Home Tour: $120,000 Renovation for an interior designer’s HDB Executive Apartment in Jurong West
Deciding to renovate their home when they did was the best decision and every day feels fulfilling and joyful because they are surrounded by a space that was designed for them by their interior designer wife and mother.
By Lynn Tan -
Share this article
39-year-old interior designer, Jenny Wang and her husband, Johnson Jiang, who is 41 years old have called Singapore home for 15 years now and they have been living in this HDB executive apartment since August 2013. Nine years on, they came to know of a flat in a neighbouring block that was up for rent. This prompted them to take the opportunity to renovate the house without having to move too far away for the duration of the renovation. Johnson, who works in IT, wasn’t for the idea initially as Jenny had just given birth to their third child at the time and renovation would require a lot of time and effort. He also felt that the temporary move would be a hassle.
However, Jenny was of the opinion that if they were going to renovate the flat at some point, sooner was better than later. “At least this way, we get to enjoy the next 20 years living in the home of our dreams and our three children would also grow up in a beautiful and nurturing environment. Besides, by the time we are older, we may not have the energy or motivation to renovate anymore,” she rationalises.
Who Lives Here: A family of five
Home: A HDB executive apartment in Jurong West
Size: 1,456 sqf (converted from 126 sqm)
$120,000 Renovation Cost
She also has an interesting take on the $120,000 that they spent on the renovation: “Unlike spending on a vacation or a meal, which come and go, this is something we experience, live in and are comforted by every single day.”
When they were still living in Shanghai, she watched the Singapore production, “The Little Nonya”, a drama serial with a Peranakan theme and was smitten by the “Nanyang style”. The vibrant shades of deep green, blue and mustard yellow evoke a strong sense of tropicality, which is so apt for the Singapore context. “Our family loves colours and we are generally cheerful and lively people, so these vivid tones really resonate with us. Living in a home like this brings so much energy into our daily life,” she shares.
Living Room
The existing glass sliding doors to the balcony were removed and the floor levelled to make it part of an expanded living room space. Plaster moldings and beading details on the white walls inject a touch of French vintage charm.
A HDB executive apartment typically has three bedrooms, but since they couple have three children and the living room is quite spacious, they decided to partition off part of the living room into a fourth bedroom for their youngest son who is three years old. This way, every child gets their own bedroom.
Dining Room
Not all the furniture is brand new. The dining table, for instance, is a piece that they decided to keep from their old home. Jenny firmly believes that the furniture in a home should carry some history and retain traces of one’s life and memories.
The art on the dining room wall has a lot of movement in it and it reminds Jenny of the rhythm of life. “The strokes and splashes seem spontaneous yet intentional, creating a dynamic energy that feels very alive,” she points out. This is an indication of how she selects art for the home. She believes that every painting should carry emotion and evoke a reaction.
Many of the pieces around the home capture different moments in her past- from snowy winters and evenings in the countryside of her hometown, to a river that runs outside her childhood home.
Kitchen
As with most HDB kitchens, there were many exposed pipes and ducts. Her solution was to conceal them using built-in cabinets, which also address their need for storage.
As her helper is very petite, she designed the kitchen counter at different heights to make them more ergonomic for her. The laundry area is located at one end of the six-metre long kitchen with a separate washer and dryer.
Master Bedroom
The spacious master bedroom allowed Jenny to fit in two work desks in addition to a queen sized bed and a full-length wardrobe as the couple need to work from home sometimes.
The bottom half of the wall has been painted a turquoise blue that reminds Jenny of the Aegean Sea. She selected the painting partly for its soft pink and blue tones, as well as because she can imagine herself standing in front of the sea gazing out at the misty, dreamy coastline.
Master Bathroom
The master bathroom is one of Jenny’s favourite spaces in the home. 200x200 mm floor tiles laid in a checkerboard pattern create visual interest.
A black vanity cabinet adds depth and calmness to the space, paired with gold hardware that adds a touch of luxury.
To achieve the ambience that she wanted and to cater to the different areas within the bathroom, she introduced four different light sources- a wall sconce and a cove LED light strip above and behind the mirror cabinet respectively, a pendant lamp above the bathtub, and an exposed downlight in the ceiling.
Common Bathroom
In the common bathroom, a black tiling strip divides the walls into two. The upper half is kept neutral with beige 600x300 mm tiles while the lower section has more striking 200x100 mm tiles in a mustard yellow colour that reminds Jenny of the old tiles in Melaka.
To make full use of the boxed up space around the exposed pipes, she created three niches that are extremely practical for stashing bathroom essentials.
Eldest Son’s Bedroom
For her 12-year-old son, Jenny installed a nine-feet long desk in his room where he can study with two other friends.
A pullout bed comes in handy when he has friends sleeping over.
Daughter’s Bedroom
Her seven-year old daughter is into art, so it was important to have a dedicated area for her to display her work. Jenny created three arched shelves specially for this, with additional room for her bedtime story books.
Youngest Son’s Bedroom
In her youngest son’s room, she introduced a half height cabinet with wheels in one corner, which can be converted into a desk when he is older. In all the bedrooms, only the lower half of the walls are painted to maintain a balanced look without overwhelming the rooms.
The renovation took about five months to complete and the family moved back into their home in June 2023. Her husband left the renovation entirely to her since she is an interior designer and she felt the weight of every decision that she had to make.
“Every decision came with its pros and cons. Nothing was ever just right and there was always a trade off,” she recalls. However, the upside is that every corner of the home was created with intention and it has taught her to use design not just for beauty, but also to solve problems. “I think this is what makes a home truly special. Every person has different tastes and by surrounding ourselves with the things that resonate with us personally, we turn a house into our home,” she affirms.