At Home With SCENE SHANG: Daria & Faizal


BY SCENE SHANG

Daria and Faizal’s individual style and heritage come together beautifully in their comfortable home, a collection of things they love.


 

IN OUR NEW At Home With SCENE SHANG series, we bring you a peek into the homes of some of our customers, and uncover the meaning of home in a heart-to-heart chat.

The people, things and surrounding stories that our homes encapsulate are what give these dwellings great meaning and make our hearts full. For this feature, we speak with Daria and Faizal in their beautiful home in Marymount.



The large teakwood dining set and matching mirror wall piece make the dining area feel warm and inviting, perfect for hosting small get-togethers with their closest of friends.


PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

I (Daria) work in events, and my husband Faizal works in finance. I’m Italian whilst Faizal is Singaporean with Chinese, Malay, Indian and Sinhalese ancestry. We met in Australia while studying at university 14 years ago.

“...we decided to incorporate local elements – from teakwood furniture sourced from the region to Peranakan tiles and second hand finds — as a way to be sustainable while staying true to Faizal’s Singaporean roots.”



Daria’s Italian background is expressed in soft furnishings such as her Grandmother’s shawl draped over their dining chair. On the side of their fridge is a beautiful reflection of Daria and Faizal as a couple; a collection of mementos that represent their individual roots and pictures of shared memories. Spot the polaroid taken at SCENE SHANG’s first launch in 2014!


We got married in 2011 in Singapore at the Botanic Gardens in a beautiful black and white colonial house. I think that inspired us to incorporate the black and white + dark wood theme you see in our home.

Daria and Faizal’s wedding in 2011, in front of the historic Burkill Hall at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.



“Heritage and culture make us what we are.”



The stylish monochromatic kitchen proves that black-and-white is far from boring. White walls, peranakan floor tiles, and dark coloured cabinets make the space feel bright and open. A blueprint of Bialetti’s Moka coffee maker, a staple in every Italian home, adorns the wall — a nod to Daria’s Italian roots.


WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DO?

The people we work with. We’re both blessed with wonderful work colleagues. It’s also nice to have a relaxing environment like our home to come back to after a long day in the office (or in the study room, if working from home).



Their bedroom feels cosy and refined with natural wood pieces. We love the matching his and hers THE BANKER Desk Lamp - Nero Marquina on a YUAN Loft Side Table.


DO YOU THINK HERITAGE AND CULTURE ARE IMPORTANT TO CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE IN A SPACE?

Heritage and culture make us what we are. When we started designing our home, we decided to incorporate local elements – from teakwood furniture sourced from the region to Peranakan tiles and second hand finds – as a way to be sustainable while staying true to Faizal’s Singaporean roots. We also incorporated some Italian elements in the form of soft furnishings.

Geometric shapes and mirrors adorn the bedroom, bringing light in to make the space feel more open. Longtime SCENE SHANG customers will recognise our archive products — YUAN LIU & MEI Mirrors, and ARCH GATE Hanger!



“We also incorporated some Italian elements in the form of soft furnishings.”

Their matching bedside lamps are also featured on @sceneshanghomes Instagram feed, along with other comfy spots in their home. Browse our feed for more inspiring home decor, and follow Daria and Faizal’s storied Instagram account @ourresalehdb!



DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PIECE OF FURNITURE AT HOME? IF YOU DO, PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT IT.


We actually have a few...

1 - Our Tibetan mirror. We got it from a shop here in Singapore called JustAnthony which stocks imported furniture. It’s placed right beside our entrance door and it’s for me (Daria) to check out my outfit on the way out the main door.


Daria admitted jocularly that her love for colour is “toned down” by Faizal’s fondness of black-and-white. The end result? A perfect balance in their home with unique pieces that bring colour and character.



2 – The marble table in the kitchen. It’s an upcycled piece as we already had the table top from an old second hand table whose wooden stand was in really bad condition. We threw away the stand and got SCENE SHANG to custom make metal legs in their signature style. It’s my (Daria’s) kitchen lepak corner where I sit in between prep duties for my chef (Faizal).

A cosy corner, also coined as the “kitchen lepak corner”, where Daria relaxes in between prep duties for her Chef (Faizal)’s culinary creations.



Art Deco elegance in every corner from the kitchen to the guest bedroom. The clean, geometric lines of SCENE SHANG’s YUAN Loft base finish on the marble table adds visual interest. Daria also reupholstered the stool of her hand-me-down Art Deco styled vanity with beautiful batik from an old sarong.



3 – The vanity in the guest bedroom. It’s a second hand piece gifted from the family of a good friend of ours. She didn’t have space for it and asked whether we wanted to adopt it and we were more than happy to do so as it’s a beautiful Art Deco piece. It’s used when guests come over to stay at our place which hasn’t really happened much since the pandemic started.


YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: At Home With SCENE SHANG: Fabian & Kim



WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING TO DO AT HOME?

Lepak-ing on the couch or the hanging chair in the balcony.


A charming balcony to enjoy the fresh air and each other’s company. The versatile KIAN Old Elm Wood Gate Bench and EMBRACE ME Cushion enhance the space with a touch of heritage.


HOME IS...? (WHAT IS HOME TO YOU...)

Wherever Faizal (or Daria) is 😊.


Here's a thank you to Daria and Faizal, for opening their home to us and sharing their stories.

We enjoyed putting this series together for you, we hope you enjoyed the read.
Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and incredible style!




How does your home tell your story? Share with us.
@sceneshang @sceneshanghomes

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