Home Tour: $140,000 Renovation for a business owner & director couple’s 3-bedroom condo in Aljunied

Homeowners Joyce Ong and her husband Lerdsak took great pains searching for a condominium unit with a layout to their liking and which suits their lifestyle. And when they finally found it, there was no need for any reconfiguration of the floor plan or hacking of walls. However, as the property was over twenty years old and in its original condition, and Joyce and her family also had their personal preferences, some renovation was in order.

D’Marvel Scale came highly recommended by two of her friends whose homes were done by principal director, Derrick Lim. The couple, who are in their mid-40s, visited these homes and were impressed by the workmanship and service and decided to engage them.

Homeowner Joyce, who works as a brand communications director in the hospitality industry, has a passion for hotels and interior design. She and her husband, a business owner, appreciate cultural heritage and simple, classic and elegant designs. They are not trend followers when it comes to design and they feel that art in a space can help to comfort and soothe the mind. When the family relocated from Thailand to Singapore, they brought along some of their art collection that includes vintage posters and maps with a Southeast Asian theme. They requested Derrick to integrate these pieces into the home design.

“When I first spoke to Derrick, I emphasised that having peaceful and quality sleep is a priority for my family. It is important for each family member to have our dedicated and uninterrupted space, both during working hours, as well as at bedtime. At the same time, we also wanted a spacious and uncluttered communal area during mealtimes and for family bonding,” she says.

Who Lives Here: A couple and their young son
Home: A 3-bedroom condominium at Geylang East Avenue 1
Size: 1,173 sq ft
Interior Designer: D’Marvel Scale principal director, Derrick Lim

Marble and Wood Interior Design

The home features a lot of wood elements, many in combination with white marble, such as the sideboard at the entrance foyer and the dining table.

Dining Area

The dining table is a sentimental piece that moved with the couple. From Niiq Thailand, a brand by Thai interior designer Rangsan Narathasajan, they had D’Marvel Scale repaint the table in Singapore and paired it with dining chairs from Grey & Sanders.

“I am particularly glad that we were able to preserve our dining table. D’Marvel Scale’s carpenter hand painted the wooden structure to restore the piece and blend in seamlessly with our newly renovated home,” Joyce expresses. To complement the table, interior designer Derrick selected a pair of pendant lamps that augment the space with a vintage and classical charm.

Spacious Living Room Design

The spacious living room was one of the reasons they bought the 3-bedroom condo unit and it is deliberately kept minimally furnished to free up space for the couple’s 4-year-old son to play while they watch television. The centrepiece of the space is the leather sofa from Commune Singapore, which the family loves as it is comfortable enough for the whole family to laze in.

Kitchen Storage

One of the biggest challenges for the renovation project was in the kitchen. In order to make the most of limited space, they had interior designer Derrick and team construct as many built-in cabinets as possible to maximise storage. They also installed various equipment and appliances such as a dryer and drying rack to get around the lack of outdoor space for dying laundry.

Fluted Doors

Fluted doors were added to the kitchen and the corridor leading to the bedrooms to help mitigate the noise from the activities in the living room and kitchen from disturbing whoever may be resting in the bedrooms or working in the study.

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom, son’s bedroom and study room all adopt a clean and uncluttered approach to design and furnishing to achieve beauty in simplicity.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms have been completely transformed after the renovation. The layouts are practical and efficient and reflect a quiet luxury with a hotel feel without being overly opulent.

$140,000 Renovation Cost

The renovation cost came up to about $140,000, which includes the air-conditioners, light fixtures, bathroom accessories and electrical works, but excludes the furniture and white goods. The amount also takes into consideration the additional costs associated with replacing the window frames, anti-mould treatment for the walls, as well as formaldehyde removal to ensure a safe environment for their young son.

The homeowners took extra care in selecting non-toxic materials for their renovation, down to the glue used in laminates and this added to the overall cost. It took three-and-a-half months to complete and the family moved into their new home in January 2024.