January 26, 2022
From a blank slate to an exceptionally minimal (and tidy) home for two.
It may seem simple, but getting the monochrome look right is a juggling act. Go too much on minimalism and you’ll end up with a clinical, almost unfeeling interior, whereas having excessive décor could result in your stylish black-and-white home losing its uncluttered appeal.
All photos by @daniel.koh
But despite the trickiness of it all, a minimalist monochrome interior was exactly what Rachel and Aaron (@racheeng) wanted for their first 4-room BTO flat together.
“For this house, we had a very clear vision of what we wanted. We both grew up in cluttered family homes, so being minimalist and tidy were top priorities for us,” says Rachel. “But to boil it down, I guess it’s just because I get upset whenever I see messy houses. Emptiness is what appeals to me (laughs).”
Suffice to say, the inside of Rachel and Aaron’s home reflects their love for spaces that are clean, both literally and aesthetically.
From spotless communal areas dressed in white to a handsomely bold bathroom (with a tub!) clad wall to wall in vertical stacks of black tile, here’s just about everything that you’ll want to see and know about the makeover of this tidy, neutral-filled couple’s nest!
Rachel (R): I’ve always liked to design stuff, but I didn’t have any formal training, so I’m a bit late to the game. I studied business, not arts, and I’m now in the fashion industry. I enjoy organising events as well, and I planned our wedding from scratch myself. The same goes for our plan to have a minimalist home, which I came up with three or four years ago.
Back then, one of my friends told me to chill, because she felt that our design philosophy would change over time, but the final look is quite consistent with our initial plans.
Aaron and I were quite unanimous in what we wanted for the layout and aesthetic, which is all black and white.
I remember when I was looking for ideas online, it was always the minimalist monochrome interiors that would catch my eye, not the boho-chic or Scandinavian homes – I mean, they’re nice, but they’re just not my thing because I’m a practical person who doesn’t want elements that just serve a decorative purpose.
The flat’s layout before the renovation.
Aaron (A): Just to add on to what Rachel has shared, a lot of the fixtures that you see in the house were also hand-installed by us. I don’t have an eye for beauty like Rachel, but I do have the skills of a handyman, so we complemented each other very well throughout the entire process of putting our home together.
R: When we balloted for a BTO flat the second time, we got a unit on the fourth floor, but we were fine with it even though I think most Chinese homeowners would think it’s unlucky.
Instead, what concerned us more was the direction of our unit; it’s facing a carpark and we were worried that our living room would be too dark because of the surrounding structures. But it turned out to be quite bright and we don’t have any neighbours with a direct view into our space.
The entryway before the renovation.
The unit we got was standard – we didn’t opt in for any fixtures, so it came as just an empty space, but we were lucky to have a kitchen with a big opening. We hacked away the existing door frames to install new ones we liked, along with the walls around one of the bedrooms to create our home office.
And because Aaron’s cousin works at riceLAB, we got our 90 x 90cm floor tiles from them. Initially, the plan was to go for cement screed flooring, but I knew that my inner neat freak wouldn’t be able to tolerate any hairline cracks.
To keep things neat and sleek, Rachel opted for a wall-hung TV setup. “Dangling wires are my pet peeve, so everything is concealed,” she says.
For our living room sofa, we got it customised because that would give us the flexibility to dictate how it would look and feel. I recall us combing through Tan Boon Liat Building, and we thought it was going to be a wasted trip until we chanced upon FAQ Habitat.
The store owner told us that they had medical-grade sofas, so people with back issues would go to them for customised pieces. Neither of us has problems with our backs, but I did want a deeper sofa because I have a habit of bringing up my legs up and crossing them while sitting.
Our gym/study is located just right behind the living room sofa, and when we first started planning this space, we wanted to include a punching bag because we both do muay thai, but we didn’t in the end as it would just add clutter and prevent us from using the open space for mat exercises.
For the work area, we bought a large desk that can sit the both of us, but we didn’t want to make the space too conducive either because that would just encourage us to bring work home. We don’t game as well, so this entire area is purely for work.
“I got the idea to organise all our gym equipment using a pegboard from Pinterest,” says Rachel. “But the skateboards were too heavy, so we got IKEA shelves for them.”
R: One unique thing about our house is that it’s designed to have as few wood fixtures as possible. Back at my old place, I had a termite scare, and it got so bad that we could hear them making this horrible rattling noise in the walls. Since then, I’m very, very anti-wood, and because of that, our current kitchen fixtures are primarily stainless steel.
The kitchen before (left) and after (right) the renovation.
We got them from a supplier, Yew Lee Metal Works, which Aaron used to work with. I don’t think there are many firms that offer stainless steel kitchen built-ins in Singapore, so they were the only ones we could approach. In fact, one of the contractors whom we worked with wanted their contact because there’s a real demand for such fixtures.
There are customisation options available, but to keep costs low, we went with cabinets from the modular line instead, which are a good fit for our kitchen all the same.
Our kitchen island is customised too, and it has a turn-out table that lets us sit more people when we have friends and family over. The design was based on pictures that I saw online, and the staff at Yew Lee were nice and passionate enough to figure out the exact dimensions and mechanisms to make the entire fixture work. So, in a way, this island is the first prototype of its kind.
