Mediacorp DJ Gerald Koh Spent $180K, 3 Times His Budget, To Renovate His $980K Maisonette Flat

Colin Meehan
Jun 10
4 min read

One of his priorities was a dog nook, which he spent a “low five-figure sum” outfitting with built-in carpentry, mood lighting, beds, a faux fireplace, and ‘TV’.

Mediacorp radio jock Gerald Koh has been really, really busy.

Not only did he recently move into his new abode, an HDB maisonette flat in the northeastern part of Singapore (more on that later), he will be moving home at work too.

The 41-year-old is leaving radio station 987, where he’s spent the last 12 years, and joining GOLD 905 on June 2. He will be co-hosting the morning show with Sophie Gollifer.

Now that he’s in his forties, Gerald felt that it was time for him to “progress” from the youth-centric 987 — a move he’d been contemplating for one and a half years.

The perfect opportunity came up with the departures of GOLD 905 DJs Vernetta Lopez and John Klass, shares Gerald, who describes himself as a “closet uncle music fan”.

But the transition hasn’t been without its chaos. While preparing for his on-air debut with a new partner and show format, Gerald was also in the thick of renovating his new home, a $980K two-storey flat, which he moved into in April.

He shares the 1,500 sq ft apartment with his wife, Thia Zhixin, 33, three-year-old daughter Gemma, their two dogs and helper.

Although the 33-year-old resale flat was in move-in condition, Gerald and Zhixin wanted a space that truly reflected their style. That meant overhauling the place.

His initial renovation budget? A modest $60K — a figure Gerald admits now was wildly optimistic.

“If you ask a layman like me who doesn’t know anything [about reno], hasn’t shifted house before and only had a BTO flat with minimal reno, my budget was $60K lah,” he tells 8days.sg.

“I didn’t really know how much damage you can get until you get into the whole planning process.”

After shopping around and realising most interior designers were quoting at least $100K, reality set in. Eventually, the cost ballooned to $180K — triple the original budget — thanks to the modern luxe theme and additions like new windows and staircase upgrade.

“We’re going to stay here for a while, so we wanted to ensure it sticks to the theme and we would be comfortable in the house, hence the decision to put in a lot more budget,” explains Gerald.

After a four-month reno, the space is now awash in warm, dark tones, rich textures and marble-like finishes. Even his leather cloud sofa is in a luxe “Hermès orange” hue.

“No, I did not pick it ‘cos it’s Hermès orange," laughs Gerald. "I didn’t notice it was that shade until my ID pointed it out. Then I was like, 'Okay, can.'"

Dog nook for his beloved pooches

One of the highlights of the home is the dog nook for his pooches Donut and Bagel. Located under the staircase, the space was one of Gerald’s top priorities when designing his home.

“The first thing I told my ID was: I want a house for the dogs,” he says.

Designed to resemble a cosy cabin, he spared no expense outfitting the space with built-in carpentry, mood lighting, a faux fireplace, ‘TV’ (it’s actually a tablet), beds, and even customised sintered stone discs for his pups to sit on “’cos it’s cooling”.

He reckons he spent a “low five-figure sum” on the dog nook.

“We wanted them to have a nice space to chill in. We were worried it would be a white elephant, but they took to it quite well,” shares Gerald, adding that they sometimes “bark when they watch videos”.

They can finally show off their Lego and Disney collections

Just outside the dog nook is the living room where the couple display their collection of Lego and Disney ears.

Taking centrestage is their feature wall of Disney headbands, which they’ve amassed over 10 years visiting every Disney theme park around the world.

“I wanted a display to tell people I am a Disney fan without telling them I am a Disney fan,” says Gerald.

Inspired by a TikTok video, they used IKEA shadow boxes to display the headbands. Each box is velcro-mounted, allowing them to easily change up the display with new headbands in future.

Gaming room

Another must-have for Gerald? A gaming room — not for himself, but for his wife, who’s an avid gamer.

“I wanted a place for her to game in comfort,” he says. “That means the lighting had to be done right, the TV had to be the right size, and the wallpaper and colours had to fit the vibe too.”

The room also doubles as a study for Gerald.

Gerald's favourite room

His favourite spot in the house is — perhaps unexpectedly — the common bathroom, which was designed like a hotel toilet.

Inspired by a toilet he once used in Japan, Gerald wanted to recreate that luxurious, Zen experience and made sure to fit it with “high-quality toilet bowl and fixtures”.

“We Taobao-ed the shower heads and sanitary fittings for our previous home. Three years later, we noticed rust and peeling paint. This time round, we made sure everything is proper,” he says.

“It’s so comfortable here. I’ve replied quite a few emails in the toilet ‘cos nobody disturbs me and I can fully focus.”

Dining area

The balcony has been converted to the dining area and service yard. A chandelier was added to accentuate the home’s two-metre-high ceiling.

As curtains would be difficult to take down and clean, smart glass film, which you can easily switch from transparent to opaque, was installed on the two-storey windows for privacy.