Home Tour: $160,000 Wabi-Sabi Renovation for a 5-room HDB in Serangoon North

60-year-old James, a managing director, and his homemaker wife Karen, who is 59 years old have called this 5-room HDB flat in Serangoon North home since their two daughters were preschoolers. More than two decades on, the girls - an internal auditor and a doctor, are now 30 and 27 years old respectively and the family felt that it was time for a major renovation.

“The house needed a refresh and things were to starting to fall apart. The previous design catered for a family with young children and had brighter colours which was not as easy on the eye. With the renovation, we wanted to create a cosy space that we can look forward to coming home to,” shares James, who moved into the newly renovated home with his wife and daughters in mid-January 2024.

Who Lives Here: A family of four and their pet Cockapoo
Home: A 5-room HDB flat in Serangoon North
Size: 1,510 sq ft
Interior Design: Cedrick, senior designer at E+e Design and Build

$160,000 Renovation Budget

The family turned to Cedrick, senior designer at E+e Design and Build whose projects they came across in Home and Décor and who was recommended by a friend.

The HDB flat was gutted and the scope included hacking the kitchen and toilets, tiling, lighting, electrical and plumbing works, new carpentry, false ceiling and vinyl flooring. These came up to about $160,000 excluding furniture and furnishings and took around 15 weeks.

Wabi-Sabi Japandi Interior Design

“The homeowners were very open to ideas, which made the design and renovation relatively easy,” says Cedrick. “We did not have a specific theme, but worked around a combination of Japandi, Nordic, Scandinavian and Wabi-sabi,” he adds.

The spaces around the main entrance have been completely rethought to address various concerns that the family had before.

Firstly, privacy. Previously, you could look right into the living room from the main door. James says: “We wanted to create more privacy, as well as a transitory area where a guest could step into before entering our house proper.”

Interior designer Cedrick introduced full-height cabinets that form a screen wall between the entrance foyer and living room, which not only get around the privacy issue, but also provide the family with additional storage. This was an important consideration as the existing storeroom was demolished.

To the right of the main entrance lies the dry kitchen. This used to be the dining area, which has been relocated to the living area to take advantage of its spaciousness. As the family enjoys cooking and baking, the dry kitchen with a kitchen island serves as a useful extension of the wet kitchen and the extra island countertop space allows the entire family to get involved. “The size of the island is relatively generous and since it is located next to the main entrance, it also makes for an easy drop-off point for our groceries and shopping loot when we get home,” James points out.

Dry & Wet Kitchens

The dry and wet kitchens are separated by a sliding door to keep the smoke and grease in since the family cooks often. Cedrick was mindful about keeping the colour scheme and materials palette consistent between the two spaces to maintain cohesiveness.

However, he varied the flooring for practical reasons - tiles for the wet kitchen and vinyl for the dry kitchen. The wood-and-white walls ensemble applies to the living area as well. The design is kept simple and clean, allowing the curved feature wall with a limewash effect to shine.

Wabi Sabi Japandi Bedroom Design

For the bedrooms, interior designer Cedrick focused on making them as cosy and calming as possible. All of them have the same laminate as the rest of the home to tie the whole scheme together.

One daughter gets a platform bed while the other has a regular bedframe to create some distinction. “We added a full-height headboard and feature wall behind James’ and Karen’s beds in the master bedroom to create some visual interest,” Cedrick highlights.

Evidently, the family is very pleased with their newly renovated home. They find the dry kitchen extremely functional and useful, and the dining area is where they enjoy quality time bonding over homecooked meals and bakes. Cedrick considers this project a job well done as he has managed to turn the family’s dream into reality.