Welcome to my 'kennel': Mimi Choo gives tour of homely Upper Thomson terrace house

When Malaysia-born actress-singer Mimi Choo was looking at houses in Singapore 10 years ago, she felt that she acted rashly and could have gotten a better deal.

Giving Lianhe Zaobao a walking tour of her home — a two-and-a-half storey terrace house in Upper Thomson said to take up 372 sqm— the 67-year-old said: "I should have tried to bargain more but I was not good at that.

"The previous owner of this house was a fan and said they listened to my songs. That threw me off-guard and I stopped bargaining with them." 

She currently lives there with her two sons and daughter-in-law. Her husband is in Hong Kong. 

Even though the value of the property has reportedly doubled since she purchased it for $2.4 million, why did Mimi describe her place as a 'kennel'?

She said: "Most of the furniture I have are simple and cheap. But the papers from Hong Kong and other places wrote that my house is a 'mansion', even though I've never said it is one.

"Some netizens later saw the photos of my house and left messages saying, 'What mansion? It's just a typical row of houses only. There are a lot in Malaysia.' So I say, welcome to my 'kennel'."

Some of the highlights of Mimi's home include a glass cabinet full of various gold ornaments and also Chinese calligraphy pieces on the wall.

Mimi also showed the dining area that has three large statues of Fu Lu Shou, the gods of good fortune, prosperity, and longevity.

In addition, there is a guest bedroom that has been converted into a storage area for her sons' collection of steering wheels.

Instead of 'luxurious', Mimi preferred to describe her home as 'homely' and 'comfortable'.

Despite purchasing the house at a "hefty" price tag, Mimi said: "Thankfully, my family and I are all very happy living here.

"Is it a mansion? No. Is it very big? Also no. The most important thing is that we are all living comfortably, that's it. My expectations are not high at all."

ALSO READ: Mimi Choo says TVB only offered her a $175 job in the last year

chingshijie@asiaone.com