Goodbye “sad beige” and hello colour for 2026: A doctor & teacher’s modern home renovation along Pasir Ris Drive
“I knew our dining room should have a Balinese lampshade, then a space with a Mandarin influence to represent Singapore, and a space with a Kashmiri wall hanging to give me that feeling of India.”
By Shannon Osztonits -
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In a landscape of neutrals and the “sad beige” trend that took over 2025 interior design, this year has seen a complete design shift, with homes once again showcasing colour. In this family home’s instance, we call it character!
Corners that represent where these homeowners have come from, and where they currently are. Pieces picked up during travels, or walls splashed in tropical prints to transport you elsewhere. A pop of colour through decorative accessories, or going bold with cabinetry tones.
It’s inspiring.
Originally both from India, Angad Singh (who grew up in Kolkata) moved to Singapore circa 2011 to study medicine and has been here ever since. After he and his wife, Ravleen Caur (who is from Pune), married in 2018, she moved over and joined him. At the time, Ravleen–an avid hiker–was training to climb the Everest Base Camp. The foodie couple loves dining out, eating good food and travelling. Their favourite countries include South Africa, Australia, and, as a family, the USA.
“I had a Pinterest board for each and every room,” details the wife (who took the lead on the overall design). “HDB ceilings are low, so I wanted a nice light colour so it looks bigger. All the rooms blend with one another, and none have dark colours. I also wanted the space to feel open, so we purposefully don’t have a lot of furniture.”
Who Lives Here: A 39-year-old husband (doctor), a 35-year-old wife (teacher), who are both originally from India, their son, and a helper
Home: 4-room HDB
Size: 1,560 sq ft
Interior designer: Harshita Agarwal
For the couple’s first-time home renovation journey, they worked with interior designer Harshita Agarwal. The renovation extended to redesigning every room, but the homeowners luckily didn’t have to do much with room configurations, and no major hacking or gutting works were involved.
The only room they broke was the dining area, and the entire kitchen and both bathrooms were redone. The rest of the floor plan remained the same. False ceiling was added as well to conceal all of the wiring. For this, the interior designer worked in curves and arches–another design aesthetic the homeowners wanted.
Using the Property Guru app, Angad and Ravleen looked at 40 to 50 properties, yet none of these spoke to them, nor gave them that feeling of home. Originally straying away from the Pasir Ris neighbourhood, when Ravleen spotted this property in the area with promising lake views, the couple knew they had to give the house a viewing.
“Ravleen always wanted a big house (by Singapore standards), so we decided to check it out. The moment we stepped inside, we got the feeling that this was just right. Right from the flooring of the house, which is marble to begin with, to the space to the previous owners,” explains Angad. “They just gave us this feeling of positivity and growth…They were happy, successful and warm people.”
His wife chimes in: “So much so that I said to the owners I hope you give us this house!”
“Yeah, normally, we would act hard to get, but Ravleen really wanted it, regardless of cost.”
“Also, I wanted a low unit, which can be unusual in Singapore, but because it’s closer to greenery, not looking at a neighbour’s wall. None of our windows looks into another house,” she adds.
A bright and spacious living room with colour accents
Both husband and wife adore their large living room: an elegant yet homely space. The entire room is illuminated, pairing major furniture pieces, like the luxe white Cellini sofa and separate rattan chair, in lighter tones with other wooden elements. For example, the double XZGT Singapore coffee table and wooden teak-looking side table (doubling as stackable chairs).
This neutral palette is balanced with a Persian-style rug from India, printed scatter cushions with yellows and greens, and decorative elements, such as a wooden giraffe sculpture from Africa and an Island Living pot with gold handles. The hanging pendant light was bought in Johor Bahru (along with most other lighting fixtures you see throughout their home).
The living room is the first area you see when walking through the front door. Here, an extension of the room includes custom-built cabinetry featuring curved edges in a soothing vanilla cream colour with pretty gold dragonfly handles. The longer cabinet is for alcohol, including an in-built wooden wine bottle section; the lower one is for shoes. A charging point is also inside the cabinet, avoiding eyesore hanging wires and cable points.
Adding a splash of prints to the space is the Kashmiri hanging wall art, tropical plant, and round terra-cotta bobbled HOOGA rug. Completing the space is Anga’s childhood wooden vintage trunk, which he grew up storing his collectibles and toys in.
“I requested it from his mom for this house. It’s around 30 to 35 years old,’ tells Ravleen.
Inside balcony for drinks
Right next to the living room is a second seating area, demarcated by a raised, custom-built platform finished with wood-looking tiles from Hafary.
This was previously a balcony; however, Ravleen didn’t want it to be used as a washing, hanging and drying area. Instead, they repurposed the space into an aesthetic part of the home, which also makes the room appear larger. She wanted arches and no doors, too.
