Interior design couple’s Brutalist-inspired HDB flat

SINGAPORE – The owners of this home have been together since their polytechnic days – long enough for them to learn what they like and how they want to live.

When the couple, both spatial designers in their late 20s, got the keys to their four-room Housing Board flat in Fernvale, they did not rush to fill it up. They took six months to ponder, experiment and slowly build the kind of space where they could both feel at home.

The flat measures 990 sq ft, but feels much larger, thanks to the couple’s rezoning. Working with local firm LA Design Studio, they merged two bedrooms, removed another one and reshaped the layout to better suit their lifestyles. The renovation cost them $150,000.

The flat opens with a black pool table that anchors the entryway, smaller than average but proportioned to double as a dining table when needed. Overhead, a sculptural Vlux light fixture spills across the ceiling like a molten ribbon.

The couple entertain often, and this space sets the tone: casual and flexible, but quietly dramatic. “We host in small groups and we wanted a space that didn’t feel too polished,” the wife says.

The living area is anchored by a long, slender console and matching coffee table. Both are clad in Sensa granite – a natural surface from Spanish surfacing specialists Cosentino Group – and treated with stain-resistant protection.

The couple kept the palette muted and let texture do the talking. A Bearbrick figure with a cheeky Mona Lisa print adds a dose of personality by the couch. 

One bedroom was removed to make space for hosting. To do so, the couple removed the wall separating the living area and an adjacent bedroom.

As HDB regulations required them to retain a 30cm offset to preserve a structural pillar, they carved out a jagged silhouette along the remaining wall. This cutaway feature connects the living room and the entertainment zone.

The husband describes this nook as a hybrid bar and workspace, anchored by an island. A dark stone slab forms the base, with a lighter travertine-like extension as a perch for breakfast or cocktails. Above, a sculpted ceiling dome casts a glow that shifts depending on the time of day or occasion.

A handmade papier-mache artwork rests on the floor by one wall. The couple created the piece using off-cuts from the renovation. Says the wife: “It just made sense to keep the leftover materials and turn them into something.”

The transition to the private wing is marked by a corridor with star-like pin spots scattered across the laminate like constellations. 

Mounted on one wall is another artwork the couple made together: three old skateboards coated in leftover plaster and streaked with acrylic.

The remaining bedroom was merged with the master bedroom to create a larger suite comprising a vanity and shower, a floor-to-ceiling walk-in wardrobe and a “sunken” sleeping area set a step lower than the rest of the space, with a built-in television set for the couple to watch before bedtime.

All these are tucked behind a nondescript wooden door and illuminated by smart lighting that the couple can adjust to mimic daylight at any hour.

The spa-like master bathroom is set up with dark tiles, an artificial skylight that changes brightness and temperature depending on the time of day, and a wide ledge beneath a rain shower.

One of the most personal parts of the flat is the indoor planter built by the couple. Inside the glass box, which divides the wardrobe and sleeping area, are faux shrubs, white stones and orb lights – all of which the couple arranged by hand.