Home Tour: An investment industry bachelor's $105,000 all-black renovation for his 4-room HDB in Punggol

An executive in the investment industry, homeowner James Chua’s vision for this all-black 4-room Punggol HDB flat that has recently fulfilled its Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) was to transform it into a bachelor pad with a dark colour scheme while retaining the existing bright interior.

This may seem like a contradicting brief, but Happe Design Atelier’s senior interior designer, Johnson Ng was far from daunted. He sought inspiration from French painter, printmaker and sculptor, Pierre Jean Louis Germain Soulages, who is known as “the painter of black”.

His works explore how light can “transform and transmute” a black object and how the textures, grooves and indentations on black surfaces can reflect light in ways that allow the black to emerge from darkness into brightness. 

Who Lives Here: A bachelor in the investment industry
Home: A 4-room HDB flat in Punggol
Size: 990 sq ft

All-black interior design

A consistent dark wood, dark grey and black colour palette permeates throughout the home’s laminates, tiles, furniture, fixtures and fittings. A white ceiling and some white walls, mainly around the living room area and within the master bedroom provide some balance and contrast.

The open plan allows the natural light from the windows stretching across the living and dining rooms to penetrate the recesses of the home to create that light-on-black interaction that is central to Soulages’ work.

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Main door Fengshui

To address homeowner James’ Feng Shui concerns, interior designer Johnson introduced a reed glass screen that shields the windows from direct view of the main entrance. Feng Shui considerations aside, the screen also offers greater privacy. The choice of reed glass achieves the desired screening effect while still enabling the light from the windows to filter into the entrance foyer.

A Vitra Butterfly stool alongside a solitary plant set against the reed glass backdrop illuminated by a soft, diffused lighting heightens the spatial and symbolic experience of crossing the threshold into the home.

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Open concept living room

Past the entrance foyer is an open space surrounded by the living room, dining room, pantry and kitchen, perfect for mahjong sessions, which was part of James’ brief. With the existing kitchen and yard walls demolished, the open-concept layout conveys a spaciousness that belies the unit’s 990 sq ft size.

A continuous herringbone overlay vinyl flooring that extends across these open spaces reinforce this sense of expansiveness.

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Pantry

From the central open space, the pantry appears to be a freestanding tower with a dedicated space for a double-door refrigerator and a drinks counter beside it housing a coffee machine, water dispenser, shelves, drawers and cabinets.

“This makes it very convenient for guests who can easily access the pantry,” Johnson explains. More full-height cabinetry continues around the side of the pantry facing the kitchen where the oven and microwave are integrated.

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All-black kitchen

The kitchen has an efficient galley layout and plenty of built-in storage solutions that appeal to homeowner James’ organised personality. He expressed a preference for a clean and clutter-free look where everything- from the household shelter, water pipes, washer, dryer and heater, is concealed from sight.

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All-black living room

Indirect cove lighting, sheer day curtains and a television console with a floating effect give the living room an intimate and cosy quality. A recliner sofa offers maximum comfort without occupying an inordinate footprint.

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Dining room

On the other side of a partition wall behind the sofa is the dining room. Running along one side of the dining room is a row of full-height, built-in cabinets that have been designed to look like concealed wall panels.

Behind these panels like hidden storage, including space to store a mahjong table, as well as a small workstation. Gold accents from the Jupiter Lightz pendant lamp and GreyHammer dining chairs add a touch of luxe juxtaposed against the dark dining room backdrop.

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Master bedroom

The dark interior design theme continues into homeowner James’ private domain. The master bedroom has been decked out to achieve a hotel room-like ambience. A dark wood laminate headboard wraps around the bed and continues as into the wardrobe doors.

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Black on black interior design

Interior designer Johnson has applied what he refers to as a “black on black” concept expressed through a layering of different dark panelling and strips and textures that imbue the space with a sense of depth. These complement the parquet flooring, which has been given a dark stain.

A pair of Buster + Punch bedside pendant lamps hang elegantly from the ceiling on either side of the bed and add that finishing touch.

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Bathroom

Further expanding on the “black on black” theme, the master bathroom is a composition of black, grey and metallic elements. A curved vanity profile around a Modeste freestanding pedestal basin makes for an interesting form that stands out against the dark canvas. 

The renovation cost came up to about $105,000 excluding furniture, fittings, fixtures and equipment. It took about three-and-a-half months and James moved into his new home at the end of April 2023. 

For Johnson, this project gave him the opportunity to create a cohesively dark interior that is also bright. “I was fortunate to have found a balance in the thoughtfully curated selection of materials based on form, shape, direction, texture, gradient and reflection,” he shares.

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