Actor Terence Cao gave interior designer free rein to redesign home, was shocked to lose a room

Actor Terence Cao gave interior designer free rein to redesign home, was shocked to lose a room Cao handed over the keys to his HDB flat and stayed out of the renovation process – only to discover one of the two bedrooms was gone. How much trust would you place in your interior designer? Enough to hand over your keys and not see what they're doing to your home until the renovation is complete? Apparently, yes, if you're Terence Cao. The Singaporean actor recently gave tours of his newly renovated house, an almost 60-year-old HDB flat in Toa Payoh, revealing that he gave his interior designer pretty much free rein over the place. Judging from the floor plan and footage of the unit before its renovation, it appears to be a three-room flat with two bedrooms. His instructions were surprisingly simple: The home had to be functional. “I told them, ‘This is my key. Don’t ask me anything until you deliver the house. Don’t even call,’” Cao, 58, said in an Instagram video by lifestyle media platform Koocester. Was he not scared? “No!” he replied without hesitation. “Because I trusted [them].” And it seems his decision to stay completely out of the design process paid off. Recalling the first time he saw the finished home, Cao said: “They overdelivered beyond my expectations. For me, it was totally mind-blowing.” The home has an industrial-inspired look, with raw textured walls, stainless steel finishes and darker tones offset by pops of burnt orange and red. Retro ventilation blocks add character to the space. The renovation was sponsored as part of a collaboration, though Cao revealed that it would have cost “six figures”. Terence Cao has a long history with the flat. “I actually grew up in this neighbourhood,” he said. “I’m turning 60 next year. That’s how old this block is.” Renovating a home that's close to six decades old came with its share of challenges, with the designers having to work around existing beams, pipes and other structural quirks. Instead of fighting them, they used curved false ceilings and partition walls to create a smoother flow between the living room and kitchen. Giving his ID complete creative freedom also meant Terence Cao was in for some surprises. The biggest? One of the bedrooms had been hacked away to create a spacious dining area, with a sleek black granite island taking centre stage. “I came in and I was totally shocked. I said, ‘Hey, I lost one room,’” he recalled. His remaining bedroom, meanwhile, is concealed behind a stainless steel hidden door and is deliberately sparse. “This is a place for me to actually rest, recover, rejuvenate,” said Cao, adding that he shouldn't spend too much time in his bedroom as he “should be more productive”. As for the room he “lost”, Cao seems very happy with the trade-off. The new dining area's black granite island is now his favourite part of the entire home. “I could do so many things with this island. It’s like a centrepiece for me,” he said. Given that he is the founder of livestreaming platform Star Live, the space could come in handy for work too. “I can do live streaming, podcasts; I can do a full food show here,” he said. This story was originally published in 8Days. For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/.