Home Tour: $92,000 Renovation for a mother and son’s 3-room HDB flat on Kempas Road
After a long wait, this cosy haven comes together with smart storage and thoughtful details—creating a warm home for two.
By Gwyneth Goh -
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For years, Karen dreamed of finding a home near her mum, who lived just a bus stop away from what is now her current flat. After many failed ballots and even appeals to her MP, she finally secured a 3-room unit at Kempas Road through a Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise—a long-awaited milestone. Yet the joy was bittersweet: two months before she got the flat, her ailing mum had passed on, leaving the new flat to carry both the happiness of a fresh start and the ache of her absence.
At a time when Karen was navigating both renovation decisions and personal loss, her long-time friend and interior designer Don from Sqm2 stepped forward with an offer to help. Gently guiding her through choices big and small, he helped shape the flat into a bright, easy-to-maintain space filled with generous storage, cosy corners, and thoughtful details. For Karen, the home is more than just practical—it is a place of comfort and renewal, and above all, a safe haven to share with her son.
Who Lives Here: Karen, 47, who works in HR, and her son Ansel, who is currently serving National Service
Home: A 3-room HDB flat on Kempas Road
Size: 700 sq ft
Interior Designer: Don Wong, Sqm2
A custom shoe cabinet with a built-in settee makes the entryway both practical and welcoming.
The Dining Space
Karen’s idea for an L-shaped dining table with a built-in settee went against interior designer Don’s initial hesitation. “Initially he was quite afraid because of the space constraint,” she recalls. “He was afraid the settee would be too wide and leave no walking space.” But the risk paid off, and the result has become one of the most practical features in the compact flat.
“Instead of a normal four-seater, this lets us sit side by side and stretch out,” Karen says. “My son takes up a lot of space when he eats, so this way it’s comfortable for both of us—and when guests come over, even more people can fit around the settee.”
It’s also where the pair spend the most time together. After long days at work and National Service, dinner at the settee is when mother and son catch up, watch TV from across the room, and simply relax in each other’s company. “It’s to me quite a cosy corner,” Karen adds. “You can eat and relax at the settee area.”
For Karen, one of the guiding principles of the renovation was to make the home easy to maintain. “I like things clean, and I don’t like the house to be messy,” she says simply. With its wipe-clean surfaces and compact footprint, the dining corner reflects that ethos—comfortable and inviting, yet designed for fuss-free upkeep.
The compact living area is anchored by a slim TV wall and personal mementoes, giving the space warmth and character.
Living Room Design
The living area is anchored by a slim TV wall with a vertical display niche. Karen has filled it with personal mementoes: photos of her late mother and one of Ansel in his army uniform, as well as the Toy Story alien figurines he loved as a child. “I kept them for him, and a picture of him and my mum—a way to remember her. And the army picture,” she says. “I’m so proud of him so I put it there.”
Another feature that brings her quiet joy is her first Bearbrick, a black-and-white panda design that now sits prominently in the space. “All along I wanted one, but they’re expensive and you need the right place to put it,” she shares. “I like this, it’s simple.” For Karen, the Bearbrick is more than just décor—it marks a fresh chapter in her new home.
The TV wall includes a vertical glass-panel niche, perfect for displaying keepsakes without overwhelming the space.
TV Feature Wall
Interior designer Don designed the TV wall with practicality in mind. “The small wall cannot accommodate a big TV so I said 55 inch is the biggest,” he explains. To make the most of the space, he added a vertical glass-panel niche with adjustable shelves. Knowing that Karen travels often and enjoys collecting things, he felt it was the perfect way to give her a flexible display area without overwhelming the compact living room. The clean lines also make tidying up far less of a chore, keeping the living space low-maintenance while still feeling warm and personal.
The settee by the door makes everyday routines easier, offering a comfortable spot to put on and take off shoes.
Custom Shoe Cabinet and Settee
Right by the entrance, interior designer Don designed a floor-to-ceiling, custom-built shoe cabinet that runs back-to-back against the kitchen cabinetry. Karen had a very specific request in mind: her son’s oversized sports shoes needed to fit neatly inside. “My son has a lot of shoes because he likes to play sports, and his shoes are very bulky and very big,” she says with a laugh. The solution keeps their footwear tucked away while preserving the clean, streamlined look of the small flat.
