House Tour: A minimalist, Japanese-inspired three-room HDB flat for a couple
Shōji-inspired doors, an open concept, and some clever reconfiguration make this three-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio a spacious haven for its owners.
By Home & Decor Team -
This three-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio proves that you don't need a lot of room: even an 82sqm home can be a spacious haven for two with the right spatial planning.
For Bern and Jeri, this home needed to be different from the look of their first home, which was done industrial-style. they also wanted an open concept space for living, working, and sleeping but with minimal hacking.
Since Jeri is an interior designer at Lush Interior, she took on the project herself. "My husband was my client," she laughs. She introduced a light palette of whites and neutrals, creating a minimalist space that was clean and bright. Although they hadn't wanted much demolition, it was necessary to reconfigure the space to bring in more light. The couple decided to remove one of the walls in the communal area to open up the entryway and create a much more welcoming sight upon entering the home.
They also moved the master bedroom to the common bedroom and converted the original to a walk-in wardrobe and guest room. A custom-made translucent sliding door – reminiscent of Japanese shōji doors – allows the couple to open up the bedroom and create a larger open space if needed.
AT A GLANCE
Home: Three-room HDB apartment in Ang Mo Kio
Who lives here: A couple
Size: 82 sqm
ID: Lush Interior
One of the biggest challenges they faced was having to pick an idea out of the many they loved. "I really love exploring different shades of paint or laminate colours," says Jeri. "So for the living room, bedroom and working area we made it white and bright." Most of their furniture was purchased from Muji, Scanteak and Ikea.
In the living room, they created a TV console using panaplast laminate, with a terrazzo effect laminate on top. Other custom-built storage solutions in the communal area include their shoe cabinet and toy display shelves.
The original master bedroom had only one small window, so the couple decided to move its location to the common room, where there was much more light and air.
Now, their bedroom and study space share an area, with plenty of storage options that keep clutter out of sight.
A sliding screen door and different flooring segregate the study area and sleeping quarters. The door, created from plywood, veneer and clear polycarbonate board, allows light through to the rest of the bedroom.
"With our current bedroom location, we are able to enjoy an open space, a daily dose of morning sun, unblocked view overseeing lush trees and the big open sky. When in need of privacy, we can close it up with our customized sliding door and automated blackout blind," says Jeri.
Their walk-in wardrobe now occupies the space where the master bedroom used to be.
Of all the spaces in their home, only this area has a darker palette. "We wanted something cozy should we want to sit and chill with a different ambience," says Jeri.
As space was rather tight, the couple decided to move the vanity out of the bathroom.
Jeri took the opportunity to introduce shades of pink – she wanted something that wasn't too sweet, so she opted for a muted blush that goes well with the grey of the walk-in wardrobe area.
Every detail was carefully considered – the chest of drawers you see here, for instance, is covered in faux leather that was machine-stitched and manually attached to the drawers.
"This was something we explored with our in-house carpentry team," says Jeri. "We wanted to create a tactile effect rather than using textured laminate, which sometimes may not bring out the look and feel of real leather."