Home Tour: A 30s male’s $65,000 renovation for his 4-room HDB at Henderson
This HDB flat is an eclectic mix of modern, brutalist and industrial concepts and colours that break the mould and reflect the homeowner’s personality.
By Lynn Tan -
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Growing up, Edwin Tan never had a room of his own. Buying his first home in 2024 was a significant milestone. “Owning the whole place means that I get to build it around my lifestyle. It is a dream come true,” says the 37-year-old project manager.
For someone who is drawn to paradoxes and irregularities, a run-of-the-mill Japandi or minimalist interior is the last thing that he wanted. What he was after is something unique, fun and out of the ordinary, a unique blend of aesthetics that you will not see elsewhere.
The Tadao Ando style concrete walls in one of Morphosis Studio’s projects caught Edwin’s eye and it was the only studio that he met with who did not brush his ideas off as being overly ambitious. For the design team comprising lead designer Chris Lee and junior designer Chong Churan, this project was about creating a home that aligned with the client’s vision and which would resonate with him emotionally. It gave them the opportunity to deviate from the norm, to explore the subversion of expectations as to which materials should be used in any given space, and not be constrained by the number of colours that are typically considered acceptable in a home.
“We realised that even eccentric themes have started to become formulaic, which is a complete contradiction to the principles of eccentricity,” Chris points out. Their response was to ditch the rule book and adopt a more experimental process towards figuring out what made the client feel most at home.
Who Lives Here: A project manager in his 30s
Home: A 4-room HDB at Henderson Crescent
Size: 871 sq ft
Interior Designer: Lead designer Chris Lee and junior designer Chong Churan from Morphosis Studio Pte Ltd
A green shipping container cabinet and bench define the foyer, while hexagonal tiles transition playfully into vinyl flooring.
HDB Entrance Foyer Design
Homeowner Edwin wanted the spaces to transition naturally from one to the other. For the entrance foyer, he asked the interior designers to make use of the flooring and wall colours to effect a change in space and mood by having actual tactile differences where the hexagonal stone tiles sprawl randomly, but artfully as they transition into the next space. This involved specially cutting the vinyl to align with the hexagonal tiles, like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle.
Instead of a built-in shoe cabinet, Edwin opted for a shipping container cabinet and bench that also serve as a divider between the entrance foyer and dining area. He finds having one single colour scheme in the home stifling, so amidst the stoney grey aesthetics of the home, he was inclined to go with something that would stand out and create a memorable first impression as you enter the home. This was how he ended up with a green, metal shipping container, green also being Edwin’s favourite colour.
A full-height concrete wall anchors the living space, with a convertible sofa and textured TV backdrop adding comfort and character.
A kaleidoscopic glass table sits atop an irregular rug, injecting colour and a touch of whimsy into the living room.
Living Room Design
A full height concrete wall makes a statement in the living room and the open layout allows its monolithic presence to be seen and felt around other areas within the home. The Tadao Ando inspired grey wall provides the perfect backdrop for a contrasting palette of colours and materials that come together in a harmonious discord. A convertible sofa offers flexibility by opening up into a larger bed where Edwin and his guests can laze on when playing cards or console gaming.
More of homeowner Edwin’s favourite hue can be found in the form of a Lafayette green television console beside the sage green parapet wall below the windows. An acrylic, see through, “ghost furniture” coffee table adds a modern touch. It has a special coating that reflects sunlight into a kaleidoscope of colours. Its circular shape also differentiates it from the rectilinear forms of the sofa and console. It sits above an irregular shaped rug with concentric grooves that appears to “spill out from the walls” and induces you to “sprawl lazily and relax”.
Sparsely furnished, the dining space doubles up as a workout zone, unified by the hexagon–vinyl floor pattern.
Dining Room Design
The sparsely furnished dining area allows Edwin room for working out and laying out his yoga mat. The vinyl-and-hexagonal tile combination continues in the dining area. “Hexagons resemble ‘angled circles’ to me and it was what drew me into making use of them. They are also part of the molecular structure for dopamine,” he explains.
The low platform bed enhances the laid-back mood, while a reconfigured layout makes room for a walk-in wardrobe.
The designers carved out a compact wardrobe space, balancing storage with bedroom comfort.
Bedroom Design
With some reconfiguration, interior designers Chris and Churan managed to introduce a walk-in wardrobe into the bedroom. The low platform bed instills a casual and relaxed ambience.
Cinnamon red counters and blue cabinetry pop against cement screed walls and terrazzo flooring, making the utilitarian space playful.
Kitchen Design
The adventurous colour scheme is taken up a notch in the kitchen. Cinnamon red kitchen counters above blue cabinets are juxtaposed against cement screed walls and terrazzo flooring. Injecting an element of fun into a utilitarian zone.
A sleek sink-and-mirror pairing completes the vibrant, layered look of the bathroom.
Hexagonal tiles in varied tones and patterns sweep across the bathroom like a wave, subverting the usual “accent strip” convention.
The master bathroom.
Bathroom Design
More hexagons with different colours and patterns can be found on the bathroom walls and floor. It is common for bathrooms to have a strip of accent wall tiles, which are usually square, but Edwin does not see why they cannot be hexagons instead. The idea is to create a wave-like imagery that washes across the space. “The way the bathroom is laid out makes it feel larger and more inviting. The colours and materials make the space livelier,” he comments.
Renovation Cost
The renovation took about three months and cost about $65,000. Here is a breakdown of the cost:
- Hacking: $7,400
- Masonry: $18,700
- Plumbing: $2,500
- Plasterceil: $3,800
- Painting: $2,500
- Vinyl flooring: $4,000
- Special effects: $3,300
- Carpentry: $7,000
- Countertops: $1,800
- Glassworks: $5,700
- Windows: $4,000
- Miscellaneous: $4,600
- Furnishing and appliances: $17,000
Edwin moved into his new home in December 2024. The overall design captures facets of his personality. “It may look like a mishmash of ideas but I have a story for each element and why I chose it to be part of my space,” he says. For him, a house becomes a home “when you see it as a part of you, when it is filled with your rhythm and routine, and most importantly your stories”.