Home Tour: $150,000 Renovation for a 5-room Sengkang HDB with high ceilings

Homeowners Jasper Seet and Angelina Tan moved into this 5-room HDB flat when they got married. Eight years on, the family has grown with the addition of their seven-year-old daughter and a helper. “As our daughter gets older, we feel that she needs her own space. There are also a lot of things in the house that are falling apart due to wear and tear,” says 36-year-old Angelina, who works in administration. 

The couple embarked on a search for a new home and viewed various condominiums and even penthouses around the area. However, the properties were either smaller than their current flat, or too pricey for larger units. They weighed these cons against the numerous pros of their current home.

Who Lives Here: A couple, their daughter and a helper
Home: A 5-room HDB flat at Compassvale Crescent
Size: 1,130 sq ft
Interior Design: Alex Peer, senior designer at Lemonfridge Studio

HDB with High Ceilings

Angelina’s parents live a few floors below them and the proximity is a huge convenience. Same goes for their daughter’s school, which is located nearby. Over the years, they have also become close friends with one of the neighbours living on the same floor and the children enjoy playing together.

Being on the top floor of the block, their 5-room HDB unit has a high, 2.9 metre ceiling. “We decided to stay put and spend the money on a solid renovation instead,” says homeowner Jasper, who is 37 years old and works in hospitality. 

Hotel Interior Design

After eight years, the couple’s needs have changed and their tastes have evolved. From a more Scandinavian, grey-and-white interior, they now prefer something with a more hotel feel and which conveys luxury without compromising on cosiness.

Homeowner Jasper shares: “Having lived here for so many years, we know exactly what we want and what we want to change.”

Apart from the aesthetics, they also wanted their daughter to have her own room. When they first bought the 5-room Sengkang HDB flat, they converted the bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom into a walk-in wardrobe that was directly accessible from the master bedroom. With the renovation, the walk-in wardrobe will be reinstated into a bedroom for their daughter. The third bedroom, formerly a guest room, will be their helper’s room. 

Lemonfridge Studio

Jasper and Angelina engaged Alex Peer, senior designer at Lemonfridge Studio, who also designed their friend’s home. Looking into the 5-room HDB flat from the entrance foyer, you will notice a prevalent use of wood on the walls and even the ceiling. This creates a portal-like element that defines the entrance foyer and dining area and establishes a spatial boundary despite an open plan.

“A key aspect of the design is the use of a single type of laminate throughout the home, which ensures a consistent colour flow and cohesive look. The inclusion of fluted panels adds depth and texture to the spaces and enhances the overall aesthetics,” says interior designer Alex. Beyond aesthetics, many of these panels also conceal plenty of cabinets for storage and to hide any clutter. 

With its wood resin table centrepiece and matching chairs, complemented by a Sol Luminaire pendant lamp and a framed scarf that Jasper’s mother gifted Angelina, the dining area looks fit to host a high society dinner party. “We love to host gatherings and we prefer a more spacious and welcoming dining area for our guests to relax and enjoy,” shares homeowner Angelina. 

Fluted Panels

The fluted panels continue from the entrance foyer into the living room as a feature wall with concealed storage. The couple opted for a limewash for the rest of the walls and ceiling in the living room to achieve a cosy feel. The false ceiling deliberately stops short of the end wall and together with indirect cove lighting, inject the space with a lofty quality.

Galley Kitchen Design

The couple decided to replace their galley kitchen with a single row of kitchen countertop with cabinets above and below. The kitchen is now more spacious and despite doing away with one row of counter and cabinets, they have no lack of storage, thanks to efficient space planning. 

More fluted panels line the corridor leading to the bedrooms and the bedroom doors are all concealed.

Walk-In Wardrobe

Having relinquished their walk-in wardrobe, which used to occupy one bedroom, the couple managed to carve out space within their master bedroom for a walk-in wardrobe and dressing table using the carpentry as a partition.

By orienting the walk-in wardrobe and dressing table away from the sleeping area, it allows homeowner Angelina to get ready for work without disturbing Jasper who may still be sleeping due to their different work schedules. 

Lighting

The lighting plan was instrumental to the apartment’s transformation. The dining pendant light and the entrance foyer wall lights are showpieces that not only serve as focal points but also enhance the ambience of the spaces.

Janus Kinetic Switch

“The overall lighting scheme was meticulously designed to create different atmospheres for various activities around the home, be it a relaxed evening in the living room or an intimate dinner in the dining area,” interior designer Alex points out. The use of metal kinetic switches, the world’s first, from Janus, developed by Futura in collaboration with Sol Luminaire, allows the flexibility of positioning the switches without having to deal with cumbersome wiring. 

$150,000 Renovation Budget

The family moved into their new home at the end of May 2024 after a five-month renovation that stretched across the lunar new year break. The cost came up to about $150,000 excluding furniture and furnishings. Jasper considers the money well-spent: “We step into the house and know that we made the right decision to renovate.”

Interior designer Alex regards the project as a successful integration of form and function to deliver a space that is as practical as it is beautiful. “The final result is a testament to the collaborative effort between the client and our team, reflecting a harmonious blend of innovative design and practical solutions,” he says.