Home Tour: Late 20s couple’s $150,000 Wabi-Sabi renovation for their 4-room HDB in Fernvale

The homeowners, both in their late 20s, have been together since their polytechnic days. It’s been more than a decade, long enough to know what they like, and more importantly, how they live. When the couple, both of whom are spatial designers, finally got the keys to their 4-room HDB flat in Fernvale, there was no rush to fill it up. Instead, they gave themselves time (six months, in fact) to think, sketch, experiment, and slowly build the kind of space they’d feel at home in.

They live here now with their eight-year-old dachshund. The 4-room HDB flat is just under 1,000 sq ft, but it feels much larger, in part because they tore down what they could: merging two bedrooms, removing another entirely, and reshaping the layout to better suit how they move through the day. The couple worked with local interior design firm LA Design Studio to design the part-Brutalist, part-Wabi Sabi themed home.

Who Lives Here: A interior design couple in their late 20s
Home: A 4-room HDB flat in Fernvale
Size: 990 sq ft
Interior Designer: LA Design Studio

HDB Entrance Design

The 4-room HDB flat opens with a bit of theatre. A black pool table anchors the entryway, smaller than its usual size but cleverly proportioned to double as a dining table. Overhead, a sculptural VLUX light fixture spills across the ceiling like a molten ribbon.

The couple entertains often, and this space sets the tone: casual and flexible, but quietly dramatic. “We host in small groups, and we wanted a space that didn’t feel too polished,” the wife says.

Part-Brutalist, part-Wabi Sabi interior design

She is also quick to add that their home, while mainly suited to a darker colour scheme with speckles of metallic elements, is not a luxe-themed one. “We are part-brutalist and part-wabi sabi,” she says.

The mood softens in the living area. Here, the couple anchored the space with a long but slender, custom-built console and matching coffee table. Both are clad in Sensa granite, a natural granite surface from the Cosentino Group, boasting a distinctive stain-resistant protection. The grain is deep and inky, with grooves that are just imperfect enough to run your hands across.

They chose to keep the colours quiet (think warm beiges, shadowy greys ) and let the materials do the talking. A Bearbrick figure with a cheeky Mona Lisa print adds a dose of personality by the couch.

Work, play, and somewhere in between

One of the homeowners’ bolder decisions was removing an entire bedroom to make space for hosting friends and family. To do so, they had to hack down one wall that separated the living space and the adjacent bedroom, though HDB regulations required them to retain a 30-centimeter offset to preserve a structural pillar.

Rather than concealing it, they leaned in, carving out a jagged silhouette along the remaining wall. The rough-hewn cutaway gestures at something primal, though entirely intentional in its placement and form. This feature connects the living room and the space where the couple hosts guests.

Dining Island Table

The husband describes this nook as a hybrid bar-meets-workspace, which is anchored by a dark, sculptural island. The island itself is layered: a matte dark stone slab forms the base, with a lighter travertine-like extension acting as a casual breakfast or cocktail perch. “We work here during the day,” he adds.

Above it, a sculpted ceiling dome casts an ambient glow that shifts by time of day or occasion. “We wanted it to feel like a lounge when friends come over,” the wife chimes in. “But still calming if we’re just working quietly.”

A handmade artwork rests on the floor by one of the walls. It’s made of paper mâché, something the couple made themselves using off-cuts from the renovation. “We like creating things with our hands,” she says. “It wasn’t meant to be a statement. It just made sense to keep the leftover materials and turn them into something.”

A corridor that slows you down

The transition to the private wing is marked by a corridor that’s designed to slow you down. Along the ceiling, star-like pin spots scatter across the laminate like constellations.

Mounted on one wall is an artwork the couple made together: three old skateboards coated in leftover plaster and streaked with acrylic, their texture cratered like a lunar surface. “We didn’t want to throw the material away. So we turned it into something else.”

Opting to have a more spacious room to rest, Adeline also merged the remaining bedroom with the master, creating a cleverly zoned suite comprising a vanity and shower, a walk-in wardrobe, and the sleeping area. All of which are tucked behind a nondescript dark wooden door.

Their favourite place to think

Both Adeline and her husband are shower people. So when it came to designing the master bathroom, they skipped the vanity and kept things simple. Dark tiles line the walls. A wide ledge sits beneath the rain shower, where either of them can sit and let the water fall without rushing.

“It’s like a spa treatment room,” Adeline says. “The lights are minimal, so when you close your eyes, everything feels calm.” The bathroom’s artificial skylight adjusts in brightness, shifting across warm and cool tones depending on the time of day. “We both like long showers. This was important to us.”

They also installed a smart lighting system overhead that mimics the time of day. “If we’re up at two in the morning, we can still set the light to morning,” Adeline says. “It helps reset your head.”

A bedroom designed to feel different

The master bedroom is a lesson of clever zoning. First, it was merged with the other bedroom. Then, Adeline carved out more space for the shower and vanity spot. And third, an expansive wall-to-ceiling wardrobe is situated in one corner. Beyond these is where they rest.

One of the most personal parts of the flat is the indoor planter built into the master suite. It isn’t real greenery, but the couple treat it like it is. Inside the glass box: faux shrubs, white stones, orb lights.

“We built it ourselves,” Adeline says. “We crawled inside to arrange everything, like the pebbles, the leaves. This was memorable.” The planter divides the wardrobe from the bedroom, but it also signals that beyond this point, the home shifts into rest mode.

The sleeping zone

The sleeping area is set a step lower than the rest of the suite, a deliberate move to signal pause. The bed is low, finished in dark, moody linens. A built-in TV faces it directly, flanked by a warm LED strip that gives the impression of a modern hearth. “[My husband] likes watching shows before bed,” Adeline says. “So, this was always part of the plan.”

There’s no desk, no clutter, no downlight above the bed. Instead, the entire zone is wrapped in indirect lighting. “We don’t come here to do anything else,” she says. “This is just for rest.”