It’s hard not to feel cheered up once you cross the threshold of this executive maisonette apartment belonging to Thomas and Katie, a civil engineer and a sales representative respectively. They had approached Kuay Mei Yee at Distinct Identity to design their home after seeing their past maisonette projects. The resulting look for their own home is full of playful personality, decked out in vibrant colours and accented with bold tropical wallpaper with a multitude of patterned tiles.
AT A GLANCE
Who lives here: A couple in their thirties
Home: Five-room HDB executive maisonette in Potong Pasir
Size: 1,572 sq ft
ID: DISTINCTidENTITY
Despite all this, the house doesn’t feel busy or cramped, thanks to an open concept that merges the living, dining, and kitchen areas in a single space. “It’s great for hosting family and friends,” says Thomas. The space is delineated by means of colour-blocking, using a palette of aqua and navy blue, lemon yellow, and nude pink, balanced out with black and white neutrals.
The couple had chosen bright blue for their walls and kitchen cabinets due to their love of the sea. “It’s also largely inspired by our honeymoon to the Greek island of Santorini,” shares Katie.
Complementing this are a bold tropical wallpaper and a backsplash of colourful tile, making the kitchen a focal point of the home.
The rest of the home shows equal attention to visual detail. In the foyer, black and white patterned tiles lend drama, while a complex gallery wall and bright blue railing adorn the staircase area.
“The feature wall showcases photos of our journey together as husband and wife, while the art prints in the kitchen and dining area pay tribute to our local culinary icons,” says Thomas. A collection of furniture from local shops such as Second Charm and Lims Legacy adds to the eclectic jumble.
Upstairs, most of the original layout was kept, except for the reconfiguring of one bedroom and both the bathrooms. The two upper-floor bathrooms had been rather cramped, so Mei Yee proposing combining them into one. The resulting bathroom is much more spacious, with a larger shower enclosure and double vanity sinks – more than enough room for the couple to get ready each morning. Clad in a mixture of grey and pink patterned tiles purchased from Hafary and Soon Bee Huat, the bathroom is visually elaborate and soothing at the same time.
The same pink is used in the master bedroom on the walls and wardrobe doors, though the look is kept simple for a more relaxing atmosphere. In order to create more room for the wardrobe, Mei Yee also proposed extending the space into the next bedroom. “Space planning is one of the most important aspects of interior design,” says Mei Yee. “In a well-planned room, space is used to its maximum effect.”
Since the next room’s sole function was to be a display area for the couple’s Star Wars memorabilia collection, this made sense. The new room is smaller, lined with glass shelves that showcase their beloved figurines under spotlights.
The overall design and renovation took a period of 12 weeks, with a cost of $110,000. The couple was able to move in in March 2021. “Mei Yee shared a lot of ideas to help us fulfil our design priorities, so we trusted her very much,” says Thomas. “Now, our home tells the story of who we are and our interests.”
Photography: Tan Wei Te
Art Direction: Kristy Quah