Home Tour: A Malaysian-turned-Singaporean couple’s $160,000 renovation for their 4-room HDB at Marine Terrace
By Shannon Osztonits -
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An illusion of light, mirrors, glass, and perfectly proportioned furniture pieces (that heighten a sense of space); this 2-bedroom 4-room HDB flat was completely transformed from a home with little natural lighting nor storage space, into a renewed, bright and clutter-free abode.
When sitting down to chat with husband and wife, Tim and Nikki, I also learned something very interesting — which is not the average situation with many homeowners in Singapore.
Born in Malaysia (although the couple now consider themselves “totally Singaporean,” coffee culture obsessed and all), it was a career move that brought them over the Strait. When first arriving in the city circa 2014, they sought a home to rent close enough to Tim’s work. That home just happened to be this home, and the family has lived here ever since. They rented out the flat for two years before putting in an offer that the previous owner couldn’t refuse. As luck would have it, the HDB became theirs.
Fast forward ten years, and these homeowners finally had the time to renovate the existing property into their ideal Happy Place. They loved the area, close to East Coast Park, as well as some of Singapore’s incredible cafes and restaurants. Their daughter attended primary school here, and they had already fallen in love with the neighbourhood. So, why move? Plus, the new MRT is just a couple of 100 meters from their home. The transition was natural.
Laid-back in general, Tim and Nikki were pretty relaxed when it came to any specific design themes, leaving it in the hands of their interior design team, Artistroom.
“I think we also want our designers to have the freedom to explore; to see what they can offer. Basically, we just gave them a piece of blank paper,” says Nikki.
However, they did have a few non-negotiables: an outpouring of natural light throughout the space; ample storage; great air flow throughout the home; and a feeling of Zen. Their overall vision? Bright, functional and high-tech (including sound-proofing the flat).
Post-renovation, I enjoyed chatting with these homeowners from their newly revived home, where the natural sunlight streaks in from every room brilliantly, and a clean colour palette of lighter tones (oak, greys and whites), along with light wood and glass, completely illuminates and frees up every crevice.
Who Lives Here: A husband and wife in their late 40s and early 50s who work in logistics and tech, with their teenage daughter
Home: A 4-room HDB at Marine Terrace
Size: 950 sq ft
Interior designer: Artistroom
Mirror-covered storage cabinets disguise the family’s “extra stuff.”
4-Room HDB at Marine Terrace
This 4-room HDB features two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, dining space and living room, the house underwent a complete gutting. Every wall that was able to be hacked was done so; new custom carpentry now features all around the entire home; the ceilings were lifted; the floors were redone; spaces were reconfigured; all new furniture was purchased; and appliances got a major high-tech upgrade.
“Wanting to break up the difference between the living, dining room and the kitchen, we wanted to use mirrors and glass,” says interior designer Mark from Artistroom. “We used a lot of clear glass to interlink the space together. Mirrors add layers as well as reflect natural light. In old HDBs, the ceiling tends to be lower and has a lot of beams. Without using too many partitions, we used a spray-painted glass look to create more reflections.”
The mirrors and woodwork really stand out. It all blends beautifully, and the interior design team specifically chose to stick to oak wood for this reason.
“We didn’t want the wood laminates to stand out too much from the floor,” explains interior designer Mark, “so we chose a wood to work with the flooring instead.”
Behind the smoke and mirrors is actually loads of storage space for all of the family’s stuff. Artistroom did a fantastic job in cleverly concealing all of it behind the custom mirror and wood cupboards.
“This is probably the first time living in a house with a lot of mirrors. I can see myself everywhere. But oh, my teenage daughter LOVES it,” jokes homeowner Nikki. “Front, back, left, right…She’s got like a 360-degree kind of view now!”
The living room ceiling was redone so that the AC system is tucked away from plan sight.
Living Room Design
Quality time at home has become a priority for the family, especially as their teenage daughter grows up and, before long, will leave the nest.
“As a teenager, our daughter is growing up so fast, and we want to make sure we spend time with her and be part of her growing journey as well,” says homeowner Nikki. “Our favourite pastime is spending time together and with Netflix.”
“We make sure we have the highest subscription,” chimes in Tim, “You know, return on investment.” The living room is this dad’s favourite room, which was enlarged and a lot of focus honed to accentuate the home’s natural lighting.
The ceiling was transformed, now tricking the eye in the depth department.
“We didn’t want the air con to stand out, so we created a spray-painted glass panel in the front to cover the aircon,” says interior designer Mark. “The green colour creates a bit more layers in the ceiling space, but also hides the aircon at the same time.”
Downlights were installed to control the mood and ambiance. Wall colour is a mixture of grey and off-white (the slight grey tinge chosen to match the spray-painted glass).
Natural light flows through the home.
Floating TV Console
The floating TV console is custom, crafted by Artistroom using plywood and a sintered stone finish. Elevated off the ground, it creates another dimension of space. Playing around with elements like this is common in this house. For example, the textured, low off-white sofa (purchased by Tim and Nikki from P5 Studio) was suggested because it gives off the idea that the ceiling is higher.
Imported from Japan and made from a special type of Hiba wood — used to make Japanese onsens — that is 200 years old, the coffee table (ordered from atomi at Mandarin Gallery) was the last furniture piece to arrive.
“The natural wood coffee table gives you a sense of calm,” tells homeowner Nikki.
