Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024 Voted Best Carpets & Rugs by Singapore Tatler 2022-2024 & Expat Living 2021-2024

#MyLivingDNA Home Tour with Chetna Bhatt

A sun-drenched 3-bedroom condo is the perfect backdrop for modern and antique homeware, reflecting a distinctive East African heritage.

Sculptural artisan-made black and white details come together to reveal jewellery designer Chetna Bhatt's life story. Her relaxed, inviting space marries a love for entertaining with its inhabitants' roots. From African mudcloth cushions, tribal masks, carved wood, grass baskets, coral centerpieces, woven natural fibres and cotton rugs, Chetna's mindful decorating choices encompass materials that are long-lasting as well as multi-functional, conjuring a coastal state of mind.

Hi Chetna, please introduce yourself.

I am Chetna Bhatt, founder of Ashepa Lifestyle. I am born in Kenya and moved to Singapore six years ago. 

What's your morning routine?

I like to start my day with some self-care and it's something I am always working on. I start with a short meditation mantra and then enjoy some breakfast before doing a thirty-minute routine exercise. I'm normally not a big breakfast eater, but it's all I think of after pregnancy! I make myself a green smoothie and healthy cottage cheese and oat pancakes with fruits, nuts, and some greek yogurt on the top. They are divine and guilt-free!

Which spot or item in your space is most meaningful to you? 
The living room for me is the most meaningful. It's a place where you can come together and sit for hours chatting, or reading your favourite coffee table book whilst sipping on a tea.  I love the energy in it.

You have many places you call home - Kenya, London, Singapore. How have these places influenced your interior style?

That's true I do have many places I call home and each country has its own spin on history and influences that reflect it. I love unique pieces that tell a story and each place I have stayed in has something I have wanted to keep in my home forever. 

Why did you want rugs in your living and dining space?

I love rugs, they are almost like a facelift in your space. They set a mood and tone in the area. The living room and dining area are two spaces that we spend a lot of time in and mood means a lot to me. The humid weather in Singapore means cooler floors and indoors, so a nice pretty and comfortable rug to walk on also makes it feel cosy.


What are ways you decorate the home mindfully?

I work with neutral tones and these act as a canvas in that space so that I can reinvent the space over and over again. I do get bored quite quickly of the same look so refreshing space with a change in layout works. I also use materials that are long-lasting and sustainable as well as multi-functional so you find creative ways to use them around the house.

Please share with us a simple breakfast or snack recipe you love. 

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#MyLivingDNA is a blog series on personal interior style. We visit homes designed by the owners themselves, reflecting their unique identity. Home is our physical and psychological mould, the vessel of our well-being. Through these home tours, we empower you to embrace your own style and express it in your sanctuary.  Read more #MyLiving DNA home tours here.