There are many good reasons why Singaporeans opt for resale HDB flats or condominium units despite their steeper prices. One of it is that older homes tend to have floor plans that are more squarish, with lesser corners and awkward corners found in some BTO flats. These 12 homes show how you can make the best use of spacious living areas, and the endless possibilities of what good interior design can achieve!
1. While most HDB dwellers prefer concealing the ceiling cable tracks and plumbing, this homeowner chose to highlight them instead by using black for a contrasting effect. This nonconformist detail suits the home’s industrial design scheme well.
Interior Designer: Voila
Location: Hougang
Cost of renovation: $48,000
2. For couples who desire a more welcoming feel for the common area, consider hacking the walls of the adjacent bedroom to free up floor space. This allows for more creativity when designing the living or dining area, and enables the extra footprint to be used for entertaining large groups.
Interior Designer: Project Guru
Location: Toa Payoh
Cost of renovation: $80,000
3. You’d be amazed at how much difference the hacking of walls can make. Case in point: having an open kitchen dramatically transforms the main area of this 2-room flat. The cosiness is also enhanced by the choice of clean-cut Nordic furniture styles, accompanied with soft fabric furnishings and indoor plants.
Architect: Studio JP
Location: Marine Crescent
Cost of renovation: $80,000
4. By sticking to bare essentials for the home refurbishment and leaving all the walls intact, the owners of this 3-room apartment managed to keep their renovation costs down to $15,000. Some of it went to the customised shoe cabinet, which is cleverly placed to create a homely hallway entrance and give the living area more privacy.
Interior Designer: Tan Studio
Location: Kang Ching
Cost of renovation: $15,000
5. Love to entertain? Transform your HDB apartment into an opulent abode by cladding the walls with glossy marble (or lookalike laminates). Match it with a stone dining table and chandelier to anchor the commanding look.
Interior Designer: DreamCreations
Location: St. Michael's Road
Cost of renovation: $42,000
6. By adopting a classic and refined interior design style throughout the home, this apartment looks effortlessly chic. The calming earth-toned palette soothes one’s eyes and mind after a long day out, and the soft furnishings invites and lures you easily into a restful mode.
Interior Designer: Mr Shopper Studio
Location: McNair Road
Cost of renovation: $140,000
7. If you enjoy changing the look of a home’s interiors every now and then, stick to simple built-in structures and style up the area with striking furniture and accessories like bold-coloured sofa and rug instead.
Interior Designer: Metamorph Design
Location: Adam Park
Cost of renovation: $75,000
8. Urban and resort design influences are gracefully fused in this living room, which pairs smart-looking sofas and armchairs with the warmth of the wooden panelled feature wall. The open-plan kitchen is equally alluring, and has the perfect layout for those who enjoy socialising while prepping for dinner parties.
Interior Designer: D'Initial Concept
Location: The Sterling
Cost of renovation: $95,000
9. With its sprawling open concept, this home could afford audacious design choices such as a Macaw green and grey textured walls opposite each other. The unfussy furniture helps to offset the experimental approach.
Interior Designer: U-Home Interior Design
Location: Woodlands Ring Road
Cost of renovation: $40,000
10. The homeowners elevated the master bedroom’s chic factor by literally raising the bed, lending it a grandeur akin to royal palaces. On the other hand, the entertainment room’s Japanese tatami treatment imbues a humble warmth to the space.
Interior Designer: Idees Interior Design
Location: Seletaris
Cost of renovation : $60,000
11. A wonderland of décor ideas, this brazenly-designed apartment darts from industrial to retro to country aesthetics in a modern interpretation of eccentricity. Only a designer with an acute sense of style can pull off the mismatched look with such class!
Interior Designer: Museum Homes
Location: Avalon
Cost of renovation: $200,000
12. This 3-room apartment is a wonderful example of how you can vastly alter the sense of spaciousness by opening one bedroom to enlarge the living area. Here, the space is converted into a dining area framed by a dry kitchen, creating a European, loft-like feel.
Interior Designer: Linear Space Concepts
Location: Kim Tian Road
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