Home Tour: $100,000 MUJI Renovation for a 50s couple’s 3-bedroom HDB Executive Apartment along Bedok Reservoir Road
By Shannon Osztonits -
Share this article
This tale began 24 years ago…A first home. A house filled with their children’s and family memories.
Mr and Mrs Kwee first purchased this executive apartment all those years ago as a resale (at the time, it was about eight years old). Drawn to the home because of its great location close to schools, another major selling point for the homeowners was the teak parquet floors and finishes, which they have retained in the bedrooms.
Over the years, the kitchen was also renovated; however, due to years of use, it required a fresh face, along with a lot of overall house repairs and maintenance with pipes, wires and electricals. You know, the usual wear and tear.
Waiting for the right time to do a complete overhaul, now that their two sons are out of the house, the timing aligned.
The primary goal? More storage and a bigger living room.
“We have been staying here for 24 years. In certain parts of the house, we knocked down the storeroom because we have just found it always in the way,” explains the homeowner. “Now, we have more space in the living room, and we extended our TV area. Actually, we got the biggest TV size possible. We like to watch shows on Netflix. We are quite introverted.”
Initially thinking of a Scandinavian theme with a minimalist feel, after meeting their interior designer, Elton from E Modern, they moved toward a Muji-meets-minimalist concept.
Quintessential Muji design elements are seen throughout each area of the home.
Who Lives Here: A husband in the IT industry and a housewife, both in their 50s
Home: A 3-bedroom Executive Apartment HDB
Size: 1550 sq ft
Interior designer: E Modern Pte Ltd
While this husband and wife are the only ones living in the apartment, their two sons’ rooms are still readily available for when they return home on the weekends.
Apart from the three bedrooms, there is the living room, WFH area, kitchen, coffee bar, snack station and an altar room. There are two bathrooms: one in the primary bedroom and the other is the common guest bathroom.
Furniture sourcing was taken care of by the homeowners. Original doors were kept intact, as it was good quality teak wood, and blended beautifully with the Muji aesthetic, doused in light woods. All the cabinets and storage throughout the house are custom.
Finding the right Interior Designer
For this husband and wife in their 50s, sourcing the right interior designer whom the couple felt comfortable enough was one of their biggest priorities. After meeting with 13 interior designers, Elton was the one who got the seal of approval; someone they could place all of their trust in.
Living in their executive apartment for as long as they have — a space filled with precious memories — one understands why.
The custom-built snack cabinet is constructed from the same material as the kitchen.
Coffee Bar Island and Snack Cabinet Concept
One of the most beloved and utilised areas added into the upgraded apartment is the coffee bar and Muji-inspired snack area, with its cafe-like granite countertop and cabinet next to this, lined with their favourite snacks.
“It’s never been easier to make coffee and grab my snacks or drinks,” Mrs Kwee says. “I get my coffee beans, grind them fresh, make my coffee in our proper coffee machine, then grab this and walk towards the TV or just sit around the granite island. It’s a relaxing corner for us.”
High stool chairs are set up around this feature, which easily tuck under the counter on both sides.
The idea for this unit was inspired by a reel that Mrs Kwee saw online.
Mrs Kwee sourced a local glass vendor to create the partitioning.
Glass Feature Wall
Giving off a Japanese onsen feel, the glass feature divider was erected for practicality reasons, but you can’t imagine the space without it now.
Hacking down the wall between the living room and kitchen was to create an open plan concept. With just one AC unit, the divider was added to separate the spaces for cold-air circulation.
“We have to close up the glass door when we turn on the air con,” says the homeowner, “otherwise it won’t cool the living room entirely.”
The glass window door cleverly links up to the edge of the countertop, creating a divide between the island on either side of the kitchen and the coffee corner.
Light woods allow the space to feel clutter-free.
Kitchen Design
Countertops and the kitchen backsplash are all marble on one half of the room.
“We really love the granite pattern, giving us a very cosy and grand feeling,” tell the homeowners. “We selected it from maybe 20 pieces…It feels very luxurious.”
A very convenient kitchen feature is the white magnetic backsplash, closest to the coffee corner, which Mrs Kwee purchased off Taobao. It’s very practical, which she just loves.
The white magnetic strip backsplash.
“I don’t have to look for stuff somewhere in a drawer or hidden away. It’s all just on the wall.”
Light woods allow the space to feel clutter-free.
All cabinets are custom-built, streamlined in the Muji philosophy of functionality and simplicity. Pull-out racks, like the clothes drying rack, are also from Taobao.
The living space is warm and comfortable.
Living Room Design
“There’s nothing better than relaxing on the couch together after work,” these homeowners say.
Waiting three months to arrive, the sofa was imported from Italy. Adding ambience to the setting is a playful moon wall lamp (from Taobao).
“The moonlight background makes it even nicer to chill,” the husband and wife explain.
Both of their sons played piano growing up, and the piano remains in their living room. Behind the living space is a WFH desk area, and beyond this is Mrs Kwee’s treadmill. “In the afternoon, I watch my K-drama and walk on the treadmill.”
The plain wall tiles are from Soon Bee Huat.
Bathrooms Design
Featuring two bathrooms, the couple went for an exact design across both. However, the positioning of features like the toilet and vanity differs slightly in each bathroom.
Each boasts a Hansgrohe rain shower, a hotel-like smart toilet and a vanity (both from Regal) and a ventilation fan. The only slight difference is that the common bathroom has a sintered stone sink, and the primary en suite sink is ceramic.
Floor tiles are from Soon Bee Huat. Patterned wall tiles were sourced locally but shipped in from China.
Decked out in warm woods and soft wall paint choice, this space is reminiscent of a private sanctuary.
Altar Room Design
Like a little place of calm, the altar room doubles as a storage space, as there is a lot of it in here, or to do some work if they need extra room.
The ceiling has interesting shapes and depth.
Ceiling Works
Whilst it was not something the couple initially considered, their interior designer suggested doing ceiling work to enhance the cosiness of the home.
A double layer was created to incorporate the curved effect, along with curved lighting, in a layering technique. With almost 70 different types of lights, the homeowners can control the precise type of lighting they’re in the mood for, too, via their home system — from its intensity to colour. On that note, the entire Smart Home setup is voice-automated.
The foyer.
“We learned a lot from our interior designer…How to maximise space and choosing the correct lighting,” recall the homeowners. “It’s all a very detailed process. We are very grateful for our ID. We felt very insecure and stressed at the start of the reno, but he was really patient with us.”
Can’t get enough of this home? We spoke with the homeowner to understand more about their design thinking and favourite home pieces here: