The Chic Home: Young couple’s BTO flat a place for gatherings
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SINGAPORE – Home owners Vanessa Tan and Landon Lim host guests almost every day.
The couple, both 32, enjoy spending time with their toddler son and hosting gatherings at their four-room HDB flat in Punggol.
When design principal Lim Kar Kwang from home-grown interior design studio Lite Design Collaborative was engaged to revamp the space, he was tasked with creating a bright, spacious living area and adding rounded edges across the flat for safety.
The couple, who are self-employed, also requested ample storage to reduce clutter, low-maintenance materials and a fully equipped kitchen because they cook often.
This foyer serves as a buffer zone that hides the living area from the corridor outside.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
To achieve this, the design team overhauled the layout of the 1,001 sq ft Build-To-Order flat.
The living area was shifted to the centre of the home. Mr Lim says: “Inspired by ancient Chinese courtyard houses, the reconfiguration features a large central living area functioning as a communal courtyard.”
The new living area, he adds, is intended to be a versatile space for gatherings that can also double as a children’s play area.
The toddler’s room has no external windows, so internal windows were added for ventilation.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
The passageway to the bedrooms is integrated into the new living area. There is also room for custom storage with display shelves between the common bathroom and household shelter.
The two common bedrooms, now located in the former living area, have been downsized.
One is the toddler’s bedroom and the other is a guest room. The toddler’s room has no external windows, so the design team added internal windows for ventilation and visual flow.
The furnishings in the dining area match the light wood palette throughout the home.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
In the dining area, bench seating with storage and a custom backrest complement the loose chairs.
Darker, moodier finishes in the kitchen make for low-maintenance surfaces.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
Meanwhile, the kitchen has a dark palette for easy maintenance. As the couple usually deep-clean the kitchen after cooking, the kitchen cabinets have been raised off the floor to accommodate this.
The curved moulding of the false ceiling was done by hand.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
Mr Lim says: “Since we reconfigured the entire unit, we needed to find a way to conceal the air-conditioning piping in the living area to make it aesthetically pleasing.”
Getting the curved false ceiling right took a long time, he added, as the moulding was done by hand.
The focus on rounded corners extends to the television wall, where the curves soften the space.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
The bedrooms share similar design elements, colours and finishes, with wall-mounted bedside lighting and streamlined features.
The bedroom has a light neutral palette.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
In the master bedroom, Mr Lim installed custom storage such as a recess behind the door, which has been fitted with a display cabinet where the couple can keep items that are regularly used.
The couple keep regularly used items in a recessed cabinet behind the master bedroom door.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
The glass door for the master bathroom lets more light into the bedroom. Rounded corners appear again here, with the curves made possible by slim tiles.
Slim tiles in the bathroom allowed for the creation of curved edges.
PHOTO: LITE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
The renovation took three months and cost $110,000, and the couple moved into their home in January.
This article first appeared in Home & Decor Singapore. Go to
homeanddecor.com.sg
for more beautiful homes, space-saving ideas and interior inspiration.
