment
Artist Sophie Mong’s Marine Parade apartment boasts stunning, panoramic views and a relaxing vibe—the perfect backdrop for her paintings.
Sophie Mong knows that her 1,291sq ft apartment in the Marine Parade area of Singapore is quite the find. Located on a high floor, the open-concept living and dining rooms look out to a calming vista of the neighbouring East Coast Park that far surpassed the scenery from many other condominiums and apartments that she and her husband viewed in their search for their new home.
Sophie Mong wears a Zara kimono top in the living room of her apartment as she works on a painting
During our visit, we could see passing ships and people sailing—the picturesque surroundings almost like a gently moving tableau before us. Mong opted to have long windows that run across the length of the living and dining areas, with the slim window panes framing the scene almost like a painting.
The apartment also boasts beautiful artworks by Mong herself. She made the transition to doing art full-time just three months ago after quitting her job in market research. With its laid-back vibe, the flat—a chic and restorative family home—also functions as an inspiring studio space for her to do her own abstract paintings—she is currently in a green and yellow phase.
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The location near the beach means that her two-year-old son Liam can enjoy frequent play times by the sea while she basks in the balmy daytime weather and soft winds, which, at the same time, lends a breezy atmosphere to the house.
Says Mong on her design philosophy, “I really wanted somewhere where I could display my colourful paintings. You can imagine if there were a lot of colours in the home itself it would look rather chaotic and perhaps overwhelming. After a long day, you want to come back home to rest, and I don’t want too much clutter. I just want to have a neutral environment to calm my mind down while I’m creating my art.”
The stunning views of the East Coast Park from Mong’s living room window
Mong, who studied fine arts in high school in Malaysia, as well as arts management here in Singapore, is now focusing on doing commissioned artworks with all her paintings based on specific moments in time. While she works from home, with the inspiring view as a bonus, she still has hopes to find a studio space soon as painting can be a messy undertaking.
Having moved from her previous home in Telok Blangah, Mong used that experience and adopted a minimalist philosophy when designing the apartment with INTR Studio, an interior design company. She had to streamline and cut down on her belongings as there was no space for a dedicated store room in the new flat.
Mong wears an & Other Stories top, Good Addition trousers, Mejuri earrings, an Hermès bangle, an Ashepa bracelet and a Rolex watch
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“We don’t have storage so we can’t keep a lot of things. After having lived in your first home you will notice that storage space always tends to pile up with stuff,” says Mong. So she recycles her son’s old toys while her clothing and other belongings are pared down or neatly tucked away in hidden storage spaces in the house.
But it’s not just the lack of clutter that makes the home comfortable and inviting. The use of calming tones like white and beige as well as unvarnished wood furniture gave the space a feel that is understated and chic.
Mong's living room is decked out in calming white and beige tones
Pops of colour from her vibrant paintings as well as her leafy house plants—including a dwarf Umbrella tree in the living room—add warmth to the neutral shades. The overall effect is further softened by curved arch motifs and other unintrusive decorative elements in the house.
The living room’s spare and clean look is enhanced by a tiled area near the window that demarcates a space that functions almost like a balcony but segues seamlessly into the rest of the room.
Mong wears a Mango jumpsuit, Hermès bangle, Calla Lily ring, Zara sandals and her own earrings
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Living with a toddler means that Mong has to be practical. Though much of her living room furniture including her custom Blafink sofa is white, it is also washable. The windows are ungrilled to allow for an uninterrupted view, but an ingenious folding mechanism lets it shut easily as a safety precaution for her young son, or when the couple want to air condition the space, turning it from airy to cosy in a flash.
The kitchen’s warm tones are courtesy of wood laminate cabinets and a travertine countertop
Mong loves cooking and baking, so the kitchen is as much function as there is form. The stone tiles on the floor were inspired by rustic Italian kitchens, but are also easy to clean, while the use of darker cherry wood laminate that covers even the dishwasher, and travertine countertops gives it a sophisticated touch. There’s also a carved-out space for a small breakfast nook next to the kitchen for more informal meals, while the dining table serves as a focal point when friends come over.
Mong sits against her own painting wearing a vest from Remain Birger Christensen at Net-a-Porter, and her own clothes and accessories
Her large, unvarnished teak dining table is from Journey East, but Mong chose teak and banana leaf chairs that were not an exact match to continue the unstudied vibe. “I like when you can see texture and even scratches on the wood,” she shares.
The dining table is from Journey East and is paired with chairs made from teak wood and hand-twisted banana leaves, and Muuto Fluid pendant lamps
The same sleek minimalism is carried through in her bedroom. Mong uses luxurious Heveya bedding—the company was in fact the first that she worked with to display and sell her paintings. A simple but beautiful chest of wooden drawers, created by Gamar (formerly known as Second Charm), sits beside her customised fabric bed from Blafink.
Mong prefers unvarnished finishings like that found in her reclaimed teak wood furniture
Characterised by gentle curves, lush fabrics and soft hues, the bedroom is an oasis of calm as well as the perfect neutral backdrop for the online content that Mong often creates. The same minimalist approach is displayed in her clothing choices: colours like black, white and grey, and classic pieces are but extensions of her design philosophy, just like everything else in her home.
Photography by Gan
Styled by Gracia Phang
Content Producer: Brandon Chia
Makeup: Rina Sim Using Dior Beauty
Hair: Grego Using Keune Hair cosmetics
Stylist’s Assistant: Zoe Tauro