Home Tour: Early 30s couple’s $130k renovation for unique circular 5-room HDB in Ang Mo Kio
“It’s the only complete circular layout HDB in Singapore. Its circular shape means panoramic views.”
By Shannon Osztonits -
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One-of-a-kind. That’s what this circular-shaped home is.
Not only due to its form, but this 40-year-old house happens to be the ONLY complete circular layout HDB in Singapore. That’s something special, to say the least. As you’d imagine, the property’s layout is truly unique!
Leaning on their interior designer, Louis Ting from LIME3, for design inspiration, he brought out the couple’s love for modern luxury paired with an appreciation for natural elements, especially materials and textures like stone. The end-result combines these whilst honouring the house’s form.
It’s an excellent example of how to cleverly but beautifully play around with shapes and angles.
“We were looking at a lot of houses, and many houses in Singapore were too small for us,” says homeowners Clarence and Jeranne. “We really liked the view and the house’s circular shape…It was big enough so that it could host two or three generations.”
The home’s panoramic views and colour palette enhance a feeling of lightness.
Who Lives Here: A Singaporean couple in their early 30s
Home: 5-room HDB resale (40-year-old unit)
Size: 1,452 sq ft
Interior designer: Louis Ting from LIME3
LIME3 Interior Design
“We like to chill at home. We do have friends coming over very often, and we love to host,” says Jeranne and Clarence.
“I like making coffee,” adds Jeranne.
“And I love drinking it,” laughs Clarence.
For this millennial couple, it’s their first home renovation, which included a partial gutting, hacking down almost every room, redoing some of the floors, and changing the structure a little. The home comprises three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining area, wet and dry kitchens, and a foyer entrance. Oh, and views to-die-for!
Their interior designer was recommended to the couple by Jeranne’s best friend, who happens to work with Louis.
“We have absolutely zero regrets working with Louis.”
The Circular Cove Ceiling
Its circular cove light binds the spaces (the living room, dining area, and the dry kitchen) together.
Although the house boasts a circular design, the original ceiling didn’t follow this shape. Instead, it had a false ceiling, which made the house appear and feel very low to the ground. Jeranne wanted to lift the ceiling to diminish its shallow appearance.
“Our interior designer designed a roof that creates space, with a feature ceiling that adds onto the entire vibe of the house,” Jeranne details.
Open-Plan Living Room
The living room is an extension of the home’s lightly toned colour palette. Located next to windows, the panoramic light filters never end.
The TV wall and bottom console are all custom carpentry, featuring a four-panel laminate wall (one of the panels is a marble-esque laminate). A light wood-like laminate was selected for the floating console cabinet, with warm-toned lights underneath.
Facing the television is a larger sofa (which came with the wooden side table as an extra accessory), and next to this is an occasional chair. Both are from Son & Bear – a brand that matches the couple’s appreciation for refined modernity.
Dining Room
Although the living room and kitchen are open-plan, Louis added a solid semi-partitioning wall which echoes the circular roof’s form. A small, warmly lit arch-shaped indent was added into this wall, further enhancing the home’s geometric appeal.
The dining area wall is painted in a limewash effect, which Clarence (proudly) painted himself.
In the centre sits the six-seater dining table and chairs, which the homeowners imported from Malaysia. Above this, a frosted glass chandelier completes the scene. A long, thin black metal wall sconce matches the chandelier’s structure.
Foyer Design
Parallel to the dining area (and opposite the kitchen) is the home’s entrance. The sculptural foyer hints at what is to come, but because of the main area of the home’s openness, you can see straight through to all of the spaces.
Because the dining area is behind the foyer, this curved partitioning wall, which separates the two areas, features a cut-out ellipse shape, so you can see straight through from the foyer to the dining space.
“We wanted some separation, but still to keep things open,” explains Jeranne.
All of the storage cabinets along the wall are custom with a laminate finish, including the built-in seating area next to the front door, where the homeowners put on and take off their shoes.
Open-Concept Dry Kitchen
Although the living, dining and kitchen area share the same open space, the dry kitchen’s slightly different tiles allow the setting to stand on its own. All tiles in this home are from Hafary.
Within the dry kitchen is a custom-built sintered stone island, with a microwave beneath it, some cupboards, and plug points. Opposite the island is Clarence’s wine fridge and cellar, and the homeowners’ beloved coffee machine.
Wet Kitchen
The wet kitchen is separate from the dry kitchen, and this is where large appliances like the dishwasher, stove, oven, etc., are located.
Sintered stone countertops in the wet and dry kitchen, as well as the light laminate cabinets, are exactly the same.
Master Bedroom Design
Stepping inside the master bedroom, you’re instantly aware of the room’s moodier colour palette in comparison to the rest of the home.
“We intentionally wanted to make the room darker for nighttime,” tells Jeranne. It definitely amps up the cosy vibes.
Another eye-catching feature is the room’s windows, which are built in a curved shape that follows the property’s circle structure. Beneath the windows is a set of bottom cabinets – part of the original design. Waking up to lush 360-degree views never gets old, and from the bedroom, the verdant Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Lower Peirce Reservoir glistens back at you. You feel totally submersed by nature at all times.
Part of the king-sized bedframe is a suede headboard. The bed sits against a wall, customised by the interior designer, with dark wood laminates and a granite-like laminate in the centre. Behind the bed is a newly built walk-in closet, added in by Louis.
Raw Primary En Suite Design
An elegant finish is the primary en suite’s all-stone-like appearance, achieved by using the same tiles for the shower, walls, and toilet area.
Luckily, Clarence and Jeranne didn’t encounter any problems, which they attributed to the fact that they had an excellent interior designer, whom they trusted fully and had an open line of communication with.
“Our interior designer made it very seamless for us,” praised the couple.