How a NYC Family Brought Manhattan Style to Their Singapore Duplex Home

When Bona Yoo and SangWook Lee made the life-changing decision to relocate from Manhattan to Singapore with their young children, they faced a challenge many of us can relate to: How do you create a sense of home when you’re thousands of miles away from everything familiar? The answer, as it turns out, lies in staying true to your aesthetic roots while embracing the possibilities of a new space.

The couple enlisted the expertise of Studio Valle de Valle, an AD100 design firm, to transform their Singapore duplex into a stunning reflection of their New York sensibilities. And honestly? The results are a masterclass in cross-cultural design that offers real lessons for anyone looking to infuse personality into their living spaces.

Understanding the New York to Singapore Design Translation

Here’s the thing about New York apartments: they teach you to be strategic with every square inch. Manhattan living cultivates a particular aesthetic intelligence—an appreciation for quality over quantity, for pieces that earn their place in your home. When Bona and SangWook moved to their more spacious Singapore duplex, they didn’t abandon these principles. Instead, they expanded on them.

The duplex offered something rare in Manhattan: vertical space and room to breathe. But rather than filling every corner with furniture (a trap many of us fall into when upgrading from a smaller space), the family maintained that curated, intentional approach that defines great New York interiors.

Studio Valle de Valle understood the assignment perfectly. They created a home that honors the family’s collection of treasured objects—pieces accumulated during their New York years—while allowing the Singapore architecture to shine. Think of it as a conversation between two cities rather than one overwhelming the other.

One practical takeaway here? When you’re designing any space, especially after a major life transition, resist the urge to start from scratch. Your existing pieces tell your story. A quality modern console table that worked in your Manhattan entryway can become a stunning focal point in a more generous Singapore living room.

The Art of Displaying Personal Collections

What makes this duplex genuinely special is how it showcases the family’s collections without feeling cluttered or museum-like. This is where many of us struggle—we love our things, but we don’t always know how to display them cohesively.

The design team created dedicated moments for the family’s treasures. Rather than scattering items throughout the home, they established intentional vignettes where objects could breathe and relate to one another. This approach works whether you’re working with contemporary art, vintage finds, or travel souvenirs.

Here’s my advice for implementing this in your own home: Choose one wall or surface as your “gallery moment.” Invest in quality picture ledge shelves that allow you to layer frames and objects. This gives you flexibility to rotate your display seasonally without putting new holes in the wall—something renters especially appreciate.

The Singapore duplex demonstrates another crucial principle: negative space is not wasted space. Between each carefully placed object, there’s room for the eye to rest. This breathing room is what separates a collected home from a cluttered one. If you’re displaying books, ceramics, or decorative objects on open shelving, try the rule of thirds—leave approximately one-third of your shelf space empty.

Blending Cultural Aesthetics Without Losing Identity

Moving to a new country doesn’t mean abandoning your design identity, but it does offer an opportunity for evolution. What I love about this project is how it incorporates subtle nods to Singapore’s design sensibilities without compromising the family’s New York foundation.

The color palette, for instance, feels universally sophisticated—lots of warm neutrals, natural materials, and layered textures that work in both humid Singapore and the changing seasons of New York. This is smart design thinking. When you’re building a home in a new cultural context, anchor your choices in timeless elements rather than trendy regional styles.

Natural materials create this bridge beautifully. Consider incorporating rattan accent chairs or woven textiles that feel appropriate in tropical climates while maintaining that organic, curated aesthetic popular in contemporary New York interiors. These pieces travel well conceptually—they’d feel at home in a Tribeca loft or a Singapore high-rise.

Lighting also plays a crucial role in this cultural translation. The duplex features statement lighting pieces that anchor each space while providing the warm, layered illumination that makes any house feel like home. A sculptural pendant light over the dining table or a collection of table lamps creates pools of intimacy that transcend geography.

Creating Functional Spaces for Family Life

Let’s talk about the practical reality of designing for a young family. Bona and SangWook needed their duplex to function for daily life with children while maintaining the sophisticated aesthetic they’d cultivated in New York. This balance is something many families struggle with—we want beautiful spaces, but we also need them to withstand the chaos of family life.

The design team approached this challenge by selecting durable materials that don’t scream “kid-proof” but quietly handle the demands of family living. Performance fabrics on upholstered pieces, hard-wearing natural fibers, and surfaces that gracefully show the patina of daily use rather than looking immediately damaged.

Storage solutions are seamlessly integrated rather than afterthoughts. In family homes, visible storage can quickly undermine your design vision, so the duplex incorporates plenty of hidden storage while keeping everyday items accessible. Consider installing decorative storage baskets in living areas—they corral toys and family necessities while adding texture to your design scheme.

The duplex layout also creates distinct zones for different activities, which is essential in family homes. Even in open-plan spaces, defining areas for adult relaxation, children’s play, and family gathering helps everyone coexist peacefully. Area rugs, furniture arrangement, and lighting all contribute to these invisible boundaries.

Lessons in Making Any Space Feel Like Home

Whether you’re moving across the world or just across town, this Singapore duplex offers valuable lessons in creating a home that truly reflects who you are. The most important principle? Stay true to your aesthetic point of view while remaining open to new influences.

Start with your non-negotiables—the pieces, colors, or styles that make you feel most at home. For Bona and SangWook, this meant their New York collections and the sophisticated, curated aesthetic they’d developed. Build your foundation on these elements.

Then, allow your new environment to inform and expand your vision. If you’re moving to a sunnier climate, you might embrace lighter fabrics or brighter colors than you’d choose in a northern city. Moving to a smaller space? Embrace the editing process and keep only what you truly love.

The journey of creating a home is ongoing, not a race to Pinterest perfection. This duplex wasn’t furnished in a weekend—it evolved as the family settled into their new life. Give yourself permission to live in a space before making every decision. You’ll discover how you actually use rooms, which often differs from how you imagined using them.

One final piece of actionable advice: create one “complete” room early in your design process. Whether it’s your bedroom, a reading nook, or even just a well-styled entryway, having one finished space to retreat to provides comfort while the rest of your home comes together. This gives you a tangible example of your vision and helps guide future decisions.

Ready to bring your own design vision to life? Start small: choose one surface or wall in your home this weekend and style it with intention. Select three to five meaningful objects, give them breathing room, and notice how this focused approach transforms the space. Your entire home doesn’t need to be camera-ready tomorrow—it just needs to tell your story, one thoughtful vignette at a time.