A $420K Maisonette Renovation with Boutique-Hotel Sensibility

In today’s edition of scroll-stopping homes.

At $420,000, this maisonette renovation sits well beyond the typical HDB budget bracket. In fact, that is an amount you’d expect to drop for a major landed home renovation in Singapore.

Taking inspiration from high-end fashion houses and luxury retail interiors, the homeowners shaped a space defined by boutique-style displays, unique lighting features, and a layout carefully reworked by lead designer Godric and his team at Third Paragraph to balance openness with intention.

And just wait till you see the full bathroom.

Setting the tone with a tiled entryway

The intentionality of the design starts even before you step fully inside.

Wrapped in small-format kitkat tiles across the walls and ceiling, the entryway reads like a transitional chamber. It heightens the contrast before the home opens up beyond.

The grid-like pattern introduces a quiet rhythm, while the marble-look flooring and warm wood door soften the overall palette.

It’s a restrained approach, but one that already hints at the design philosophy of the home: materiality over excess, and details that reveal themselves the longer you look. Even the lighting is kept subtle, washing the surfaces just enough to bring out their texture without drawing too much attention.

From here, the design begins to unfold more gradually, with each space building on this same sense of control and curation.

A living area accentuated by architectural and ceiling details

Instead of leaving the ceiling as a flat plane, the design introduces layers through a recessed ceiling that frames the space. Embedded LED strips and hanging track lights soften the edges, casting a warm, even glow that complements the home’s muted palette.

The architecture does most of the heavy lifting here. A rounded opening defines the transition towards the window area, creating a sense of depth without breaking the flow. The low-profile furniture was also an intentional choice by the homeowners to enhance the sense of height.

A vertical feature panel rises along the window zone, taking advantage of the double-volume height in that section. Pendant lights introduce a more sculptural moment — subtle, but enough to anchor the space and draw the eye upward.

An open-concept kitchen with a sculptural island and faux skylight

For the kitchen, the homeowners chose to rework the layout to better support flow and entertaining guests, with everything kept within easy reach while maintaining a clean, uncluttered frontage.

Framed by the same rounded opening that carries through from the living area, the space feels visually connected yet distinct.

At the centre of the space sits a piece that’s carefully curated by the homeowners: a sculptural island that’s as much of a statement as it is a functional worktop. With its textured, monolithic base and rounded edges, it introduces a tactile contrast against the otherwise clean-lined cabinetry.

A bar ledge wraps around the island, extending its presence while creating a natural spot for casual dining or hosting, reinforcing the home’s focus on both function and presentation.

Overhead, a faux skylight brings in a different quality of light, cutting through the darker tones of the kitchen and subtly shifting the mood throughout the day. Paired with the warm under-cabinet lighting (as well as under the bar ledge), it helps soften shadows and balance the overall ambience.

A dining area framed by boutique-style display cabinetry

The sense of curation becomes more pronounced as the dining area comes into view.

Running along one side, a wall of built-in cabinetry doubles as both storage and display. Instead of concealing everything behind full-height storage cabinets, the homeowners decided to carve out selected see-through compartments, turning everyday items into part of the visual composition.

The dining table sits against this backdrop, kept intentionally simple so the focus remains on the cabinetry. Darker tones and clean lines ground the space, while the surrounding finishes maintain the home’s overall restraint.

Overhead, the lighting shifts again. A recessed circular ceiling detail draws the eye upward, with a reflective surface that catches and diffuses light. The pendant light above the table and integrated wall lighting along the staircase gives the space a layered glow — one that feels more ambient than direct, and in line with the home’s boutique-inspired direction.

The master bedroom and a dreamy walk-in wardrobe

In the bedroom, the design focuses on clean symmetry, anchored by a series of LED light strips that extend from the ceiling down to the headboard. These leading lines draw the eye inward, subtly framing the bed. The recessed ceiling detail above also makes the lighting look less as a feature and more as part of the architecture itself.

Along the window, a sculptural curtain pelmet introduces a gentler contrast. Its curved profile softens the otherwise linear composition, echoing the rounded forms seen earlier in the home while giving the space a slightly more cocooned feel.

A similar design language carries through to the walk-in wardrobe. Here, the lines begin to loosen and curve more freely, shifting the mood from structured to immersive.

A curved false ceiling flows across the space, complemented by a shaped entrance leading into the bathroom. The effect is more fluid and enveloping, once again highlighting the home’s sculptural approach to detailing.

The standout space of the home

This might be one of the prettiest, most elaborate bathrooms we’ve seen in an HDB flat.

Materiality takes centre stage here, with marble and stone-look surfaces wrapping the walls in varied tones and veining. The composition is layered, allowing each section to read differently depending on how the light hits it.

Overhead, a recessed ceiling detail introduces a reflective panel (similar to the one in the living area) that bounces light across the space, adding movement without overwhelming the overall calmness.

A sunken built-in tub sits within a more enclosed zone, framed by textured tiles and glass blocks that give the space more character than being a mere functional partition.

Above, a built-in rain shower (relatively rare for an HDB flat) adds to the sense of indulgence, elevating the entire setup into a luxurious spa-like experience.

To sum up

At its core, this home is shaped around the way the homeowners live.

Their growing collection of luxury and designer pieces isn’t treated as an afterthought, but as a key part of the design. Storage is planned around it, lighting is used to highlight it, and spaces are shaped to accommodate it.

This is not a home built around trends, but around taste, ritual, and collection. Beneath its polished finishes, it remains deeply personal — a maisonette shaped as much by lifestyle as by design.

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