A home built for living, not for trends.
When embarking on a home renovation, it’s easy to get swept up in the design trends you see on social media. But style and aesthetics alone doesn’t guarantee comfort and convenience, especially if they overlook your lifestyle needs.
That’s why, for Moses and his wife, following trends was never the priority. Instead, they took a lifestyle-first approach when renovating their 5-room resale flat in Serangoon — creating a home that feels comfortable and truly theirs.
“I would say that we’re cosy people,” says Moses. “We like to stay at home as much as possible. So, it was important for us to feel closely connected to the space we live in.”
Inspired by luxurious hotels and other modern contemporary influences, they sought to create a home with a cosy, indulgent feel – one that encourages both guests and themselves to slow down and savour every moment.
About the homeowner and his home
“Before this, we were living in a 3-room BTO flat,” Moses says. “It’s not super small or anything, but we did find it challenging to have enough storage space. There was also limited space for our two cats to run around in.”
“Plus, we were thinking about starting a family, so we thought this was a good time to upgrade to a bigger place.”
Design-wise, Moses opted for a darker, modern-contemporary theme – something that his wife wasn't initially keen on, but eventually warmed up to.
“She likes brighter colour schemes,” Moses explains. “Our previous home was actually more aligned to her preferences. But this time around, as a compromise, we followed my design preferences.”
“After seeing how this darker design creates the cosy vibe we like, she eventually found herself liking it.”
About finding an interior designer
“We’re pretty friendly with Yulong, our ID from Artspaze,” Moses says. “In fact, I would say I treat him more as a bro.”
“He’s actually the ID who worked on my previous home. He did a fantastic job, gave a lot of good ideas, and made sure the whole process was smooth.”
“In my opinion, I would say that IDs are very important in creating a house that fits your lifestyle, and finding a good one is quite hard. So, I think I was quite blessed to have found him the first time around.”
“So, instead of wasting time trying to find a different ID, I decided to call him up and asked him to work on this one as well.”
About the living room
While searching for a new home, Moses intentionally only looked at units with big, spacious living rooms. “They make the entire space feel very large and open, which I like,” he says.
The first thing that struck us about the living room was how loosely furnished it was. In fact, the only pieces there were a large U-shaped sofa, a TV, and food bowls for the cats.
“If you realise, we don’t even have a coffee table,” Moses says, after we pointed this out.
“We didn’t want to have too many loose furniture pieces as we don’t want to risk tripping or banging our knees against anything.”
The TV feature wall – with simple wallpaper and a floating built-in console – adds visual interest without taking up floor space. | View this project by Artspaze
“Also, it keeps the space open, which gives my cats the freedom to run around without any obstruction.”
About the kitchen
The floorplan, pre-renovation
“We did quite a bit of work to the kitchen,” Moses says. “As we host pretty regularly, and cook as well as bake often, we wanted a kitchen that has both a closed-off area to contain cooking fumes, and an open area for our guests to sit at.”
The floorplan, post-renovation
“What we did was to merge some of the living room space with the existing kitchen, to increase the overall size of the space. Then, we shifted the kitchen door, which was originally right next to the entrance, to face the living room instead, to segregate the space into a dry and wet area.”
“Initially, we intended to get a freestanding dining table, but we decided to use an island instead.”
“Compared to a regular dining table, an island makes the space more complete, you know? In terms of the visuals. It also functions as our dining table, and where we host our guests during gatherings.”
About the master bedroom suite
Consisting of a junior bedroom merged with the original master bedroom, Moses’s master bedroom consists of a sleeping area and a walk-in wardrobe – the latter being his favourite room in the house.
“In our old home, we had to squeeze our wardrobe within our bedroom, which didn’t give us a lot of storage space for our clothes,” Moses says. “So, we’ve always wished for a walk-in wardrobe.”
“Now that we have one, it feels great – the bedroom doesn’t feel so claustrophobic anymore, and feels more open and wide.”
“We also opted for an open wardrobe. All my life, I’ve used the regular closed cabinet, but I thought of trying something new this time."
"And honestly, I find that having an open wardrobe makes things so much easier. I can see all my clothes with one look, and if I ever need to give something away, I can know where it is immediately.”
With a darker colour theme compared to the communal area, the bedroom is the perfect balance of moody and relaxing, with a bay window seat that doubles as storage space and a TV that the couple use to wind down.
“We mainly use the TV in the living room, but the one here gives background noise that helps us sleep,” Moses says. “Our bedtime routine involves watching it for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, and once we’re sleepy, we’ll turn it off and go to sleep.”
“It’s very convenient – if not, we’d have to stand up and walk back to the bedroom.”
“Also, Yulong did a fantastic job with the lighting here. I told him we wanted a bedside table and lamp on either side of the bed for our use, but he suggested LED lights instead; which I thought was good since we don’t have to wipe it down regularly.”
“He got the measurements of our bed and tailored the lighting placement such that it’s central to our bedside tables. We also made a pretty last minute request to include a power plug on each side, which he settled quite quickly.”
About the toilets
Designed by Moses’s wife, the common toilet boasts a cheery vibe, with a warm beige-and-tan colour palette brightening up the space.
“She really loves bright colours,” Moses explains. “Obviously, it’s very different from the rest of the house, but I like the contrast. Plus, I think guests will find it easier to use since the brighter colours will help them see the space better.”
In contrast, the master ensuite – designed by Moses – is reminiscent of a luxury hotel’s bathroom with the stone-look tiles cladding the walls and floor.
“We like to travel, and we do it quite often,” Moses says. “Something I’ve realised over the years is that we tend to be impressed by hotels with really nice bathrooms, so I wanted to bring back a similar luxe look to our own bathroom.”
To sum up
“It’s been quite fun working what I wanted into the renovation, instead of just going with a standard cookie-cutter design,” Moses says. “And like the previous time, Yulong was great; he really went the extra mile to ensure that the house is tailored to the way we live, so it’s really because of him that we love the space.”
“Honestly, I don’t have any complaints or regrets. My wife and I feel so happy whenever we’re home, my cats have been loving the extra space to run around, and our family and friends love coming to our place because they find it very cosy.”
“In fact, they often tell us that they wish they could stay longer – which makes us very happy because this is exactly what we wanted to achieve with the design!”
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