Home Tour: $70,000 Renovation for a couple’s 5-room HDB in Upper Thomson

Twenty-two years of dormant potential awakened when homeowners Xander Lee and Joanne Ng encountered interior designer JQ Ong of The Association. Their Upper Thomson HDB flat would become more than just living quarters – it would become a radical reimagining of residential space, with a unique layout that defies conventional boundaries and celebrates intentional living.

The home’s architectural narrative begins with its extraordinary floor plan – a bold departure from standard HDB configurations. Ingeniously organized into three distinct sections, the space reveals a large studio occupying the footprint of two bedrooms and a storeroom, a masterfully merged master bedroom, and a central open living area that gracefully connects to a balcony offering a lush green vista. This unique HDB layout speaks to the couple’s desire for flexibility, openness, and a profound connection with their living environment.

Low Furniture for Living Room

In the living room, carefully selected low-slung furniture creates an ethereal atmosphere, enhancing the space’s inherent airiness and loftiness. T5 tube fixtures trace elegant lines across the ceiling, casting a soft, diffused light that transforms the room into a serene canvas of contemporary design. Each furniture piece seems to float, creating a sense of lightness that belies the room’s substantial dimensions.

5-Room HDB in Upper Thomson

The dining area emerges as a luminous sanctuary, strategically positioned near the balcony and windows. Natural light cascades through the space, creating an ever-changing interplay of light and shadow that transforms the area throughout the day. The greenery beyond becomes a living artwork, seamlessly integrating the interior with the exterior landscape of this Upper Thomson HDB home.

Interior designer JQ’s design philosophy embraces radical honesty and simplicity. The doors, crafted from raw plywood and adorned with diagonal groove lines, represent this commitment – sanded down and lacquered to reveal the material’s inherent beauty. Each element tells a story of intentionality, of materials respected and celebrated in their most authentic form.

HDB Entrance Foyer

The entrance foyer serves as a gentle prelude to the home’s overall aesthetic – minimalist, uncluttered, yet profoundly inviting. It whispers of the spaciousness and thoughtful design that awaits, a promise of simplicity and intentional living.

HDB Balcony

A verdant balcony bridges the dining area and studio, becoming a living canvas for the couple’s creativity. Here, carefully curated plants intermingle with plans for future sculptural displays, transforming the space into a dynamic, evolving environment that reflects their artistic sensibilities.

Cat-Friendly HDB Interior Design

Subtle design interventions reveal themselves in unexpected moments – slim metal shelves seemingly dissolve amid a collection of books, while wall-mounted shelving ingeniously doubles as a modern cat tower. These details speak to a design approach that prioritizes both form and function, creating spaces that are as practical as they are beautiful.

HDB Home Studio

The expansive studio becomes a place for collaborative work and personal creativity. Individual work areas are complemented by abundant storage and custom display shelving that can be reconfigured, reflecting the couple’s adaptive lifestyle. A compact kitchen, tailored to their minimal cooking needs, further emphasizes their commitment to purposeful design.

Minimalist Open Shelf Kitchen

While most couples might invest in an expansive cooking space filled with elaborate appliances, homeowners Xander and Joanne have embraced a refreshingly honest approach. Their kitchen reflects their minimal cooking habits – a purposeful design that prioritizes efficiency over spectacle. Sleek surfaces and open shelving replace the typical kitchen clutter, creating a space that feels more like an extension of their design philosophy than a traditional food preparation area.

Master Bedroom Design

In the master suite – created by merging two rooms – separate sleeping and dressing areas offer a luxurious sense of space. Parquet flooring introduces a warm, tactile element to the otherwise minimalist bedroom, a gentle counterpoint to the concrete screed found throughout the rest of the home.