Home Tour: $250,000 Renovation for a 30s couple’s 3-bedroom condo in Tanglin

Who Lives Here: A couple in their 30s
Home: A 3-bedroom condominium in Tanglin
Size: 1,399 sq ft
Interior Designer: Studio HP

The couple who are in their 30s used to live in a 4-room BTO flat in Queenstown. It was their matrimonial home, which they moved into just before the pandemic. They love the neighbourhood for its proximity to the Orchard Road belt, yet is surrounded by nature and retains a feeling of serenity.

“We have fond memories of jogging along the park connector and down the winding roads of Tanglin, which provided some respite from the lockdown,” says the husband.

3-Bedroom Condo in Tanglin

When they were looking for a new home, they knew that they wanted something within the same area. The found a 3-bedroom condominium just a five minute drive from their old place.

In fact, they used to drive past the condominium all the time on the way back home when they were still living in their former HDB flat. “We recall thinking that this location would be absolutely perfect for us,” the wife shares.

One of the reasons for moving was because they wanted a larger space as they host frequently. They also admit to hoarding too much. With newer condominiums typically being smaller sized, they focused their search almost exclusively on older developments, which tend to have larger footprints.

When they viewed this condo unit, they felt that it met all their requirements. Even though it was in a rather rundown condition, they saw the potential in the large communal area, ample natural light and high ceilings.

Studio HP Interior Design

Just as the couple knew where they wanted their second home to be, they also knew that Studio HP was the one for the job. The homegrown firm designed the home of friends who share a similar lifestyle as the couple - they also host often and are part of the same wine circle.

Over the course of many gatherings, the couple have had the opportunity to appreciate how Studio HP married form and function for their friends’ 5-room BTO flat, so when it came to designing their own home, they did not bother interviewing anyone else.

Entrance foyer

For Studio HP founder, Rashi Tulshyan, it was important that the entrance foyer has an element that would make a visual statement. Instead of introducing a totally different feature, she borrowed the beautiful rattan arched cabinet design also used in the bar as a little sneak peek at the entrance foyer.

“It is the showstopper of the home and what better way to step into the home than to see this piece,” she comments.

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Living room

Having studied in the UK and lived in rented homes in various parts of London, along with travels across Europe, the “European Townhouse” aesthetic is something that the couple wanted to capture in their apartment, “minus the fireplaces and mantlepieces”. 

The living room reflects a sophisticated flair that is synonymous with the European design language and provides the perfect setting for entertaining guests.

The arched wall mouldings are consistent with the arches in the entrance foyer and bar area and lend the home a sense of continuity and cohesiveness. The tall fenestrations let in plenty of natural light that makes this a welcoming space.

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Dining room

As avid hosts, the dining room is one of the couple’s favourite spaces within the home. They chose a custom made 2.4-metre long sintered stone dining table to anchor the space, along with sculptural pendant lights.

The interior design approach was to go with a clean and neat space, and let the statement lights and the stone tabletop do all the talking.

“Instead of adding too much to the walls here, we allow the lighting and tabletop to take centrestage,” says Melissa Wan, lead designer of Studio HP.

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Home Bar

The bar is another area that the couple is particularly fond of. The arched rattan cabinet design creates a striking focal point for the space, which also serves as a backdrop for the dining area.

Apart from its visually stunning aesthetics, it also provides practical storage space for the couple’s glassware, as well as display their wine collection.

The integration of rattan into the scheme helps to soften the predominantly monochrome colour palette and adds a touch of warmth into what might otherwise end up being cold and stark.

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Kitchen

With its classic black-and-white ensemble and brass hardware, the kitchen is a nod to midcentury modern interiors. An otherwise utilitarian space has been elevated with the introduction of herringbone wood tiled flooring and pendant lamp.

Wall niches and chamfered cabinetry add to the kitchen’s unique flair that transcends its functional purpose.

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Master bedroom

For the master bedroom, the focus is on the headboard design. Rashi and Melissa designed a cutout to accommodate a pair of beside wall lamps.

The ambience is all about warmth and restfulness and this was achieved through a carefully curated selection of linen, soft furnishings and lighting.

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Master bathroom

Beautiful brass-gold fittings and dark wood tones give the master bathroom a sophisticated touch accented by fluted door trims and classic glowing bulb lighting.

Here, the arch motif is given a twist and is presented as inverted mirrored arches above the vanity counter.

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Powder room

This was originally the second bathroom in the home, but the clients wanted to use it purely as a powder room. This made the existing shower compartment redundant. However, they did not want to do any hacking.

Reluctant to leave it as it is, the designers came up with the idea of repurposing the space into built-in storage without any hacking and without altering the layout. The space was totally transformed with new carpentry, beautiful wallpaper panels and a rattan pendant lamp.

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Study room

The couple own a large collection of books and it was a design challenge figuring out how best to display and store the books without causing clutter. This was where the unusually high bay windows (almost one meter above the floor) became an opportunity for integrating a row of bookshelves that are part storage and part display.

$250,000 Renovation cost

The renovation cost came up to about $250,000 including the furniture. It took about 10 to 12 weeks to complete and the couple moved into their new home in May 2025.

For them, a home is an emotional sanctuary to rest, recharge and truly be themselves. The renovated home gives them a sense of peace, grounding and personal meaning and they definitely plan on staying put for at least the next eight to 10 years.

“The neighbourhood meets all our needs. We do not anticipate requiring a larger or different space anytime soon, and to be honest, moving again feels far too tiring,” shares the husband.

Can’t get enough of this home? We spoke with the homeowner to understand more about their design thinking and favourite home pieces here:

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