In 2020, a couple reached out to Ms Geraldine Toh on Instagram with an unusual request: would she help style their bookshelf?Ms Toh had just finished renovating her Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat and had been documenting the experience on her account for fun.By then, her account had amassed thousands of followers and messages asking almost daily where she found a lamp or a chair.But the request to enlist her expertise was a first, and she soon found herself in the couple's living room in Ang Mo Kio. Ms Toh, 34, who now works as a freelance artist, recalled: "It seems quite crazy in hindsight because we were total strangers. "But it was very exciting to me because my house was already fully furnished. So if someone else offered me their space (to play with), sure!"
Soon enough, the art teacher in her took over. Thoughts raced through her mind: Should she colour-code the books on the shelves or arrange them by size? Which ones should be laid horizontally? How could she create little vignettes, or curated clusters of objects, within the shelves?She took an afternoon to finish styling the bookshelf."I didn't charge for it, but they gave me a red packet (a token monetary gift) to thank me for my help. That became my first 'portfolio'," she said. Slowly, more followers started approaching her for help styling their rooms and even renovating their homes. Then came requests to paint murals in their living rooms and, later, commercial spaces.By Feb 2021, Ms Toh had left her teaching job to focus on her growing suite of services full-time. "I created the Instagram account purely to post pictures at first. So it's quite miraculous to see how things have panned out."AN ARTISTIC EYE, A GROWING BUSINESSMs Toh belongs to a group of homeowners capitalising on Singaporeans' growing appetite for well-designed and styled living spaces. Those with an eye for design are offering their styling services and using their own homes to showcase their skills. Others are opening up their beautifully curated homes as locations for photoshoots and video productions.
