Married for 13 years, Sha and Jim are the proud owners of their first BTO home, a space that could evolve with them.
Tell us a bit about yourselves and what led you to buy this flat?
Hello, we are Sha and Jim, and we’ve been married for 13 years now (as of this June), and this is our first BTO and home. After our wedding, we lived in rented bedrooms while waiting for the project to be completed. We’ve lived here for about 10 years now. The motivation behind getting this place was to create a home of our own—a space that would ebb and flow with us through the different phases of life.
What inspired you to take a DIY and thrift-focused approach to decorating your home?
I’m (Sha) the resident DIY-er and thrifter. My approach comes from my upbringing and growing up with super creative and resourceful parents in Penang, Malaysia. My parents taught me the value of repairing things to extend their life, and how to be resourceful by upcycling when needed. My dad is an artist and maker who creates furniture and paints murals around the house. He also tends to a lush common corridor garden that grows enough vegetables to not only feed their family but also share with neighbours. My mom enjoys thrifting and finding great deals, often taking me along to flea markets and garage sales. It’s a joy we share together.
My parents’ influence has a significant impact on how I style and decorate our home. Jim is the family’s financial manager, ensuring we stay within our means. Thrifting is a great way to find unique items without breaking the bank.
What was the first DIY project you tackled in your new home?
I honestly can’t remember which project was the very first, since I often work on several at the same time. However, two of the most memorable ones would be using fabric and wrapping paper to economically fill large frames, and repurposing a vintage glass vase as a lampshade to salvage a broken IKEA lamp.
What has been your most memorable thrift store find?
Among my most memorable local thrift finds is my lamp collection from Carousell. I have a handful of discontinued IKEA lamps that I found at great prices, and knowing that they resell for much more makes me a proud bargain hunter. My most memorable find from overseas is probably the thrift-store ceramics I brought home from Japan!
Do you have any tips for others looking to furnish their homes through thrift-shopping?
- Enjoy the process and take your time.
- Gather inspiration from social media and Pinterest, but also keep an eye out for items that can achieve a similar look or style with a little DIY. Look for potential, not perfection.
- Do your research and use Google to learn more about the items you’re interested in.
- Seek timeless pieces rather than trendy ones.
- Check the materials—for example, marble, solid wood, ceramics, and steel—since these are valuable and last longer.
- Bargain if needed, but research first.
- Build connections with professional and reliable handymen and drivers who can help you transport and set up your purchases.
- Be polite, respectful, and friendly with your sellers!
How did you start collecting plants and how many do you have now?
I’m the “plant mama” who cares for all the plants we own. It started as a COVID hobby that grew into a true obsession. We can learn so much from plants—they can communicate their needs very clearly and are primed to survive, doing their best with whatever they’re given. At one point, we had more than 100 potted plants in the house. I have since reduced the collection to about 50 pots. Although, I’m itching to add more soon. (Haha!)
Share with us your favourite plant in your collection, and why.
Most of the plants we currently have are propagated from mother plants that I own or that have since passed on. These propagated plants are like keeping the next generation—or “greeneration,” haha—alive and thriving.
It’s hard to pick a favourite plant, to be honest. I love the unique and quirky ones that have stuck around, as well as the large leafy plants grown from a single leaf cutting.
What have been the biggest challenges in designing and decorating your home?
One challenge is space constraints. I often share Carousell listings on @ho_me_space because there are so many great finds that we can’t accommodate ourselves, so why not share them to help them find good homes? I often lament that I wish we had multiple homes to style and fill with these finds. We also keep the spaces relatively open with few built- ins so that we can change the layouts whenever we need to (or when I get bored or restless, which is often).
Another challenge is budget constraints. I have an eye for designer items that we can’t afford, so I use my creativity to achieve a similar look or feel through thrifting.
The final challenge is patience. There are some spaces in the home that still don’t feel “complete,” even after 10 years. We’ve held off on getting certain pieces of furniture because they didn’t feel right yet, or because we weren’t in a hurry to “finish” the place. Our home is always a work in progress, as are we.
What have you learned about each other through this process?
We’ve learned that we both have different ways of creating a home. For me, it’s about having interactive spaces filled with memorable objects that ignite the senses in an experiential way. For Jim, it’s about creating a home that’s sustainable in terms of cost, and expressing care for loved ones through cooking—the kitchen is his domain.
What advice would you give to couples who are embarking on a similar journey of creating a home together?
You won’t immediately know each other’s home-making preferences, tendencies, and idiosyncrasies, so give yourselves time to really get to know each other as homeowners. The renovation process is often a significant focus of a homeowner’s journey, but it’s only the beginning— lots can and will change afterward. So, make room for each other, and for others if you wish, and embrace that this will be a continuous and adaptive process.
Follow their journey on Instagram @ho_me_space
This post was adapted from an article originally published in the Idealhomes 2024 issue of SquareRooms.
