65 274
FARRER ROAD
65
January15
weather for good and set themselves
up in Asia.
“After Australia, we kept travelling
back to holiday in Asia, because we
enjoy it so much. Our decision to
move was also helped by the fact that
at the time, both our companies were
operating out of Singapore. Here was
an opportunity for another adventure,”
she says.
“Our estate agent found us this ‘old’
low-rise condo; it was built almost 30
years ago, and has plenty of outdoor
space for our golden retriever. The green
views and arched windows with full
privacy made the decision very easy, not
to mention the proximity to the Botanic
Gardens.”
The move to Singapore encouraged
Maureen to branch out on her own, after
a decade working in brand marketing.
With her background in project
management and her love for arts and
antiques, interior design seemed a
natural progression.
“I wanted to focus onmy two passions:
art history and interior decorating. The
two go together – you can’t style a place
without both,” she says. Her business,
Signé Design, translates to “signed
by” in French; “The idea being that a
design project is not about putting my
own stamp on things; it’s a co-creation
between my client and me,” she says.
Early on, Maureen joined and found
kindred spirits at the Friends of the
Museum, where she reveals she is “really
invested”. She works as a volunteer
docent, mostly at the Asian Civilisation
Museum where she covers antique
artefacts and art; she’s also training to
be a guide at the Singapore Art Museum
where the focus is contemporary Asian
art. Maureen’s passion for study and
training is no surprise in view of how
clearly she revels in the provenance
of the collection she has personally
amassed.
At home, Maureen’s apartment is an
experimental lab where she tests and
stretches different design styles while
W
hat else but macarons
s h o u l d a c c omp a n y
af ternoon tea with a
Parisian? While they’re
classically French, the setting in
the living room of the Farrer Road
condo apartment is anything but.
For one thing, the sheer scale and
diversity of the eclectic range of art
and antiques is overwhelming. Luckily,
the knowledgeable Maureen is able to
explain the provenance of each and
every piece, whether it’s from Asia,
Europe or Africa.
Maureen’s education and career have
provided opportunities for her to live in
cities across the globe; she says, “We’ve
felt at home everywhere we’ve lived, so
long as discovery is on the cards.” Five
years ago, spurred on by a one-year stint
in blue-skied Sydney, the couple made
a decision to trade London’s dreary
Parisian-born MAUREEN COURCENET radiates French poise and
grace. In the Farrer Road home of four-and-a-half years that she
shares with her husband and four pets, her love of antiques, art
and interior design has had free rein. While showing us around, she
talked about living in Singapore and setting up her own business.
By Katie Roberts; photography by Michael Bernabe