Home Tour: $130,000 Renovation for a Japanese MNC executive & her family’s 3-plus-1 bedroom condo in Bedok

When presented with a home that is still in relatively good condition and taking into consideration the client’s tight timeline, it is prudent to not drastically overhaul the whole interior and only make changes and improvements that are necessary. This was exactly the approach taken by interior designer, Winnie Bak from WA Dexign for this condominium at Bedok Reservoir Road. “As the existing condition still looks good, we only did touch-ups to some of the areas instead of major changes,” she points out.

This 3-plus-1 bedroom condominium in Bedok Reservoir is home to Cindy, a 46-year-old senior executive in a Japanese multinational corporation, her 51-year-old husband who is an IT professional and their son and daughter aged 20 and eight respectively. The family wanted ample built-in storage to keep clutter at bay, but was also mindful about striking a balance between form and function. “We wanted a functional home that has a good blend of aesthetics with a modern contemporary theme incorporating primarily white and light grey colours with a bit of black to make the house look bright and spacious,” says Cindy.

Who Lives Here: A family of four
Home: A 3-plus-1 bedroom condominium at Bedok Reservoir Road
Size: 1,313 sqf

Fluted cabinet doors

These elements are immediately apparent the minute you enter the home. To the right of the entrance foyer is a row of full-height, built-in cabinets with a fluted design on the grey laminate doors. Working with a neutral colour palette comprising predominantly whites and greys, it is important to incorporate a variety of textures and patterns to give the interior visual interest and a sense of depth.

Living room

This strategy continues into the living room, where the grey, marble-look laminate with contrasting veins on the feature wall create a focal point within the space. One of the biggest challenges was to ensure that the feature wall complements the adjacent altar and display cabinet.

Instead of trying to do an identical match, interior designer Winnie introduced wood into the altar and display shelves, enriching the interior design scheme with another dimension. The wood element can also be found on the living room ceiling where she cladded the decorative beams in a wooden wrap. “It makes the whole living room stand out and also makes it feel much warmer,” she comments.

Dining Room

A rectangular dining table with a timber top that the family brought over from their previous home fits right into the new home. Interior designer Winnie added a floor-to-ceiling tinted mirror on the dining room wall to create an illusion of space. The balcony that runs alongside the living and dining areas offers a good view of the surrounding tree canopies and makes the greenery feel like part of the home. It also lets in plenty of natural light.

Kitchen

The kitchen entrance is defined by a peninsula kitchen island, homeowner Cindy’s favourite spot in the home. “This is where we chill, drink and eat when we host gatherings,” she shares.

It also doubles up as a breakfast counter. The kitchen island is set against a glass display cabinet backdrop housing a collection of shot glasses that the family has collected from various countries during their vacations. A fluted glass sliding door separates the wet kitchen from the island area. This not only keeps the smoke and grease in, but also conceals any mess from view.

Master Bedroom

The couple opted for a similar design language for the television feature wall in the master bedroom as the living room, combining grey, marble-look and wood laminates with glass cabinets above.

On the opposite side of the room, a marble print wallpaper on the wall behind the bed strikes up an interesting dialogue with the television feature wall.

The walk-in wardrobe echoes a similar fluted design and grey laminate as the built-in cabinets along the entrance foyer to establish a sense of continuity. A little dressing table takes advantage of the well-lit space below a window in the walk-in wardrobe. It has a flip-up vanity top with a mirror below and space underneath to store homeowner Cindy’s make-up.

Bedroom Bay Window

Every bedroom in the home has a bay window, which interior designer Winnie has put to good use. In the son’s bedroom, the bay window has been transformed into a gaming desk with open shelves on the side, while the daughter gets a space for her keyboard.

The bay windows in the study room and master bedroom offer cosy, chill-out corners within each of the two rooms, both with a lovely view of the neighbourhood.

$130,000 Renovation budget

The family moved into their new home in June 2022 after a three-month renovation that cost about $130,000 including furniture and fittings. The home turned out almost as the family envisioned it to be.

“As busy working adults, we needed a house that is easy to maintain and clean. I am glad that we made the right choice to have lots of storage space to keep clutter at bay,” Cindy says.

Interior designer Winnie prides herself on creating spaces that are not only visually pleasing, but also practical. “I understand that these are not showrooms. They are people’s homes and they are meant to be lived in, loved and used. Therefore, they need to be functional while still being beautiful,” she says.