Yvonne Lim Saw 100+ Homes Before Saying Yes To Her Bukit Timah Condo

Finding the right home takes time and patience. For Yvonne Lim, it meant looking at more than 100 units.

The 49-year-old Mediacorp actress and her husband, Taiwanese businessman, Alex Tien, 46, formerly of defunct boy band B.A.D, spent years searching before buying their four-bedroom Bukit Timah condo in 2019. They now live there with their kids, AJ, who turns 12 this year, and Alexa, nine.

The hunt began as early as 2014. Even after relocating to Taipei following their wedding, the search never quite stopped.

Whenever Yvonne flew back to Singapore for visits or filming, she packed house viewings into her schedule. From Taipei, she scrolled listings and requested floor plans, which Alex would scrutinise for feng shui, sometimes consulting masters before anything progressed.

Yvonne had her own checklist too: a central location, at least three bedrooms, and proximity to reputable schools. “We needed to get a house first before we could register for schools for the kids,” she tells 8days.sg.

Between house viewings and floor-plan vetting, the couple went through well over 100 units, around 70 per cent of them visited on site.

Rejected the apartment before

By then, Yvonne was already tired from years of house hunting. Ironically, the home she eventually bought was one she had already seen — and rejected.

The first time she viewed it, the unit was tenanted and cluttered. “It didn’t feel right,” she recalls. She struck it off her list almost immediately.

About a year later, she came across the listing again while browsing property sites online. This time, photos showed an empty, cleared-out space, and she arranged a viewing on her own.

The moment she stepped out of the lift, she felt a strange sense of familiarity. “It was like deja vu,” she says. Only later did she realise it was the exact same unit she had dismissed before. Without the clutter, the space felt open and comfortable.

Though it didn’t fully meet Alex’s feng shui criteria on paper, she decided to act, arranging for their feng shui master to view the unit in person. The master gave her approval and negotiations began soon after.

“I think it’s fate, says Yvonne. “After so many viewings, I came back to this house. It’s like the search came full circle.”

Condo reminds her of their Taipei penthouse

Home for the Tiens is a 1,700 sq ft apartment, which they moved into in 2024 after a six-month renovation.

The high-floor apartment, with its unblocked view and squarish layout, ticked several boxes for Yvonne, who values privacy and space. “When I stepped into the master bedroom, it felt very open,” she says.

The airy feel reminded her of their Taipei home, a two-storey penthouse roughly twice the size of their Singapore condo.

This time, Yvonne took the lead on the renovation.

Their Taipei home had been designed by Alex while she was pregnant and she remembers being stunned when she first saw it.

“He turned it into a bachelor pad,” she laughs, recalling the dark, moody interiors. “Everything was black — the floors, the cabinets.”

So when it came to their Singapore home, she told him: “Don’t get involved. I’ll handle it.”

Yvonne initially envisioned a modern luxe home with European touches — think cornices and Victorian detailing.

But practicality soon took over. With storage needs and two growing kids to consider, the look gradually evolved into a more contemporary style with warm, earthy tones. Leather-like wall panels give the space a chic, luxe feel.

The renovation was partially sponsored, but Yvonne estimates it would otherwise have cost “under $500K”.

Living and dining areas

The living room retains the apartment’s original marble flooring, which anchors the warm, contemporary palette.

A sleek white smart piano the family brought over from Taipei quietly takes pride of place in the living room.

Though Alex can’t play, he insisted on bringing it along so Alexa can continue practising. The smart piano can even play songs on its own, something he enjoys turning on when guests are over.

Alongside it sit glass display cabinets filled with books and family keepsakes. Yvonne says they wanted a place to showcase things that are meaningful to them, from their favourite books to personal mementoes.

The dining area, meanwhile, was moved to the balcony to create more space for entertaining.

“I like hosting friends, so I needed a bigger dining area,” she explains.

The sintered stone dining table is one of the most unusual features in the home. Custom-made to match the house’s design, it comes with a built-in cooking slab hidden beneath the surface.

“It’s like an induction cooker. I can cook directly on the table,” Yvonne says. “We can do hotpot or even teppanyaki here.”

Kitchen

If the dining area is where Yvonne entertains, the kitchen is where she truly feels at home.

In fact, when designing the space, she had a very specific vision in mind — becoming “Singapore’s Nigella Lawson”, the British food writer and television cook.

“I imagined myself filming cooking videos here,” she laughs.

That explains the bright white kitchen peninsula, which she designed to double as a filming backdrop. The colour helps reflect light so she can shoot cooking content without needing additional lighting equipment.

The counter also serves as a breakfast spot for the kids on school mornings, and offers plenty of storage for Yvonne’s growing collection of kitchen gadgets and appliances.

Behind it sits more sleek appliances and a cleverly concealed fridge, giving the dry kitchen a seamless, uncluttered look.

Beyond the counter is the fully enclosed wet kitchen — a practical decision for someone who cooks often.

“It used to be an open kitchen with glass walls, but we sealed it up,” she explains, adding that feng shui considerations also played a role.

Master bedroom

For Yvonne, the master bedroom is where she goes to unwind.

The high-floor unit offers an unblocked view, something she appreciates after years of living in a similarly high-floor home in Taipei.

A bay window overlooking the view has become her go-to spot in the room. “Sometimes I just sit here and zone out,” she says.

In the corner sits a glass cabinet that holds items close to her heart — including three of her Star Awards trophies: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and All-Time Favourite Artiste.

“It’s a reminder to myself to be grateful for what I have achieved,” she shares.

Master bathroom

The ensuite bathroom continues the home’s modern luxe touches with rose-gold fixtures — a detail Yvonne was determined to have, even though it meant waiting more than a year for the hardware to arrive.

The bathroom also retains the condo’s original sunken bathtub, which the family decided to keep because the kids enjoy soaking in it.

“We have onsens in Taipei and this design is quite similar,” she says.

AJ’s room features army green accents — his favourite colour — in the shelves and a cosy window nook where he can read while enjoying the view.

Alexa’s room is done up in dusty pink, though the nine-year-old now says she prefers purple.

Photos: JustSwipeLah