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We apologise for coming at such a bad time. Ivy insists that it's okay and coughs. We feel terrible but we're sure she feels worse. "There's a virus going round the house," she says. We enter with trepidation.
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Ivy's condominium is a new development on Bukit Timah Road and only a handful of units are currently occupied. There's the usual infinity pool, floor-to-ceiling windows and water features. Ivy's 1,507 sq-ft, four-bedroom apartment, apart from the toys lying around and the minimal childproofing, doesn't look like it's been designed with two toddlers in mind. |
Enter the white couch. Hello? A white couch in a house with three kids is a tragedy waiting to happen. "We had a white fabric couch at the old place and it did get dirty. But this is leather, so it's much easier to clean when the kids draw or spill on it," Ivy tells us. Obviously, she doesn't come from the once-bitten-twice-shy school of parenting.
"We made a loss selling our old condo, but it's okay because we really needed more space after having Nik and Dash," says Ivy, who spent about $70,000 on renovations, even after discounts from furniture shops. The family moved in just before this Chinese New Year, celeb pals Zoe Tay, Jacelyn Tay, Chen Hanwei, and Thomas Ong among the guests at the housewarming party.
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Aileen Tan gave her a vase, while Pan Lingling and Hong Huifang presented her with a new mahjong table. "Of course we played mahjong at the housewarming - it helps open the cai (fortune) of a new house," she laughs. |
Does she get pesky neighbours waiting to catch a glimpse of her and her starry friends? "Not at all, though I've heard that some real estate agents promote this place by saying that I live here, but that's fine," she tells us.
Responsible for the interior design is Mike Tan, owner of egg3 - a hip lifestyle concept shop. A fan of his store, Ivy struck a fast friendship with Mike and enlisted him to design her new home. "I talked to Ivy about how she wanted the house to look and she said she didn't want it to look like a show flat," says Mike. "She is also very concerned about feng shui, so I had to work with her feng shui master to make sure everything fell into place perfectly."
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To say that Ivy Lee is concerned about feng shui is like saying Angelina Jolie likes children - a massive understatement. The three-time Best Room with a view: Kartell Bourgie lamps complete Ivy's tres chic bedroom. |
Actress winner has every corner of her home conformed to the right feng shui. "I don't have any round ceiling lights in any bedroom because they're reminiscent of surgery room lights," she offers. "The feng shui master also advised me that six is my unlucky number so I can't have, for example, six picture frames on the walls."
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The colour of each room is also designed to match the ba zi (a Chinese belief that each person has 'eight characters' that define one's fate) of its occupants - grey and blue for Ivy and her husband, orange for Mikki and white for her twin sons. |
Paintings of scenery and pathways adorn the walls facing the doors. "They're to signify that there will always be roads and opportunities ahead of us," she explains. We nod in enlightened agreement. A visit to Ivy Lee's abode is like a crash course in feng shui.
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"It's better to believe than not to," she says. Despite being a credible actress and celebrity, all Ivy wants - just like any wife and mother - is "for my family to be safe". And that's probably the best lesson in humility we learn today. |
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