Home Tour: A 30-year-old couple’s $66,000 renovation for their 3-room resale HDB in Queenstown
The Project Architect and Industrial Designer couple self-designed their home.
By Shannon Osztonits -
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Playful moments expressing personality; thoughtful touches; and a home that oozes this creative couple’s appreciation for design…It’s all balanced with functionality, a sense of calm and human-centred beauty…
“Our vision was to create a space that feels cosy and true to who we are, expressive, yet not overly styled like a showroom. We wanted it to feel lived-in with cute and thoughtful details that make us smile every time we see them,” explains homeowner Jess. “Each room has its own little moment that feels personal, whether through colour, texture, furniture or the way we’ve curated our decor pieces.”
Contagious instant inspiration seeps through, flowing down from the brains of this couple (a project architect and an industrial designer) straight into your own energy field.
It’s the type where homeowners in their early 30s will want to follow suit: a perfect personification of drawing ingenuity and vision from the things you love the most in life, and creating a space that totally reflects the people who live in it.
Or, as Jess and John put it: “Where every detail feels intentional yet effortless. We both appreciate finding beauty in the little details and enjoy expressing ourselves through design and textures, whether it’s in the way we dress, create, or design our surroundings.”
For example, John finds joy in creating objects with 3D printing. Whether it’s painting, creating resin art, or crafting with clay, Jess’s happy place is when working with her hands. Therefore, the ultimate workshop corner in their home was an obvious decision, leaning into adding spaces that are utilised constantly, and bring them joy.
“This house was our biggest creative project thus far,” the couple says.
Who Lives Here: A Project Architect and an Industrial Designer, both partners are 30 years old
Home: A 3-room Resale HDB
Size: 721 sq ft
Interior designer: Self-designed
Spending most of their student life together (both polytechnic and university), John and Jess had their hearts set on staying in a neighbourhood close to their hearts.
The property’s (almost) full-height windows in every single room, the engulfment of natural lighting, and the home’s openness drew the couple in. This was strengthened by the location’s convenience, home to dozens of cool coffee shops and 24-hour supermarkets.
“The first time we stepped into the house for viewing, we were stunned by the strong breeze that funnels through when the windows and doors are open for cross ventilation,” the homeowners tell.
The 3-room resale comprises two bedrooms, two bathrooms (including one en suite), an open-concept living and dining area, and a kitchen.
“We stripped out the kitchen, service yard and two bathrooms, removing old finishes, rewired and redid the plumbing.”
The homeowners designed a small niche at bedside height, complete with charging points and a hidden LED light switch for the wardrobe light.
The finer details
“I’ve found that I like to focus on the details — the mechanisms, the small tags, logos, switches, etc. They can make or break the whole design,” says John.
To these homeowners, the finer details really do matter, yet it’s these serious considerations that set the home apart. For example, the less-popular Legrand light switches.
“I really loved how it exaggerated its rocker switch mechanism, and it gives an extremely satisfying click feeling. That tactility felt nostalgic — sort of reminiscent of the old-school Nokia phones that always had new innovative ways of doing buttons.”
Barbell-esque bedroom doorknobs from Taobao were selected because this industrial designer appreciates their knurling mechanism.
The couple took their time sourcing, deciding and piecing all of their brand-new furniture together.
Blessed with a large family and many siblings, a living space to comfortably accommodate at least eight people, and hosting was very important to Jess.
Living Room Design
The living room is a joy. A vinyl player sits below the TV, where the couple enjoy listening to their favourite artist of the hour, Bread, with a lone green crocodile from the childhood arcade game, Whack a Croc, adding more miles of nostalgia.
Retro details such as these are balanced with a modern sofa bed (from Castlery’s Jonathan collection) upholstered in Performance Fabric, lighter vinyl flooring, and a funky black gorilla-shaped chair from HipVan. Then, a Mid-Century type coffee table from Taobao is topped with a banana bowl.
A soft, neutral-toned carpet (also from HipVan) amplifies the illusion of space. A recurring oval-ish shape across the living room suits the mood, including the standing overhang lamp from Taobao, side table decorative lamp, and the Nitori egg cushion — “because Jess’ favourite food is eggs!”
“The living room is the heart of our home, bright and open, and always filled with good company and laughter,” says Jess.
With the natural sunlight and fresh air flowing through, it’s hard to draw yourself away from this nook.
Dining Area Nook
While the living room is Jess’s ultimate space in the couple’s home, John loves the dining room — although the two are closely linked.
“It feels like a natural extension of our sofa, so when our guests come over, everyone can lounge around comfortably and watch TV together,” explains John.
A small, cosy dining corner with a padded L-shaped sofa bench (a banquette from Castlery) and an extendable eight-seater sintered stone top table (from HipVan) feels like they were always meant to be there, opposed to the conventional type of dining table.
“Whenever we dine out, getting the bench or sofa seat always feels like a treat, so now we get to enjoy our own banquette seating at home,” recalls John. “It creates a cosy corner bathed in morning light, with a view that makes you want to linger over coffee.”
A sort of scallop-shaped accent piece hangs above the table. Transporting you to a train station in London circa the 18th century, a double-sided, triangular-shaped clock sticks out from the wall in front. A little golden retriever figurine above the clock adds a touch of cuteness.
