Aurum Land CEO Michelle Yong on designing a family home to grow with her four sons

On the ground floor, for example, we converted what would traditionally have been the guest bedroom into a second living room for the boys: a more relaxed, slightly chaotic space where they can play computer games, watch television and hang out with their friends. On the first floor, we transformed the entertainment room into my husband’s study, adjoining the guest bedroom and en-suite bathroom. When my sister-in-law and her two daughters visit, these three spaces can function almost as a self-contained suite, giving them privacy and a sense of having their own space within the house. On the second floor, we reconfigured four bedrooms into five by dividing the largest bedroom into two for our two youngest children.

This idea of creating a strong architectural framework while giving homeowners the freedom to make it deeply personal is something I believe in strongly, and it is central to the philosophy behind Anagram Homes. A home should be a configurable canvas for the family who lives there, allowing for flexibility, personalisation and multi-generational living, rather than asking the family to adapt to a predetermined layout.

What drew you to Mosh Interior when designing your current abode?

What drew me to Mosh, among the three interior design firms I spoke with, was that they began by asking questions about how we live, rather than simply how we wanted the house to look.

With four boys, my husband, and me all having very different routines and personalities, I wanted everyone to have spaces that felt distinctly their own while still making it easy for us to come together as a family.

Mosh understood that balance between individuality and connection. They were thoughtful about translating our daily habits into the design, and that human-centric approach resonated strongly with me because it is also how I think about property development at Aurum Land.

What was your vision and inspiration when it came to designing your home interior?

I began by visualising how each member of the family would experience the house, both individually and together, not only today but also five to 10 years from now. I wanted the interiors to feel contemporary and timeless, with enough personality for the house to unmistakably feel like our family home rather than a show home.

With four boys, I also knew from the outset that it had to be a home that could be genuinely lived in and still look good. I was quite specific with Mosh that I did not want a house that only worked when every cushion was perfectly arranged and every chair was in its intended position. Real family life is messier than that, so the design needed to absorb a certain amount of chaos gracefully.

A lot of the thinking was therefore practical. We incorporated hidden storage within easy reach throughout the home, so everyday clutter can disappear quickly without the spaces feeling overly built-in or regimented. Materials, furniture and layouts were chosen to feel calm while still being forgiving enough for the realities of family life.

Ultimately, my ideal is a home that is beautiful but never precious, one that becomes richer through being lived in rather than needing to be protected from everyday life.

Which area of the home is your favourite, and why?

It is difficult to choose just one because I love different parts of the house for different reasons.

The main living room is the heart of the home. I love its double-volume proportions and dual frontage, but what makes it special to me is how effortlessly it adapts to different moments. It feels equally comfortable with two people reading or watching television as it does with 20 people singing karaoke and playing Just Dance, which is exactly what happened when my whole team came over for our housewarming. I think that is when a space is truly successful: when it can feel intimate and generous at the same time.

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I also love all the rooms that look out towards the verdant green lung, particularly the master bedroom. Waking up to the tree canopy and birdsong gives the house a wonderful sense of calm. The master bathroom is another favourite. It has complete privacy without ever needing to draw the blinds, so showering there genuinely feels like being immersed in nature.

Then there is the roof terrace outside my home office, which is a more personal little sanctuary. That is where I do my post-run cool-down stretches and ice bath. It has become one of those everyday spaces that contributes to my sense of well-being.

What keeps you busy in your home office?

Usually several rather different things at once. Much of my focus today is on Aurum Land and the next evolution of Anagram Homes, our landed residential collection.

Our first Anagram Homes development at Kheam Hock Road validated the idea that there is demand for thoughtfully designed, highly personalised landed homes. We achieved 50 per cent pre-sales and sold out within four months of TOP.

We are now taking that learning into our next two iterations of Anagram Homes in D10 and D11, where buyers have the unusual opportunity to come in early and co-create aspects of their dream home with us, rather than inheriting every decision after it has already been made.

For me, that is the exciting part of development: not simply delivering a beautiful building, but understanding how someone wants to live and helping turn that into their dream home.

To you, what are some everyday design considerations that will elevate your well-being? How have you incorporated that into the design of your own home?

I believe well-being is often shaped by surprisingly simple things: an abundance of natural daylight, fresh air, good views, a sense of space and places that support the different rhythms of daily life.

In our own home, that is expressed most strongly through the visual connection to the adjacent green lung from all the key rooms, as well as spaces that support both movement and restoration. There are areas where we can all be together, but equally, places where each of us can find solitude.

Another aspect that I think is incredibly important but often overlooked is the level of detailed design thinking required to make a home feel intuitive to use. Good design should remove friction from everyday life. When you first move into a home, you should not have to work out where the light switches are, which way a cabinet door opens, where the crockery or cookware should go, or whether there is enough countertop and storage space where you actually need it.

These may seem like small details, but collectively they have an enormous impact on how calm and effortless a home feels. When a house simply works, when everything feels natural, uncluttered and considered, it supports well-being almost invisibly.

Through Core Collective, I have spent years thinking about wellness, and that has reinforced my belief that good design should make healthier, happier living feel effortless. That same philosophy sits at the heart of Anagram Homes, which are conceived as private sanctuaries designed to promote tranquillity, comfort and harmony in mind, body and spirit.

As a parent with young children, what were some considerations and steps you took to futureproof your home?

The biggest consideration was not designing the house only around the ages our children are today: six, nine, 11 and 14. Children grow incredibly quickly, and the way a family uses a home changes constantly, so I wanted the rooms to have more than one life and to evolve with us.

We thought carefully about how each space might be used now, but also five or 10 years from now. The two older boys already have generous study desks built into their bedrooms, as well as pull-out beds that are frequently used when friends stay over. At the same time, we deliberately allowed enough space for those pull-out beds to be replaced with double beds as they get older.

For our youngest son, we took almost the opposite approach. His room has a loft bed with a play area underneath, which suits him perfectly now, but the space has been designed so that it can later accommodate a proper study desk or even a blow-up mattress when he starts having friends sleep over.

The boys’ second living room is another example. At the moment, it functions more as a playroom and relaxed hangout space, but we intentionally incorporated ample shelving and two built-in desks so that, as they grow older, it can evolve naturally into a shared study room.

For me, futureproofing is about designing in possibilities rather than prescribing a single use. A good family home should be able to change alongside the people living in it, giving everyone increasing independence and privacy as they grow while still creating reasons for the family to come together.

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