Tucked away in historical Tanjong Pagar is Blair Road, a charming row of shophouses, each with its own unique character. American Rosilyn Young, lives in a beautifully restored, four-bedroom conservation house with her husband Gil and their 16-year old son, Duncan.

How long have you lived in Singapore?

Actually, this is our second stint here. We first lived in Singapore from 1996 to 2000. Since then we’ve lived in London and then back in San Francisco. We really enjoyed our stay here the first time around so, when an opportunity arose for Gil to be transferred here in 2005, we jumped at the chance. Duncan goes to United World College (UWC), which is an excellent school.               

What drew you to this conservation home?

We’d previously stayed in the expat areas around Tanglin and Holland Road, so it was quite a change for us to live somewhere more local. My husband spotted the advertisement in the Straits Times and we discovered Isabel Redrup, an agency that specialises in shophouses and  conservation homes.

This house has been beautifully renovated, the interior with high-end fixtures and fittings in a fresh, contemporary style, but the exterior retaining all the character and charm of its shophouse heritage. We’ve got our own pool, and all the rooms are spacious with high ceilings and lots of light.

Where did you find all this beautiful furniture and these lovely home accessories?

We've been collecting it over the years, and some of these pieces have been all around the world with us. One of my favourites is the antique Chinese console table in the living room. I love its crackly texture and the elegant curve of the legs. We bought it, along with a number of other pieces, from Apsara, a wonderful source of Asian furniture and interesting accessories.

Other favourites are the glass-fronted vitrine in the master bedroom where I showcase some of our blue and white porcelain, and the Chinese partners’ desk and latticed panel in my study. These antique pieces are from House of Huanghuali. We've also bought a number of pieces from Taylor B, which has a huge warehouse full of treasures from all over Asia; you name it, they’ve got it, and their prices are really good. And we also like China Collection for its more rustic selection of Chinese furniture and bronze rain-drums.