She bought her first HDB at 50, and created a peaceful sanctuary for herself and her rescued cats
By Gwyneth Goh -
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A cup of tea by the window has quickly become one of Charlotte’s favourite daily rituals in her Kim Tian Road home, where broad windows and greenery views lend the 3-room flat an unexpected sense of calm.
For the 50-year-old personal assistant, this sense of calm was exactly what she had been searching for. “I felt location was important and a priority for me, having stayed centrally since young,” she says. “I was glad to have chanced upon this unit as I felt very comfortable and it had the right vibes when I first stepped into the unit, and I knew straight away it had potential and this would be the home I was looking for.”
This is Charlotte’s first home as a homeowner, a milestone that came a few years after the passing of her mother, with whom she had shared the family home. “I have carried all the beautiful memories from my family home within me and will be creating new ones in my new home,” she says.
Now, the Kim Tian Road flat is home not just to Charlotte, but also to the two cats she rescued from her previous neighbourhood. Designed as a peaceful retreat for all three, the home balances quiet comfort, meaningful heirlooms, and thoughtful updates—including a reworked kitchen by Mablle Interior that makes room for one of Charlotte’s favourite rituals: cooking for loved ones.
Who Lives Here: Charlotte, a 50-year-old personal assistant, and her two rescued cats
Home: 3-room HDB resale flat in Kim Tian Road
Size: 667 sq ft
Interior Designer: Tessa Teo, Mablle Interior (targeted renovation works including kitchen carpentry, selected cabinetry, and palette consultation)
The kitchen was one of the key areas Charlotte chose to renovate, with Mablle Interior introducing clean-lined cabinetry, new surfaces, and warmer brass-toned accents.
A new kitchen for familiar recipes
While the flat was already in good condition, Charlotte was selective about what needed changing. The kitchen became the main area of intervention, especially because cooking and hosting are part of how she wanted to live in the home.
“I wanted to have a kitchen with a small breakfast counter,” she says. “They managed to create this for me in addition to having a cosy and warm home.”
The breakfast counter was not simply a design preference, but an important element in Charlotte’s vision for the space. “Because I needed an area to be comfortable to cook in,” she says. “Also because it doubles up as a place where if I’m hosting and I’m still preparing a meal, they could also sit there and have a chat or a glass of wine and relax while I’m cooking. I think that’s nice also—that was also my intent.”
Reworked with new cabinetry and a compact breakfast counter, the practical setup supports Charlotte’s love of cooking and hosting.
Charlotte enjoys hosting when she can, often cooking recipes passed down through her parents. “I do a good chicken curry,” she says with a laugh. “It’s basically local fare, but the recipes that I prepare were recipes that were passed down from my dad and mum—sweet and sour fish, assam fish which I learnt from my mum. The chicken curry was from my dad.”
Tessa’s intervention was intentionally targeted rather than extensive, working within the existing layout where possible. “The stove and sink, I told her we have to keep it there because of the gas pipes,” says Tessa. “We expanded the fridge area because it was very small. Cabinets, we removed everything and redo.”
Working within the existing layout helped keep the renovation timeline manageable, while updated finishes gave the bathrooms a calmer, more polished feel.
A tight timeline, carefully planned
The bathrooms were among the spaces Charlotte chose to refresh, but the work had to be planned around a relatively tight renovation timeline. “The unit was originally in quite a good condition, hence did not require much renovation aside to the carpentry for the kitchen, bathrooms and master bedroom,” says Charlotte. “The reno was approximately $25K and I had a tight timeline of three weeks.”
Because the existing bathrooms were structurally sound, the focus was not on a full rebuild, but thoughtful upgrades that would make the spaces feel fresher and more functional. “The two bathrooms, we wanted to hack out and rework the tiles, but we were not able to do that,” says Tessa.
The bathrooms were refreshed with practical upgrades that aligned with the home’s restrained renovation approach.
Instead, the design team worked within the existing footprint, introducing updated cabinetry, fixtures and finishes that gave both bathrooms a cleaner, more contemporary feel without extending the timeline unnecessarily.
