Home Tour: $200,000 Renovation for a hotel-industry bachelor’s 5-room HDB at North Bridge Road

Homeowner, Mark Wong, who is in his 50s, is quite the connoisseur when it comes to all things luxury and design related. As a senior executive in the hotel industry, he has managed numerous hospitality projects, most recently a string of properties in Vietnam involving renowned American landscape architect, architect, and interior designer, Bill Bensley. This may have provided the catalyst for his vision of an Indochine inspired interior for his latest home, the third in a series of homes that have graced the pages of Home and Décor.

This time round, he chose to work with Arjan Nijen Twilhaar, principal designer of Aiden T. “This being my third home, I was more experienced and knew what to expect,” says Mark. His brief to Arjan was to turn this 5-room HDB flat, which is over 50 years old, into a spacious home where he can entertain guests, but with distinct zones within the open plan.

Who Lives Here: A bachelor in his 50s and his two cats
Home: A 5-room HDB flat at North Bridge Road
Size: 1,291 sq ft (120 sqm)

Entrance Foyer

An entrance foyer was something that Mark did not have in his previous homes and which he very much wanted for this home. “It gives a sense of arrival and the experience is akin to a ‘tunnel’ that you walk through before it opens up to the spectacular view,” he describes. Purchasing the recessed corridor area outside the original main entrance gave interior designer Arjan the opportunity to create “a great transition space between the outside world and the home”.

The entrance foyer was deliberately designed as a dark space - from the black main door and geometric black-and-white floor tiles to the black ceiling and bold, green-on-black palm print wallpaper to orchestrate the reveal and heighten the sense of openness when you enter the large, open plan living area.

Living Room Design

Two of the three bedrooms were opened up to extend the space to accommodate the new living, dining and media rooms, as well as the dry kitchen. Although conceived as open concept spaces within the home, interior designer Arjan had a few design tricks up his sleeve that helped to define these spaces without partition walls.

“We embraced the pillars and low structural beams as integral parts of the design,” he says. Boxing up the column and beams not only allowed him to conceal unsightly air-conditioning trunking and electrical wiring, cladding the transoms with mirrors help to reflect light and the surrounding spaces and hence convey a more open feel.

By incorporating an arc element between the beams and their supporting vertical members below, it gives the suggestion of an arch that forms a portal between spaces. Another strategy was to use bordering floor tiles that provide distinct focal points for each space while allowing them to flow seamlessly. Even the ceiling has been carefully detailed to define each space from above.  

Chinoiserie Interior Design

A wood framed arch in the living room wall is a recognisably Chinese form and the recessed portion of the wall is lined with a bold, yellow, chinoiserie wallpaper with floral motifs. An eclectic mix of mid-century modern furniture and Chinese antiques is brought together by a vibrant Wendy Morisson rug featuring peonies in a riot of colours that further reinforces the chinoiserie theme.

“Mixing chinoiserie with contemporary pieces gives the place an heirloom quality, which suggests that it has been added on through different generations,” interior designer Arjan explains. 

Dining Room Design

One of the former bedrooms is now the dining room where Mark can host a dinner party for larger groups. A banquet bench below the window provides ample seating and even incorporates hidden storage underneath.

The cat-friendly Aqua Clean upholstery by Blafink echoes the copper hues of the Bunga Kertas chandelier by Ong Cen Kuang from Craft Axis, which makes a statement with its lotus flowers fashioned from hand-twisted copper wires that appear light-as-floss. The cloud-like form adds volume without being overly dense or heavy and presents a contemporary take on yet another Chinese motif.

The pairing of an Ikea dining table with authentic Wishbone chairs reflects what Mark refers to as a “High-Low” approach where not everything has to be branded as long as it is sturdy and of good quality. 

Dry Kitchen Design

The dry kitchen across from the dining room is a contrasting space with a dark palette. Anchoring the space is an island that was designed to look like a dining table with oversized legs at each corner. The top and sides of the island, as well as the bar counter at the back are from the same slab from Sensa by Cosentino.

Vintage mirrors behind the bar counter soften the dark scheme and reflect the view outside the dining room for the benefit of guests seated on the banquet bench with their backs against the window.

Another striking feature is the row of storage cabinets that have been built into the side wall. The doors are lined with Zoffany Sicilian Lion wallpaper, depicting gold lions on a black background that give off a distinctly Southeast Asian flavour. The wainscoting panels below pop out to reveal hidden drawers for additional storage.

Wet Kitchen Design

The cabinetry in the wet kitchen was inspired by traditional Chinese medicinal halls, complete with metal bamboo-like handles. The cabinets on top are more Art Deco, complemented by Chinese half-moon handles.

Where the L-shaped kitchen counter turns the corner, interior designer Arjan went to great lengths to detail a mitre joint with book-matched Dekton top. The scalloped backsplash tiles were actually extras that Mark saved from the renovation of his previous home.

Chinoiserie Powder Room

The powder room offers an element of surprise with its black interior. The walls are lined with Cole & Son wallpaper featuring a chinoiserie bamboo pattern. An antique cabinet from Just Anthony has been turned into a vanity, above which hangs a bespoke bamboo mirror that Arjan designed. Guests are invariably wowed by their visit to the powder room and it makes for a great conversation starter. 

Media Room

Another former bedroom has been converted into a media area. A recessed wall arch feature with the same wallpaper strikes up a dialogue with the one in the living room, connecting the two spaces at opposite ends of the home. A comfortable sofa from Castlery sits on a rug from Rugs.sg to create a cosy space with laid back vibes that is the perfect setting for enjoying a movie.  

Master Bedroom Design

The master bedroom was originally meant to occupy the space where the media room is. However, due to feng shui considerations, it was moved to its current location in front of the former balcony, adjoining the original master bedroom which is now a dressing room.

Accessible through a hidden door leading off the media area, one of the most striking features in the master bedroom has got to be the headboard comprising a series of mirror-backed, stained glass Peranakan doors with backlighting to add depth.

A sliver of the original balcony has been retained, just enough to place a row of potted plants that act as a natural foliage screen outside the floor-to-ceiling bedroom window.

Antique Chinese Furniture

A pair of antique wooden doors separate the bedroom from the attached dressing room. Instead of built-in wardrobes, interior designer Arjan opted for off-the-rack Chinese wardrobes and a chest of drawers.

Like the powder room, the master bathroom also features an antique cabinet as a vanity. Book-matched, marble-look wall tiles draw the eye toward the shower compartment. Arjan took great pains to ensure that all the pipes are well-concealed, along with storage, behind matte white EDL panels that help to quieten the space with their clean finish.

$200,000 Renovation

The planning and design took about three to four months, followed by a five-month renovation, before Mark moved into his new home in December 2023. The project came up to about $200,000, excluding furniture and furnishings. Mark is really pleased with how interior designer Arjan managed to carve out different zones within the home.

“My previous home was too open. Here, there are different areas where guests can gather,” he shares. Mark’s favourite spot in the home? “The dining area. From here, I can enjoy a 360-degree view within the home, as well as an unblocked view of the surroundings outside.”

For Arjan, this project is about designing for living and to enhance the quality of life. “It embodies a luxury approach to designing an old HDB flat, and I really love the before-after transformation,” he says.