House Tour: 850sqf HDB apartment in Tiong Bahru with a grey palette and an elegant, masculine vibe
By Home & Decor Team -
High up on the 46th floor of one of Tiong Bahru’s most prominent HDB blocks is this dainty two-bedroom apartment, an aesthete’s haven. A world away from the chaos of community living, it is all muted tones and sleek lines, a lesson in restraint right in the heart of this colourful part of the city.
At a diminutive 850 sq ft, the apartment may be on the small side, but what it lacks in square footage it more than makes up for in style. The owner is a teacher who is clearly something of a tastemaker, and who quite simply wanted the property to feel like a luxury hotel. “Sophisticated and stylish – that was what I was really after,” he explains as he recalls the origins of his apartment’s transformation.
It took several months to find the right interior architect to fulfil this lofty ambition, but when he eventually came across Joey Khu of Joey Khu Interior Design, the homeowner was immediately drawn to his lowkey, high-performance approach – especially when it came to bathroom design. “Bathrooms are so often overlooked, but for me they really are the main event,” he says with a laugh, naming a handful of five-star hotels he has stayed at, where ablutions were the highlights.
The decor that Joey ultimately put together takes into consideration all the available space in the apartment and maximises it. This has resulted in a home of surprisingly grandiose proportions. Joey and his team used every trick of the trade to amplify the apartment’s liveability, using features such as concealed storage, open shelving, custom-made furniture and seamless door frames. It now comfortably houses three members of the family, with room even for the odd visiting niece or nephew.
Joey began by selecting a gentle colour scheme in a masculine burnt ash, and then blurred all the lines between carpets, walls and ceiling. In doing so, and by playing on subtle variations in colour, he successfully created a sense of unity throughout the home while also visually enhancing the height of each room. Next, he worked simple details into the cabinetry to create depth and texture without the need for busy patterns and colours. The result is elegant and seamless without being boring.
Dark panels along the wall create the impression of a larger bedroom by drawing the eye horizontally across the space.
Written by Polly Sweet.