Home Tour: $140,000 Renovation for a family’s 3-bedroom condo in Bencoolen

What is a home to you? For Mrs Lee and her family, home is meant to be a safe haven. “If you don’t feel safe in your home, where can you feel safe? Aside from physical safety, emotional and mental safety must be considered. For that, each of us needs our own personal space,” says Mrs Lee, a homemaker. 

Who Lives Here: A family of three 
Home: A 3-bedroom condominium apartment in Bencoolen
Size: 1,184 sq ft
Interior Designer: Nicholas Heng and Fly Soh from SG Interior Design

Bencoolen Condominium

Mrs Lee and her husband, a managing director, upgraded from a 3-bedroom HDB flat to a 3-bedroom condominium apartment in the Bencoolen area. The couple have a son. At the time, he was 11 years old. The family planned to have a bigger space to have personal space when needed, which was hard when they had two bedrooms. Being nature lovers, they also wanted to have plants and pets in their home. Aside from fishes, they have a pair of budgies. So, having a space for them to fly around is important to the family. “If we only have two bedrooms, then we would have the birds in the bedrooms with us too,” she adds. 

The family chose to overhaul the interior spaces. They roped in interior designers Nicholas Heng and Fly Soh from SG Interior Design to achieve their vision. “The kitchen was a bit small, so the challenge was to bring in more light. Removing the wall separating the yard from the kitchen makes it brighter,” Nicholas explains. Upon completion, the kitchen looks spacious, too, thanks to the light finishes.

Grey Interior Design

On the other hand, the ambience of the living and dining area is cosy, with dark grey finishes for the furniture and furnishings. “My son said the home would look nice if everything is grey, so it’s about using shades of grey,” Mrs Lee shares. It also suits their preference for something muted, timeless and easy to maintain. At the window area, the design team carved out space for a balcony of sorts. This evolved from the initial idea of having a green wall. The space is built with a platform with storage drawers and reeded glass partition to reduce visual clutter. 

Hotel Bathroom Design

Design decisions were made as a family. Interior designer Nicholas says, “The couple’s son has a strong design sense. He wanted a hotel feel for the bathroom and had a say in the tile selection. Normally, we deal with adults. So, it was interesting for us to involve an 11-year-old. He gave valuable suggestions, and it turned out very nice.” The bathroom is decked out in large-format glossy tiles and a generous vanity.

Mrs Lee adds, “My husband and I were trying to get our son to be independent in his own room, so he was involved in the decision-making process for that.” Going with his decision to have the adjacent room, the family also decided to hack down a portion of the wall to connect the two bedrooms. Folding glass doors separate them.

Son’s Bedroom Design

Their son’s bedroom is equipped with a daybed and a pull-out bed underneath. But after putting a desk in, there was little space for storage. So, instead of a bedside table, a ledge behind the daybed is for essentials. It hides storage, where he can keep his toys. The design team also customised a wardrobe, orientated to suit the space. “These are the areas where the design matters. It helps meet his needs even with limited space,” Mrs Lee says. 

Master Bedroom Design

Likewise, the master bedroom is furnished minimally and functional according to their brief. As they had carved out an opening to the other room, the couple chose to have two wardrobes, one closer to the window and the other next to the bathroom entrance. Matte laminates bring a softness to the bedroom feel. 

The other bedroom serves as a multi-purpose room, where Mr Lee and their son let the birds fly around and spend time with them. On weekdays, Mrs Lee does crafting there with her sewing machine. The husband spends time on his interest in plants in the balcony area, which is also a space for parent-and-child quality time. At its heart, the home is designed for connection – either as a family or to self, where they have the freedom and space to engage in restful activities individually whenever they want to and come back as one as a family. Mrs Lee says, “It’s learning how to live together in a common space.”