This couple put the most effort and thought into designing their living room because they like hosting parties at home
In anticipation of their future children, this married couple designed a unique nursery in their marital home - one with walls made of glass panels. The feature allows anyone in their living room to keep an eye on children in the nursery, says the husband, 33, a business owner.
"The kids can have their own space in the room while adults can mingle in the living area," he continues, adding that blinds can be installed after the children reach a certain age.
The couple, who have been married for two years, have an interest in home design, which took hold when they helped with the interior design of the husband's parents' apartment six years ago.
"The project made me think about usability and functionality," he says.
Similarly, signs of the couple's pragmatism are peppered all over their Built-to-Order five-room HDB flat in Punggol. The kitchen counter was raised to 90cm - from the standard height of 85cm for most kitchen counters in Singapore - as this is a "more comfortable" height for food preparation, says the wife. At 1.65m tall, she finds the current 90cm-high counter more "ergonomic" for her. Also, the base of the counter was raised by 15cm so that they would be able to stand closer to the kitchen worktop, the wife explains, "For a normal kitchen base, you would have to bend over or bend your toes in order to stand closer. Also, this creates a floating effect visually."
The kitchen wall is a chic cement screed with an industrial look as the wife, an accountant, did not like the original white wall tiles. They did not appeal to her aesthetically and she also felt that white wall tiles with white grouting would be hard to maintain. To make the most of the space in the 1,200 sq ft flat, the living area - with a sofa and coffee table - sits on a parquet platform that visually separates the living room from the dining area.
A smaller bedroom was converted into a walk-in wardrobe for more wardrobe space. The old bathroom doors, which swung inwards into the cramped interior, were replaced with barn-style sliding doors. The home was designed by the couple and they engaged contractors to do the work.
It took two months to complete and cost $55,000, excluding furnishings. They moved into their flat last December. The new family considered hiring an interior designer, but decided against it after consulting a few because "they did not offer any fresh ideas", says the husband.
"We also more or less knew what we wanted," he adds, describing his home as versatile and modern Scandinavian, yet timeless.