Also, the best part about this island is that it’s not permanently stuck to the ground. There are aluminum stands that keep it secured, but they can be taken out and moved with the entire structure to another house.
A: I guess I’m the one who does most of the cooking at home, but I’m proud to say that we share the workload. Rachel handles the prep, while I do the cooking, so we each have a role in the kitchen.
The induction stove is something that I wanted because it can be used as extra counter space when we aren’t cooking. I got the inspiration for the stainless steel counters and island top from industrial kitchens – they’re easy to clean even if there are grease spots or other stains.
For example, Rachel makes pasta and pastries from time to time, so you can imagine a Gordon Ramsay situation where there’s flour all over the island. But after that, a simple wipe-down takes care of everything.
To create extra space and let more light in, Rachel and Aaron had the half walls in their yard replaced with a set of folding glass doors.
R: Like the other small fixtures around the house, the pantry shelves in the yard were also installed by us. The experience also taught us an important lesson that it’s much better to use a laser level (laughs). If you’re looking to DIY, just invest in one.
We got ours off Amazon, and it’s much easier to use than a spirit level where you need one person to hold on to the shelf and another person to make sure it's straight.
R: We didn’t want wooden doors in the yard or for any of the rooms, so we had them all replaced with metal ones. The door in the yard is folding and has a subtle arch motif as part of its design, but for the rest of the house, including the bathrooms, we got aluminium ones with reeded glass inserts.
From what we read, mild steel can still rust after coming in contact with moisture, so we opted for aluminum, which is cheaper and lighter as well.
The common bathroom before (left) and after (right) the renovation.
For the design of the walls, we were inspired by places that we stayed in during our staycations as well as other examples that I saw online.
From the start, I found myself attracted to bathrooms with very strong looks. The white-tile-and-black-grout combination is one that I like a lot, and it works well in our common bathroom because the space can be quite dark even during the day.
If I had to name one, my only regret is that the contrast might be a bit too strong with black grouts; I probably should have chosen dark grey instead.
Also, because we knew that we didn’t want a vanity cabinet, there’s only the basin, a side shelf for toilet rolls, and a mirror with a towel rail, which we bought from Taobao. But for plumbing items, like the WC, tap, and shower sets, we shopped for them locally at a store called IXISS because we wanted a local warranty.
A: Other than using it as a general-purpose/guest room, we don’t have any plans for the second junior bedroom that was kept intact.
Occasionally, when we run the air conditioner in this room to keep it working, we’ll sit on the sofa bed and watch Netflix together using our projector. But the rest of the time, it’s just a space to store our clothes and robot vacuum. Just a fun fact, we have a total of four vacuum cleaners in our house (laughs).
R: I’m proud of this because it’s good to invest in cleaning tools! Other than the robot vacuum, we have a Dyson V10 – it came at a good price, so it’s been here with us from the start. Then I bought a Tineco, which lets us mop and vacuum at the same time, and then we have another vacuum that’s specifically for getting rid of dust mites.
The master bedroom, pre- renovation.
The master bedroom was inspired by another one of my Pinterest pins. We aren’t pantang (Malay for superstitious), so layout-wise, we weren’t constrained by fengshui rules like having the back of our bedframe tucked against a wall, or not having the front of our bed facing a door.
So, instead of a headboard, we have an IKEA drawer that technically functions as one, plus a bed frame that I bought a year ago because it’s almost entirely metal. Generally, we want to keep our bedroom’s orientation as flexible as possible with loose pieces, so that we can change it up whenever feel like it.
We don’t have a walk-in wardrobe either, just an open storage system from Italy that’s identical to the one in my workplace’s storeroom. The good part about it is that it’s modular and doesn’t require any drilling, so we were able to keep our ceiling and walls intact.
A: For some reason, it has always been a childhood dream of mine to have a bathroom with a tub (laughs). That was my only requirement for the en suite, and I left the rest of the design to Rachel to explore.
The master en suite before (left) and after (right) before the renovation.
R: I think for us the only challenge was figuring how long and wide we could go with a built-in tub. We always knew that the layout would give us enough space for one, but not how large it could be.
Also, our contractor kept telling us to get a standing bathtub, but I was adamant about getting a built-in one instead because I don’t think anyone has the time to scrub both the inside and outside of a tub regularly, at least not me. Plus, I think a built-in bathtub looks sleeker.
As with our common bathroom, most of the accessories in our en suite are from Taobao, but the WC, bathtub, and shower set were purchased locally.
The colour scheme was also inverted here with black wall tiles and white/silver fittings instead of what we have in our common bathroom. The final look turned out pretty good, I must say, and it’s also made the en suite one of our favourite parts of the entire house.
A: I know a lot of people want to return to work and have a social life, but right now, I just want to stay at home and be a hermit until I’m sick of it. I guess it doesn’t help that my office is all the way in the West as well (laughs).
R: For me, this experience is almost dreamlike. I think it’s because I was the one doing up the initial sketches and seeing our house come to life from my drawings feels surreal.
It was also a learning opportunity for both of us because we realised that we’re the types who prefer managing things ourselves. Understandably, this isn’t an option for everyone, so go with a contractor only if you’re comfortable with overseeing the timeline and progress of your renovation.
I was also able to find my own suppliers with whom I was able to liaise comfortably. So, if you have the time, this could be another reason why you might want to project manage on your own!
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