SINGAPORE – A home owner’s brief is often a wish list of what he or she wants in a place.
However, in the case of this 46-year-old civil servant, it was the reverse. “I found it easier to tell the designer what I did not want,” he says.
On the list of things he did not want for his 1,300 sq ft five-room Housing Board flat in Haig Road, which he shares with his mother, was an excess of fixed furniture. The owner says he wanted to reconfigure the space and add furniture pieces along the way.
Ornate or frilly items were also a no-go, as were elements that would collect dust or be difficult to clean.
He also did not want the entire apartment to be visible to visitors or outsiders.
The team at home-grown design firm Artistroom took all these into consideration, starting with the entrance foyer – formerly an access corridor the previous owner had purchased from HDB, sandwiched between a gate and a door.
By pushing the main entrance out and adding a built-in shoe rack and bench, the space is now a proper foyer.
Behind the bench is the kitchen, separated from the foyer by a half-height parapet wall with sliding glass panels that partially screen off the rest of the interior. Most of the existing walls were removed to create an open layout.
The kitchen walls were demolished and its footprint extended into the living area, demarcated by full-height glass walls for a seamless transition between the spaces.
The bedroom walls adjacent to the living room were removed to make way for a dining area and tea corner, which features an elevated tatami platform with hidden storage and a tea table.
Together with the living room – which is styled with eclectic yet timeless furniture – the three spaces read as a single area with different zones.
The home owner’s mother occupies the master bedroom, while he takes the second bedroom. Built-in, back-to-back cabinets separate his room from the dining area. One side provides storage, while the side facing the bedroom serves as his wardrobe.
What used to be a corridor between the two bedrooms is now a study area, demarcated by a slide-and-fold screen door in the owner’s bedroom. A peekaboo window facing the corridor connects the space with the rest of the apartment without sacrificing privacy.
More storage lines the wall outside the common bathroom. The concealed storage, bedroom and bathroom doors are clad with wallpaper that has a rattan-like texture. Dark stone-look tiles and wood veneers add warmth to the home.
The design-and-build project cost about $150,000 and took around six months, due to manpower constraints and other restrictions during the pandemic. The owner moved into the home in May 2022.
- This article first appeared in the February 2023 issue of Home & Decor, which is published by SPH Magazines.
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