Xixi Lim Put This Huge Portrait Of Herself In Her Aunt & Uncle’s 4-Room Flat When She Renovated It And They Are Not Amused

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Going to actress-host Xixi Lim’s newly-renovated four-room HDB flat in the west for a house tour, we knew to expect the unexpected. After all, the 36-year-old is known for her quirky style and vibrant personality.

Even so, we did not expect to be greeted by a massive portrait of the star when we walked into the 1,200 sq ft apartment.

The life-size self-portrait, a collage of four head shots of Xixi making silly faces, stands at an imposing 1.75m tall. It occupies the entire height of the wall along the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

It’s a tad over-the-top, and by her own admission, not very demure or mindful, especially since this is her aunt’s and her husband’s flat.

Since young, Xixi has been living with and cared for by her aunt as her mum was constantly moving around for work. Xixi’s mum lives separately and they would meet up occasionally.

“You must be thinking why is the portrait so big. How to be small? Just look at me,” she tells 8days.sg. “Anyway, my interior designer gave me the measurements, so I'm just following instructions. I also got quite a shock when I first saw it. I was like, ‘Wah so big ah, okay lor.’”

Don’t you find it a bit narcissistic, we ask jokingly.

“I’ve always been like that, and I am proud of it!” she says with a chuckle. “I always tell people if you don’t love yourself, how do you persuade others to love you?” Spoken like a true self-love advocate.

“Also, since I wanted an art gallery theme for the house, I need art. So I put the nicest piece of art that I know, which is me. I call it ‘Xixi Look Look’,” she adds.

Jokes aside, there’s also a meaningful message behind the portrait. The photos were taken the night Xixi was named Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste at the Star Awards, so the portrait is sort of a reminder to herself that she has “done great work and achieved something”.

No need for artwork when you’re a work of art

To give the space a museum aesthetic and sense of grandeur, an artsy arched limewash ceiling and mood lighting were added.

“This is my favourite space in the house. When I walk down the corridor, I feel like I’m very posh, appreciating art,” says Xixi.

Her aunt and uncle, however, were not amused. But since they did not wish to be involved in the home reno as “it’s too much effort”, Xixi called all the shots.

In fact, she had planned to put another huge self-portrait in the dining area, but her uncle told her “maybe just one”.

“I had already picked an artsy photo of me slurping noodles, but my uncle suggested changing it to our family portrait. He’s a man of few words and that’s him subtly telling me it’s too much and that he doesn’t want to see so much of my face around the house,” shares Xixi.

“He hasn’t commented on my self-portrait since we moved in. I think he’s still trying to take in the shock.”

Despite only living in the flat for eight years, it was in need of an upgrade due to wear and tear. Xixi had initially wanted to touch up areas that were damaged or old but there was “too much to fix” so she eventually opted for a complete makeover, with an art gallery theme and splashes of green - her favourite colour - all around the house.

The living and dining area

The theme is obvious the moment you enter the apartment. Hanging on the wainscoting wall in the dining area is a huge watercolour-like family portrait and bright, quirky furnishings like curved sofa and side tables reinforce the gallery aesthetic.

Lush green hues, fluted panels, and marble-like and gold accents come together cohesively to give this cosy, chill-out space a luxe touch, and curves, a common theme around the house, add softness.

“I like things that are round, as you can tell,” she laughs. “All the corners are rounded unless I have no choice. Even my lights are round."

The kitchen

The kitchen, Xixi’s aunt and uncle’s domain, is decidedly pared down compared to living area. Here, function over form rules, and instead of green, the space is awash in white and grey tones.

“In areas where my aunt and uncle hang out more often, I have colours which they can accept. I also didn’t want the house to be too green,” she explains.

Entertainment room and home office

The family loves karaoke so one of the bedrooms is used as an entertainment room. It also doubles up as Xixi’s office and studio for her shoots and live streams.

To open up space, the wall that divides the hallway and room was hacked and replaced with a glass sliding door. This also allows Xixi to admire her portrait from a comfortable distance.

Xixi’s room

Xixi could not stop gushing when she gave us a tour of her bedroom, which is decked out in her favourite shade of green. We’re pretty amazed by how she managed to find so many furnishings, from the bedframe to the study chair and trash bin, in that hue.

Ironically, you will not find any photos of the actress here as she is “already the art”.

“My room is for me to recharge so there is nothing too loud here,” she says.

Though if there’s one thing she could change, it would be to have a smaller vanity so there’s more space between her bed and the windows.

Xixi can't open her curtains, and the struggle is real when she has to change bedsheets. This writer tried squeezing between the bed and wall and could not even get her leg in.

“I laughed at Hazelle Teo when I saw [that she had a similar] predicament and turns out, mine is worse!” laments Xixi. “But I can’t do anything about it ‘cos the dressing table is built in.”

Aunt and uncle’s bedroom

The master bedroom, also designed by Xixi, takes inspiration from hotel suites.

Grey and white tones and rose gold accents give a soothing vibe, and the glass closet creates a mini walk-in-wardrobe-like-effect. Xixi also wanted a see-through wardrobe for her aunt to “force her to be tidy”.

The cheeky actress had initially planned to sabo her aunt and uncle by getting a see-through door for their bathroom too, but her ID convinced her to pick the fluted glass instead.

“It’s their bedroom and yet they didn’t want to make any design decisions, so I wanted to give them a surprise! They were very relieved when they saw that it was a fluted glass door,” she chuckles.

Bathroom

Featuring clashing teal and orange, the two bathrooms are another highlight of the home, if you ask us. Not only do the bright and loud colours reflect Xixi’s personality, but also set a fun tone for the spaces.

Beige and black are used for the shower area to prevent the small space from becoming too busy.

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Photos: Dillon Tan