As far as selecting a property was concerned, Carol was likewise pragmatic. “The price you’d pay for a house today is not practical if you’re living alone,” she explains.

“I also really wanted a townhouse because my family and I lived in a beautiful one in the States before, after we sold our house there,” she says. Carol developed an affinity for townhouses after years of living in the United States. As a result, when the time came, she opted for a similar property.

Moving into the cosy space quickly proved to be a great decision for Carol, who unexpectedly found it to be a catalyst for rediscovering and reconnecting with her old passions and hobbies—home decorating among them.

The glamorous socialite, who has helped beautify friends’ homes through the years, got to work right away on her very own. She began with renovations, making sure it was remodelled into a space that suited her lifestyle and her needs. “When I got the property, it looked like most of its kind in this area,” she explains. “But I had everything knocked down; all the partitions. I made it like a square and I started from there.”

Eliminating most of the walls greatly opened up the unit, creating a versatile space where Carol and, on occasion, her family and guests could move around with ease. On the ground floor, where the foyer, living, and dining rooms flow freely into one another, the walls are painted in subtle beige tones to keep it light and breezy. This common space is also appointed with a curated set of old furniture and decorative pieces—frames, mirrors, paintings, and statuettes—from the lady of the house’s past homes, with only a few details like cutlery and plates introducing little pops of colour here and there. “These are all pieces I’ve acquired through my travels,” says Carol. “Every time I visit a new place, I always make it a point to go to an antique store.”

Perhaps the most notable space is the spacious master bedroom-cum-dressing room which she designed to occupy the entire second floor. This personal area, which Carol has dubbed her anteroom, used to be two separate bedrooms. The owner resolved to merge them into one multipurpose, lounge-like space, which she now regards as her favorite in the house. “Instead of putting another bed here, I put a dresser. So I dress up, put on my makeup, and even eat here,” she says. “Everything a woman needs, I put them all together here. So when people tell me they like my anteroom, I tell them it’s because I studied the space to know what needed to be there.”

Overall, the lady of the house appreciates the new sense of freedom afforded by her new home—in spite of its smaller scale. “I’m happier here than I was when I was living in a condominium,” she says. “There [were limitations]. That’s why I moved here and made sure to model the space this way.”

Unlike her former high-rise condominium unit, this new abode allowed Carol to create new spaces that supported her lifestyle and hobbies. Among them, her pocket garden, which she personally tends to. “One of the great things about living here is I have all these new spaces, which I couldn’t have before,” she says. “I have no complaints about this home.”

Walking through the townhouse, one can’t help but admire the beauty created by such seemingly basic, structural changes. It’s a space small enough to be cosy and familiar, yet wide enough to serve as a home for the owner’s many pursuits, whether as a decorating enthusiast or a doting grandmother.