My Happy Place: Inside Designer Isabelle Miaja’s Cosy and Eclectic Bedroom

Our new series brings you into the personal spaces of tastemakers in Asia. First up, see more of the cosy bedroom of Singapore-based interior designer Isabelle Miaja

“Of all the rooms in the house your bedroom is yours,” said American interior decorator Dorothy Draper. And she’s right—bedrooms are often called sanctuaries because it’s the one place where we can really be our true selves.

For French designer Isabelle Miaja, the Singapore-based founder of Miaja Design Group, her newly renovated bedroom is her favourite place in the house. “I like my bedroom because of the view that I have. It’s looking at the greenery, the forest and I feel very lucky in the morning to wake up and see nature right out my window.”

Her view was the starting point for the bedroom renovation she undertook after the circuit breaker in 2020. “Choosing the colours is very important to a room. It gives you exactly the type of feeling, the emotions that are going to be brought out... that’s what colours do. I chose all the colours of nature—the blues, the greens, and the aquas—because I feel that the room will bring me a lot of peace and a lot of relaxation.”

Above Isabelle Miaja, founder of Miaja Design Group (Photography: Jasper Yu)

The renovation focused on making the most of the bijou balcony, which now features colourful tiles and a striped awning that gives it a “holiday at home” feel. It also allows her to make use of this outdoor space regardless of the weather. “We all know now the importance of being able to open to a balcony especially during Covid. I love going there in the morning or leaving the doors open at night and listen to the crickets and just let the breeze come in the bedroom,” she says.

Above A dresser made out of parchment sourced from Cebu, Philippines (Photography: Jasper Yu)

Above The small balcony is Miaja's favourite part of the bedroom (Photography: Jasper Yu)

Miaja’s projects range from designing interiors for luxury hotel brands such as Sofitel and Lux* to renovating homes in Singapore and beyond. She often fuses contrasting influences in one space, and has a penchant for mixing old and new and a host of materials in an elegant manner. This approach is seen in her own bedroom, which is filled with objets d’art and unique furniture pieces sourced from around the world including a dresser made out of parchment from Cebu, Philippines.

Of course, the bed is one of the crucial things to get right in a bedroom. Miaja found hers in the US—a classically shaped bed frame made out of shagreen. Personal pieces abound in her bedroom including a quirky bear called Sagartha that takes pride of place atop the bed. “It’s something I collected a while back. It’s a very special bear because it’s one-of-a-kind. I love little touches of art being brought into the bedroom. It doesn’t have to be a piece on the wall, it can be an object as well.”

Watch a tour of her bedroom in the first installment of our series, My Favourite Room:

Credits

Photography

Jasper Yu / Jyu Studio

Art Direction

Charlene Lee

Producer

Kissa Castañeda

Videography

Nicola Ng

Make-Up

Lydia Thong of Makeup Entourage, using YSL Beauty and Keune Haircosmetics

Topics

home tours singapore home tour my favourite room isabelle miaja miaja design group bedroom inspiration interior design

Tatler Asia

My Happy Place: Inside Designer Isabelle Miaja’s Cosy and Eclectic Bedroom