The logistics still required careful coordination. Access to the flat before completion had been limited, meaning much of the planning had to happen in advance.
That preparation helped ensure the renovation stayed on track, even if some final details continued after Charlotte had moved in. “Tessa had managed to accommodate to my tight timeline which I do appreciate,” she said. “The other reason for the rush was that I did not want to subject my cats to the dust prior to shifting in.”
A spare bedroom was turned into a dedicated room for Charlotte’s rescued cats, complete with climbing structures, resting spots and plenty of natural light.
A home shared with rescues
Charlotte’s two rescue cats were central to how this home was planned. What was originally intended as a guest room quickly became theirs.
“My initial intent was to have a guest room, but they now have a room specially dedicated for them,” she says. “My priority were my cats when designing and purchasing items for the space as I wanted them to have adequate scratch-proof furniture and space to play.”
Even the placement of the cat tree was deliberate. “Having the cat tree condo near the window was important as it allowed them to enjoy the views, as I want them to have the best life possible given they were once abandoned.”
Charlotte says, “This home is uniquely mine as I have made it a cosy and comfortable space for myself and especially so for my cats to live in...”
Daily life revolves around them in quieter ways too. “My day starts with getting my cats’ day sorted with their breakfast—it’s all about them,” Charlotte says. “Prior to that they will be basking in the sunlight in the living room and having their playtime, which is their daily exercise.”
When she returns home from work, the welcome committee is already waiting. “My cats will usually be excited when I return home from work and still unsure if they are happy to see me or to try and get some treats from me,” she says with a laugh.
The room may not remain cat-only forever, but for now, Charlotte is in no rush to change it. “Eventually I will also integrate it into a guest room,” she says, “But that will be later. I don’t want to stress the cats out too much because it’s just been four months. If I don’t have anybody staying over, then it’s just their room.”
Soft sage wardrobe carpentry in the master bedroom continues the calm, restful palette carried throughout the home.
A space to begin again
The master bedroom continues the home’s calm, understated palette, with custom wardrobe carpentry by Mablle Interior in a muted sage tone that complements the soft, restful mood of the space.
Yet many of the most meaningful elements in the home are not newly built. Charlotte brought with her a one-piece teak wood sofa chair from her family home, now placed just outside her flat alongside plants and her shoe cabinet, as well as a Christmas crib her late father won years ago, now displayed on the TV console.
“When I moved over from my previous place, there were a lot of things I could not move and had to give away,” she says. “So I had to really pick and choose things that I could bring over and still keep family stuff.”
That sense of continuity matters in a home that represents such a significant personal milestone. “I think what is important is identifying your priorities for your home as you need to be comfortable,” Charlotte says. “Never could I have imagined that a seventh floor unit could offer such lovely views and is conveniently located within this deep-rooted heritage area.”
The neighbourhood has also slipped naturally into Charlotte’s daily routines, from weekend breakfasts at Tiong Bahru Market to evening walks and nearby cafés. “Location of my unit is ideal as it’s a stone throw away to the hipster cafes and Tiong Bahru market,” she says. “I also love the fact that it is a very pet friendly neighbourhood.”
The finished home makes a compelling case for restraint: that a first home can feel deeply personal without tearing everything back to bare concrete.
$25,000 renovation cost
Because the unit was already in relatively good condition, Charlotte took a measured approach to renovation, focusing on the areas that would make the biggest difference to daily life rather than embarking on a full overhaul.
The targeted works, carried out by Mablle Interior, included a full kitchen carpentry refresh with a new breakfast counter, selected bathroom upgrades, and custom wardrobe carpentry in the master bedroom. In total, Charlotte estimates spending approximately $25,000, inclusive of these renovation works, furniture and fixtures.
That considered approach suited both the home and the homeowner, proving that creating a deeply personal first home does not always require tearing everything down and starting over. As for the future, Charlotte already knows the answer. “Yes, I plan to stay here long term.”