It was the classic apron sink that catapulted the couple’s farmhouse-esque design — the very first fixture Jess purchased!
Farm-style Kitchen
For anyone who enjoys cooking or baking (just like these homeowners), although the kitchen isn’t obtrusively large, it’s the kind of kitchen setup you could easily imagine a celebrity chef filming their cooking show in.
Gold tap accents further enhance the countryside feels, along with black and white diamond checkered ceramic tiles from Hafary: an ode to the childhood Facebook game Restaurant City.
Wooden carpentry is used across the entire kitchen, finished with wood laminates from Lamitak. The darker bottom drawers (housing appliances) are Sven Knarvick Birch | WY5281D, and the lighter top cabinets, disguising socket points and switches within, are done in Salt Cloudy Cement | DXP1386BS.
“John was especially particular about the wood grains; he took ages to choose the exact pattern and even made sure our carpenter installed them vertically,” Jess says.
Decorating the studio, doubling as John’s WFH room, is an IKEA wooden chest drawer from the MALM series. His first addition to the house was, in fact, the monkey side table. This item, along with the plush swivel, was sourced from Taobao.
Muji-Inspired Creative & WFH Studio Space
One of the most special parts from these creatives is the workshop, where John frequently goes on a “date” with his 3D printers, and Jess spends moulding her latest creations.
“Our workshop space draws from Muji-inspired simplicity, bright, airy, and functional, with dual work stations tailored to how we both create and work,” John explains.
A pegboard is lined with John’s tools, whereas Jess showcases her bag charms via a column display.
“It’s a space that really reflects both personalities,” Jess tells.
They played around with moody, warm and neutral colours, married with grey-toned hues for furniture and laminates. The overall result is intimate and cosy.
Modern & Moody Master Bedroom Design
Contrasting the brightness and warmer tones of the rest of the home, the master bedroom is intentionally moodier to evoke a serene feeling as the couple retreats here at the end of the day.
The homeowners went with a Huntsville Storage King Bed, and the headboard, bedframe and mattress are a Simmons set. The standing/reading lamp is from IKEA.
Also in the master bedroom is a vanity near the window, chosen for its natural lighting.
Wood carpentry is finished with Lamitak’s Taglio Marcello Walnut | WY5216D laminate for the vanity. Paying ode to Jess’ favourite character, Winnie the Pooh, is a bear-shaped LED mirror, appearing to peek out to say “hello.”
The primary en suite was designed by Jess.
Bathroom Design
A spark of genius is the two bathrooms, which match one another, yet are completely different. Both Jess and John designed one bathroom each, another reflection of both homeowners’ personalities. Jess prefers a bathroom with natural light and a bright and airy feel, whilst John leans more towards the dark and moody kind, finished with warm light.
“We had fun giving each one its own character,” Jess explains. “From dark and emerald subway tiles inspired by boutique hotels, to fresh blue tones that bring a sense of playfulness and lightness.”
The primary en suite boasts deep ocean blue subway tiles (from Hafary’s M.Cer Blu Notte series) in the shower, and light grey large format tiles. A uniquely placed soap bar sits below the shower mixer.
Bringing in a touch of lightness are Hafary Hurl White subway tiles on the vanity accent wall. Black taps match the dark vessel sink, and an oval black-framed mirror finishes off the overall look.
Inspired by boutique hotels, the guest bathroom was designed by John and is noticeably moodier.
Featuring emerald subway tiles from Hafary (M.Sod Verde Malva series) along the shower wall, the homeowner selected the same large-format 600x600mm tiles (also from Hafary) for the rest of the walls, as well as the flooring.
“Using the same material throughout creates a seamless, cohesive and expansive look, minimising grout lines and making the space appear much larger,” says the homeowner.
Both bathrooms feature a linear drain, matching the width of the large-format tiles — another example of attention to detail.
The custom-built vanity (constructed from Lamitak’s Taglio Marcello Walnut | WY5216D laminate and a Caesarstone 550 Silvax porcelain material) features a similar sink to the primary; however, the common bathroom’s one is more oval compared to the primary’s rectangular vibe.
The kitchen.
The design process (including main ideation, mood boards and 3D modelling) took two months to complete, and the construction work was four months, including the couple’s DIY works.
“At the start, we had so many ideas and themes in mind that it was impossible to settle on just one,” recalls the homeowners. “So we told ourselves, let’s not fixate on a specific style. Instead, let’s create a mix of everything we love, and find a sweet spot between his and hers.”
Although a project like this is within their line of work, both homeowners learned a lot throughout the process, from why clients change their mind last minute to the extreme patience and “incredibly labour-intensive” job it takes to install vinyl flooring!
“Looking back, this home truly feels like us. A blend of both our personalities, quirks, and creative touches. Every corner holds a little story, whether it’s a spontaneous furniture find, a detail we insisted on, or something we built with our own hands,” says John and Jess. “It’s not a perfect home, but it’s one that grows with us, warm, lived in, and filled with memories we’ll keep adding to along the way.”
Can’t get enough of this home? We spoke with the homeowner to understand more about their design thinking and favourite home pieces here: