A Fashionable Life: Inside Bahareh Badiei’s Opulent Home
Her extravagant vision and personal touch are seen in the lovingly curated artworks, lighting and furniture.
Stepping into Bahareh Badiei’s home in the Holland area is an aweing experience. Greeted by large wooden doors, one enters a living space that can best be described as palatial, with light-filled, modern interiors. To the right is a sweeping staircase, with a marble design feature wall crafted from stone in rich shades of red and amber, while to the left is a sitting area complete with an extraordinary lighting display, which Bahareh designed herself.
The living area’s glass walls overlook a tranquil pool, tiled with exquisite Bisazza tiles. It is clear that this home has been lovingly designed by Bahareh, who has an artistic eye—she paints and does floral arrangements in her free time—and pays careful attention to detail.
The airy living room has a customised lighting feature and an eight metre-high ceiling.
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In some ways, the home is a love letter to her native Iran. Bahareh, who has been living in Singapore for the past 20 years, purchased it with her husband in 2020 and they moved in in May 2023 after 19 months of construction. Little of the old structure remains, as they chose to demolish the previous building. “We only kept the pool. And the main pillars of the previous house,” explains Bahareh. Built over a land size of 1,890sq m, the house has a basement floor that houses a gentlemen’s den complete with a wine cellar, Bahareh’s own artist studio, a gym, a mini spa room for her face and body treatments, as well as a cinema. The two-storey home also has a third “attic” space for her closet—a treasure trove of beautiful clothing, holy grail bags, and jaw-dropping jewellery and watches.
In her living room overlooking the pool is a sculpture by South Korean artist Seo Young Deok. Bahareh wears a dress from Prada, and her own Bulgari rings and earrings, and Amina Muaddi pumps.
Bahareh was very much inspired by her heritage when designing and conceptualising her home. “I like luxury. I like stylish, special houses. In my opinion, the colours gold and bronze and their combination with wood and grey stone is very stylish. From the beginning, I chose the colour of the ground stone and after that I looked for harmonious and fragile colours for the other items of the house, such as the ceiling, walls and stairs,” she explains.
Bahareh sitting on the house’s sweeping staircase wearing a cardigan and trousers from Prada and her own Bulgari necklace and Alexandre Vauthier sandals.
Bahareh has a very global outlook, having lived in and visited various cities—she has another home in Dubai and her children study in Switzerland—so she was not afraid to go beyond Singapore to achieve her design dream. “I was inspired by Middle Eastern houses especially in terms of the staircase, interior, fabrics and the use of marble,” she says. Most of her furniture is from Fendi Home, although there is a full set of Dolce&Gabbana furniture in the mancave in the basement. Many other furniture items were purchased in Dubai and shipped here.
Collector’s pieces from MB&F that belong to Bahareh’s husband, set against a Bisazza tiled wall.
The spectacular lighting in the home is one aspect that shows off Bahareh’s detailed and meticulous approach to interior design. For the main living room, she did not want just any chandelier to grace the ceilings that are almost eight metres high. “I wanted something different and looked for almost six months to turn my ideas into a reality. I wanted 300 tubes of lights, a concept which I first saw at our hotel in Dubai, and I shared my ideas with my architect and we finally found someone locally who could make it.” Another outstanding lighting piece in her formal dining room is a chandelier by the Murano glass company Barovier & Toso. While she wanted one with a more floral design, the brand did not make an exact one, so the final design, which includes 340 pieces that had to be installed at different heights, was the closest to her vision. To match the theme, she picked three different shades of bronze.
Her Barovier & Toso chandelier with 340 tubes of light takes centre stage in the dining room. Bahareh in a Louis Vuitton top, shorts and pumps. She wears her own Richard Mille watch, Bulgari necklace and earrings, and Hermès cuff.
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To say that Bahareh and her family are collectors would be an understatement as they have some of the most interesting and enviable collections in the country. Her teenage son loves cars, and his bedroom boasts an installation displaying his model car collection. Her husband meanwhile is one of the most prolific watch collectors in the world, and on display are many timepieces that are part sculpture, part clocks dotted throughout the house from brands like MB&F. One of the most striking pieces in the house is a hyperrealist sculpture by Marc Sijan of a security guard that she nicknames “Peter”, which sits in the living room.
Peter, the security guard, by Marc Sijan, wearing a Cartier necklace and Bahareh’s own Hermès Kelly bag.
Most of her sculptures and paintings come from Opera Gallery, but she collects and buys from around the world. “My art collection has been built over many years. Some I purchased in 2005 and the latest piece I bought is from two months ago— I buy art when I love it and then I will find a place for it,” she says. While she has six pieces from the French artist Jean-Pierre Roc-Roussey, she says it is mainly because she loves his paintings and they suit her home, and not because she is seeking to collect them all. Badiei also enjoys collecting pieces from her homeland and does not have any one favourite piece. “I can’t tell you which piece is my favourite… I do love all of them. In my opinion, art is the most valuable accessory you can add to your home.”
Her son’s favourite collectable cars.
While she is not partial to any one artwork, Bahareh does have her favourite room. One in particular comes as a surprise—it’s the family gym in the basement. But stepping inside and seeing the beautiful landscaping that it faces—there are over 420 trees and plants around the house—and the state-of-the-art equipment, it is easy to see why it is a beloved space and one that is oft-utilised—Bahareh works out every day with her personal trainer. Another favourite space? “I love our kitchen. It has the best view on all three sides, the best lighting, all the equipment, and is cosy and perfect for entertaining my guests casually. When my family is all in Singapore, we have our meals on the kitchen counter every day,” she shares. The third room that she singles out is the cinema, where she loves spending time watching her favourite movies and having popcorn.
Bahareh Badiei in a Dolce&Gabbana coat and her own Cartier jewellery basking in her home cinema.
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For our walk-through interview of the house, Bahareh, who is elegant and immaculate, wore a chic Chanel pantsuit. She favours trousers over skirts and dresses, but fashion and design is in her DNA, though she studied soil science engineering at the University of Tehran. She started her own clothing label in 2011 and often does interior design work for family and friends. In her spare time, Bahareh paints, and has had three solo exhibitions, and also enjoys floral arrangement—her polished designs can also be seen throughout the house.
Bahareh wears a Dolce&Gabbana top and skirt set, Cartier necklace, and her own Cartier earrings and bracelet.
Bahareh describes her style as luxurious and dressed-up. “I always dress up, no matter where I’m going. I believe dressing up is a way of showing respect to the people around you.” While she is not as into watches as her husband, she does like the timepieces from Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and Van Cleef & Arpels. “For clothing, I buy mostly Hermès. Over time, my style has become more classic rather than seasonal. I invest in Chanel jackets and Hermès clothes that can be worn for life. For jewellery, I have been buying more Cartier and Bulgari pieces recently.” Her most treasured pieces in her wardrobe? “My Faubourg Birkin 20, my Hermès high jewellery Kelly bracelet, and my Richard Mille watch.”
Photographer: Gan
Creative Director: Windy Aulia
Stylist: Gracia Phang
Makeup: Rina Sim using Guerlain
Hair: Leny Fu using Keune Haircosmetics
Photographer’s assistant: Steven Ong
Stylist’s assistant: Larissa Wong