Heritage meets modernity in Beach Road for Peter Tay

Who: Interior designer Peter Tay, 52, is best known as the designer to the stars. His love of parlaying reflective surfaces such as mirrors and glossy surfaces into decor accents that add depth and create optical illusions is a calling card.

- Chantal Sajan

After graduating in architecture from the prestigious Architectural Association in London in 2000, he focused on designing interiors to pursue his concept of "the hidden poetry in living spaces", and established Peter Tay Studio here in 2001.

He has worked on the homes of some of the biggest local and global names in entertainment and business, such as Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, America-born Mandopop singer Wang Leehom, and home-grown personalities like actress Zoe Tay and billionaire Peter Lim.

Mr Tay, who is married with two sons, was named Designer of the Year in 2014 at the President's Design Awards. In 2021, he was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society of Interior Designers Singapore. And in December 2024, he was awarded Design Firm of the Year by the Interior Design Confederation Singapore.

"Although my office, home and after-hours haunts are all around Beach Road, it has become more than just a work-live-play precinct to me.

Every morning, I wake up to its fresh air and, every night before I sleep, I reflect on the energy this place infuses in my daily life. The precinct is a perfect fusion of heritage and modernity.