A Fashionable Life: Inside Claire Wu's Elegant, Minimalist Home

Claire Wu lives her life by a simple philosophy. Less is more. The senior manager, with a sourcing and trading role in the vegetable oil industry, does not believe in hoarding possessions, be they clothes or even furniture. The only homeware piece that has followed her from her previous homes is a Tom Dixon Bash vessel that takes pride of place on her dining room table. Wu, who has lived in Singapore for 27 years, and hails from Harbin, China has a sharply-honed approach to her new home, wanting a spacious, calming space that could also be used to entertain guests on the weekends and even house family from overseas. “I think the most important thing is to be comfortable inside. So that’s why I like the open concept approach and simplicity. I also like a bit of zen style as well so that you feel relaxed when you come into the house. Because you can be under a lot of stress, but once you’re in this home, it goes away,” she says. 

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Her 5,000 square-foot, three storey detached home in the Holland area has been designed with this minimalist brief in mind by the interior architecture and design studio Elliot James Interiors. The company played up the art gallery-like aesthetic of the home to complement the house’s architecture. Wu praises the professionalism of the design team, including in the sourcing and putting together of customised pieces and achieving the look and vibe that she had in mind for the home without looking artificial or over-designed. 

Wu first purchased the house from a Shanghainese woman a year ago and finished renovations and decorating just over six months ago. The former owner gave her good vibes and also shared some commonalities. “We clicked very well, and she told me about the feng shui of the house. It had very good feng shui and this was important to us.” While Wu and her husband did not do much work on the house’s exterior, she personally took on a very hands-on approach to styling the house—such as personally finding furniture online—but always seeking input from the designers to ensure that whatever she purchased could work with the space.

She also commissioned companies she had learned of through word of mouth to customise unique artwork and statement furniture. Her dining table, for instance, was crafted from a large piece of wood sourced from China and affixed onto three concrete slabs which serve as the base. It was assembled by her designers. Elliot James Interiors also sourced the uniquely shaped lamps—that resemble a popular, cone-shaped snack in Korea—that hang above the dining area from Korean designer Hyungshin Hwang. Wu loved them but they were not available for sale for private homes. The company also picked out the sleek, clear dining chairs from Mermelada Estudio that accompany her one-of-a- kind table.

Sticking to a minimalist palette of black, greys and whites, as well as raw and natural materials like wood and cement, Wu’s interior design team played with a sense of texture to add details and tactility to the home. In lieu of a television in the sitting area, something which Wu did not want, they conceptualised a large feature wall that conceals a storeroom under the stairs. They also found an artist to hand paint the wall to create a cement-like effect that was inspired by Japanese architect Tadao Ando—a solution that was much more efficient than tearing down and rebuilding a concrete wall.

Other organic touches help to warm up the space. The large white sofa in the sitting area—with washable covers for practicality—surrounds a torched wood coffee table that is still in its original, stump form. One of Wu’s friends even counted the rings on the cross-section of the wood, and declared that it came from a 50-year-old tree. “He’s a very mathematical guy,” she laughs. The natural wood flooring is from the time of its previous owner, but was stained from its original, more orangey hue, to a blacker tone to modernise it and tie in with the house’s colour scheme.

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Marble is another favourite material. It features in several places including the kitchen island, and a stunning feature wall in her master bathroom constructed from two large, symmetrically patterned marble slabs. These were sourced by her designers along with small details like the brushed nickel fixtures on her taps, giving the space a soft, muted touch.

One of the main changes that Wu made when she bought her home was that she removed any extraneous walls on the first level, creating a open concept effect. She wanted her three-year-old son, as well as her Golden Retriever Mao Mao, to be able to run around freely. The living room segues into the dining table as well as an open kitchen. While Wu cooks regularly, citing steaks and crabs as some of her specialities, she did not see the need for a separate wet kitchen, so the space was kept clean with many items cleverly concealed with custom cabinetry.

While colour is not a key feature in the home by Wu’s design, the house is brightened up by touches of greenery in the form of plants—both outdoor and indoor—to enliven the space. The first floor boasts soaring ceilings as well as tall, glass windows that add to the airy feel. The windows are lined outside with about 40 Happiness trees that bring the outside in and also serve as a kind of privacy wall for the open space. Indoor plants, selected in consultation with The Nursery Singapore as well as Koon Lee Nursery, are thriving despite the low-light conditions in some areas, much to Wu’s relief.

Along with her husband, their son, and dog, the family moved from Sentosa to the Holland area in order to plan ahead for her son’s enrolment in primary school. While Wu was reluctant to leave behind the island lifestyle which included daily beach walks with her dog, she has managed to recapture a similar sense of calm in the quiet neighbourhood. The house has also been designed to host visitors, with guest rooms on the second level that are simply but comfortably furnished, giving it a communal vibe.

The artworks that Wu commissioned also reflect her practical aesthetic. They are not sentimental pieces, but rather were designed to fit the space, whether it’s a large almost industrial 3D work in an oil-black hue or an abstract piece that anchors a stairway landing. Wu says that if a piece doesn’t happen to fit into her next house, she would simply not bring it along. To reflect her Chinese heritage in a subtle way, one striking piece on the ground floor depicts the silhouette of a horse that has been carefully pieced together with fragments of broken, blue-and-white ceramics. The horse, she says, is not related to her Chinese zodiac, but rather to her heritage. “I’m a Manchurian. We like horses,” she quips.

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The same practicality extends to her collection of clothes. In her heavily curated wardrobe, she has several little black dresses, Hermès sweaters as well as a much-loved beaded blouse from Zara, but Wu has very little attachment to her belongings. Instead she has an almost brutal approach to throwing out whatever is not serving her. If she does have one material weakness it may be bags. Her husband has gifted her most of her collection of Hermès bags—her favourite is a Birkin that takes her to work and anywhere she needs to be. Black, practical and chic, it could very well be a metaphor for Wu’s minimalist personal style and spare design aesthetic that whispers quiet luxury. 

Photographed by Gan
Styled by Gracia Phang
Makeup: Rina Sim Using Clé De Peau Beauté
Hair: Grego Using Keune Haircosmetics
Stylist’s Assistant: Zoe Tauro