Now, it doubles as a place to enjoy tea and coffee, or drinks next to the window when guests are visiting. The couple selected a high table and stools from Woody Antique House.
“Every time we look out of the windows, it’s so refreshing, and it gives us a lot of happy feelings to just see greenery and the lake,” the homeowners say.
Bali-inspired dining room alcove
“For the dining area, we wanted to create a space that felt instantly welcoming, especially since the couple loves hosting friends and family for dinners,” tells Harshita Agarwal. “It feels inviting, intimate and dramatically full of personality, making it the perfect spot for gathering and lingering over meals.”
Another ode to a past memory; Angad grew up in a house with a round dining table, and still has very fond memories of sitting around this cosy space. It was something that inspired their choice of a round dining table (purchased from GAMAR, along with the set of six dining table chairs).
The dining area forms part of an alcove. On one side is the living room, and then through the dining area on the other side is the kitchen.
“The existing black mirrored door that we retained became a beautiful anchor, and we wrapped the surrounding wall in a bold, floral, contrasting wallpaper that added a strong sense of drama to the corner,” details the interior designer. “Paired with the warm wooden table and a pendant light with a sculptural shape that introduced another layer of character, the entire setting took on a soft Balinese-inspired mood.”
A delightfully bold kitchen
You can’t help but notice and love the bold choice of colour for the bottom kitchen cabinetry, finished with a turquoise laminate, rattan inlays for some of the pull-out vegetable-storing drawers and gold handles. The homeowners opted for vanilla laminates for the top cabinets, a tiled backsplash and sintered stone countertops.
Kitchen flooring is exactly the same as the balcony in a wood-like tile. A section of the cabinetry was purposefully left open with a display shelf to break the monotony.
“I enjoy cooking and love to bake,” says Ravleen, who is a big fan of baking banana cake or cooking salmon don buri bowls.
“Although she doesn’t cook as often anymore, when she does, it’s exceptional,” adds her hubby.
A serene master bedroom
A soft paisley print wallpaper reminiscent of an Arabic carpet transports you and sets the tone for the primary.
“For the master bedroom, we wanted to create a gentle fusion of moods, calm, simple and refined, with moments of quiet personality,” says the interior designer. “We worked with a base of black accents to anchor the room and paired it with a soft, expressive wallpaper behind the bed that brought in just the right amount of colour and visual interest.”
The king-sized bed was brought in Johor Bahru, including the headboard from Ruma Home.
“We sourced the bed and lighting from Malaysia, choosing pieces that felt warm and inviting without disrupting the simplicity of the palette. Overall, the master bedroom feels serene, thoughtfully planned and beautifully balanced, a space that supports their routine while giving them a touch of something special every day,” says Harshita Agarwal.
The custom vanity
This space is elegant and sophisticated.
“Since the wife loves getting ready, we designed a custom vanity with a long arched mirror as the focal point of the space. Beside the vanity, we planned seamless wall-to-wall wardrobes to keep the room looking clean and uninterrupted,” details Harshita. “The last two wardrobe panels open up as a surprise entry to the bathroom, adding a subtle sense of luxury without drawing attention to it.
The marble floors match the rest of the home, and the custom vanity section forms part of the master bedroom, designed as an open-plan concept, and is not closed off.
A primary en suite full of curves
“Another influence is that I grew up with a bedroom with a hidden door leading to the bathroom, so I really wanted this in our master,” says Angad.
For the primary en suite (comprising a vanity, sink, toilet and shower), the husband and wife went with another bold statement, even though the shades are on the neutral side. Instead, they relied on print and shapes, with that continuation of curves you see all over the home.
Above the vanity is a sandstone coloured wall tile, coupled with gold accents. The vanity countertop is KompacPlus with oak-like laminates used for cabinetry.
“We went to Hafary about six to seven times. Every time, I would eye this wall tile, and finally decided to go for it. I love the change of shape and the pattern in them,” tells Ravleen.
Green candy-striped guest bedroom
The guest bedroom is often used by Ravleen’s parents when they come and stay, and the green and white stripes are a playful choice of wallpaper.
The headboard doubles into the cream-coloured cabinets with a built-in Murphy bed–all custom-designed and constructed by the design team. Again, you’ll notice subtle arches, for example, the shelving design.
A black and white themed common bathroom
Breaking up things is the black and white guest bathroom, featuring monotone scallop wall tiles above the vanity. Although the bathroom is black and white, the homeowners have still favoured using patterns by selecting these Hafary tiles.
Featuring a shower, toilet and vanity, there is an extra storage cabinet above the toilet. Floor and wall tiles are identical, the vanity is also constructed from KompacPlus and black laminates, and the hanging silver lantern was sourced in Johor Bahru.
The entire process took four months to complete. The design process wasn’t a lengthy one, with things finalised within a month, thanks to this super organised wife who knew what she wanted and an excellent interior designer. The renovation itself took three months.