Homogeneous tiles are used across the living room floor, extending into the kitchen for cohesion, and also so that the house appears bigger. Behind the sofa is a row of mirrored storage cabinets.
The kitchen is “small but mighty,” as Nikki puts it.
Kitchen Design
If the living room is Tim’s favourite space, the kitchen happens to be Nikki’s ultimate.
“This is probably the place where we would bring guests and wow them,” the homeowners tell me.
It’s also an area where the couple wanted a lot of the renovation focus to align with. Compared to the original, more square-shaped kitchen, Artistroom lengthened the new kitchen design.
“They had a dream wish list that they wanted to incorporate into the new home. They cook often, and wanted a dishwasher, a bigger stove and fridge. Due to the size of the appliances and what we wanted to incorporate, it gave us the shape of what we created now — a U-shape,” explains the interior designer. “We ate into the yard area. Pushed the washer and dryer into a new utility area, and then created their kitchen around their appliances.”
The area between the kitchen and dining room. All of the cabinets are custom carpentry.
“The home design elevates our lifestyle. We do have an all-in-one urban air-fryer, oven, and microwave. It’s a combination oven. We now also have a double dishwasher, which is very helpful, an automatic drying rack, a built-in fridge, and a water dispenser,” tells Nikki happily. “It wasn’t just a redesign, but also we got a few upgrades.”
One kitchen feature that seems to create a lot of buzz is the gorgeous glass door separating the kitchen and the dining space. Not only is it beautifully unique, but it blocks the sound if Tim is working in the opposite dining room.
In front of the dining table, a window was inserted, allowing in even more natural light.
Dining Area Design
Behind the dining table is a window latch. This was added for a sensory break for Tim if ever he feels too claustrophobic whilst working from home.
“If Timothy were to use the dining area as a study table, he wouldn’t have a wall that blocks his visual. He has a glass panel through which he can look out,” explains the interior designer. “So there are moments of escape that he can feel.”
Leading on from the glass door are the mirrored storage cabinets.
The interior designers chose to place the vanity outside the WC and shower.
Common Bathroom Design
There is only one bathroom in this property. Originally, there was no separate area between the toilet and the shower. But with a teenage daughter at home, this was another major part of the house that Tim and Nikki wanted to change.
Now, the toilet and shower are split into two rooms, and the vanity is outside both of these — around the corner from the kitchen.
The shower room is very European-esque, reminiscent of somewhere in Greece with its niche wall indents (for shampoos, body wash, etc.). Decorating the top of the vanity’s sintered stone floating shelf is an avocado-shaped sink, imported from Germany from Villeroy & Boch.
Wooden floors and cabinets lend a cosiness to the master bedroom.
Master Bedroom Design
Out of all the previous furniture, the only item Nikki and Tim kept was their king-sized bed base. But then again, if yours was electric, would you want to let that one go?
Adding a plush, luxurious touch is the all-leather headboard, stretching across the entire back bedroom wall, against which the bed lies flush. All cupboards and bedside tables are custom-built by Artistroom, constructed from the same oak as the kitchen and storage units. The floor is engineered wood, a slightly darker shade than the rest of the home’s carpentry, and adds a nice touch of warmth to the room.
Reconstructing the bedroom, the design team made the master bedroom a little smaller, cutting out an area where the mirrored storage cupboards were installed outside of the bedroom.
“Previously, we had a huge master bedroom. That was very useful when my daughter was still young. Sometimes, she would bum in there with us, or when our very young nieces and nephews would come over,” says Nikki. “But now she is grown up, we feel that we need more space outside. Therefore, we have a bigger living and dining room.”
Artistroom chose a compact corner for the bed and storage to allow more room space.
Teenage Daughter’s Bedroom Design
The second bedroom in the house belongs to their 14-year-old daughter. A single platform bed was built by the interior designers, with all-around cushioning.
“We wanted to make it cosy, because the bed tucks into a corner. On three sides of the bed frame itself, there is cushion,” details Mark. “We did this so when she’s sleeping there, she feels safe. It’s hugging and soft and cushy. Because she’s a teenager and she’s a girl, we presumed that she would like that kind of feeling.”
Adolescent years equate to plenty of screen time. The design studio added a study table, which doubles as a bedside table behind the bedframe. Compartments were installed for phone charging, and a deep drawer was made from art supplies and materials. Artistroom integrated a small black switch to control an LED light.
The master bedroom.
Renovation Timeline
The interior design process was seven months, and the renovation took four months to complete.
“By default, we usually try to address the proportions and alignment of the layout. In terms of shape, we align that first, then go into the style and the look,” explains Artistroom’s interior designer.
This isn’t Tim and Nikki’s first home renovation, and is in fact, their third. But their previous two home renovations were back in Malaysia. Spending a good chunk on the custom carpentry (in most rooms), new appliances, rewiring and wall hacking, these homeowners had some great advice to share:
“With the current Singapore climate, for any foreigner to buy a unit in Singapore, you pay an extra 60%, right? For local Singaporeans, for your second unit, you have to pay close to 20% for Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD),” says Tim. “Any new condo that you buy right now, the BSD can go up to $3400,000. It made more sense for us to renovate.”
Another thing that Nikki advises is to be aware of sourcing and shipping timelines, especially if you’re importing from Europe. The time of year also plays a role, for example, end-of-year festivities like Christmas and New Year’s.
“We always had the IKEA idea: just go and pick up, but no, no. The things we had to import took longer,” tells Nikki.