Given that we basically live on an island, it’s interesting that we don’t see as many coastal-inspired designed homes in Singapore.
And even though a coastal home design is not as popular here, it has actually been around for a long time. It may not have been as clear a label back then, but these designs were common with traditional homes situated near the coast.
While there may be variations, such as darker or lighter wood stains, the essence remains the same.
Any home with a coastal design exudes an atmosphere of serenity and fun. It’s the same feeling you’d get when you’re staying at a holiday home near a beach or lake.
For Mareenah (@mareenah) and her husband, they always had a soft spot for the coast. “Some of the fondest memories are of family holidays in Australia and our honeymoon spent at the beach in the Maldives,” she recalled, “and there’s no denying that those times had a big impact on our inspiration for our dream home.”
She added that even way back then, she remembered looking at all the big, white coast homes, thinking they were simply alluring.
Her home is a resale HDB located in Pasir Ris and is just a block away from her parent’s place.
“We’ve always wanted to stay near them, but the units listed in the area are hard to get due to the racial quota,” she said.
“So the moment this house was listed by a Malay seller, we did not hesitate to purchase it.”
They were on the lookout for a well-used property with an existing open concept layout. While the couple wanted to revamp everything in the home that they’ll purchase, they also wanted to save on the hacking costs.
She said that her unit was a perfect fit in all of their criteria, and it was love at first sight.
Currently, their home is occupied by her little family, which includes Mareenah, her husband, and their son. Let’s discover the renovation journey they went through and how their coastal-themed home unfolded.
How the renovation journey turned out
Mareenah and her husband were going for a simple renovation with minimal built-ins, so they only set their initial budget to $45,000. However, they ended up setting aside more as they predicted that costs could escalate.
“True enough, due to electrical wiring, mosaic tiling, and local carpentry sources during a period when manpower was limited, the renovation totalled close to $60,000,” she said.
“And this doesn’t even include the costs of appliances and furnishing.”
The couple was looking for a perfect balance between modern and coastal. They decided to play around with pure, clean tones since it’s easier for them to add a touch of colour whenever they feel like sprucing things up.