Homeowner Karen also insisted on having a settee built into the cabinet so her son Ansel could sit down and put on his shoes comfortably. For her, it was a small but important touch that makes everyday routines easier. “The settee is there because we didn’t have any in my old house,” she recalls. “He always had to stand at the door, or sit on the floor to wear his shoes.”
For Don, this detail became one of the most satisfying parts of the renovation. “Having a settee in such a small three-room flat, the calculations are very important” he explains. “It’s not only the length, but the depth…” In the end, he found a way to make it work, blending it seamlessly into the living room while still creating ample storage space.
The sleek galley kitchen features a recessed fridge and built-in oven, combining practicality with Karen’s love of cooking.
Kitchen Design
For Karen, the kitchen was one of the most exciting parts of the renovation. In her old home she never had a proper oven, so she made sure this time to include one. “I love to cook,” she shares. “I took up a baking course and learnt to bake bread.” Having a built-in oven at last feels like a long-awaited upgrade, one she looks forward to using often.
To keep the compact kitchen looking clean and streamlined, interior designer Don recessed the fridge into the back of the shoe cabinet. This clever move created a flush alignment along the cabinetry, removing visual bulk and giving the small space a sharper, tidier look. It also means fewer awkward corners to trap dust—part of a home designed with easy cleaning in mind.
Built-in carpentry in the yard keeps laundry supplies neatly tucked away, with an automated system adding everyday convenience.
Service Yard Design
The adjoining yard was also carefully planned. Built-in carpentry here keeps household supplies tucked neatly away, while the Steigen automated laundry system adds a layer of everyday convenience, freeing Karen from the manual hanging she used to do in her old flat.
The master bedroom is cocooned by warm wood tones, with an L-shaped wardrobe doubling as a privacy screen.
Master Bedroom Design
The master bedroom’s standout feature is an L-shaped wardrobe that Karen calls her favourite part of the renovation. More than just storage, it was designed to solve what Don describes as a “tricky corner.” Rather than leaving the space in the corner wasted or difficult to reach, he engineered it so both doors open outward, creating a fully accessible “magic corner”—a detail he also used in the kitchen cabinetry.
The “magic corner” wardrobe maximises every inch of storage while creating a more private and restful layout.
The placement of the new wardrobe also does more than hold clothes—it creates a partition that changes how the room feels.
“From the door you cannot see me, you have to walk in to see me, because the wardrobe covers me,” Karen explains. “So I feel I have more privacy. I have a private cosy corner. Normally once at the door, you can see the bed already, that’s why this is what I wanted. It came out nice.” For her, the wardrobe has turned the bedroom into a restful retreat, both practical and cocooned.
Clean finishes and clever storage make the compact bathroom feel streamlined and easy to maintain.
Master Bathroom Design
The adjoining bathroom continues this streamlined approach. Interior designer Don introduced storage solutions that make the compact layout more efficient while keeping surfaces free of clutter. With clean finishes and a neutral palette, it remains easy to maintain—perfectly in line with Karen’s desire for a home that is cosy, private, and low-maintenance.
A simple study nook provides Ansel with a functional space for work and gaming, kept tidy with built-in carpentry.
Son’s Bedroom Design
Ansel’s bedroom was kept straightforward and functional, with interior designer Don focusing on giving him the essentials in a compact footprint. Built-in carpentry provides storage for his belongings while keeping the room uncluttered, and the simple layout ensures there is still space to move around comfortably.
A glass-fronted display cabinet adds character, giving Ansel a place to showcase keepsakes—including more of his favourite green aliens. Like the rest of the flat, the room was designed with ease of upkeep in mind: clean lines and practical finishes make it simple to maintain, so it stays tidy and ready for both work, play, and rest.
$92,000 Renovation Cost
The renovation itself took almost three months and cost $55,000 for the core works, excluding lighting and appliances. With everything factored in, the total came to around $92,000—a budget that interior designer Don and homeowner Karen stretched thoughtfully to balance function, comfort, and a few meaningful indulgences. From the clever “magic corner” wardrobe to the recessed fridge and built-in settee, every detail was designed to make daily life smoother and easier to maintain.
For Karen, the new flat represents more than just a fresh start. It’s a space of warmth, memory, and continuity—close to where her late mother once lived, and now a home where she and Ansel can write new chapters together. With Don’s help, she has created not only a practical and low-maintenance environment, but also a deeply personal one that reflects both resilience and care.