July 10, 2019
Filled with unique textures and features, this HDB is definitely not your typical industrial abode.
Raw, masculine, pared-back, and rustic – these are the hallmarks that make up most industrial homes. While it may appeal to many, this homeowner duo didn’t fall in love with the austere vibes.
View this project by Versaform
To change things up and soften the look, the couple turned to Pinterest for inspiration. We sat down with homeowner Wei Song, who shared more about his flat’s statement makeover.
Wei Song (WS): My wife and I moved into this 5-room flat a year ago. Before heading into this renovation, we already knew we wanted something more industrial-looking but nothing too dark or too raw. So, we went on Pinterest to gather some ideas that could possibly work in our own place while we were out looking for an interior designer who could piece together what we envisioned.
WS: Many of the HDB features did not fit the design of our home, so we swapped them out for Pinterest-looking alternatives – some of which were tweaked by Vincent, our interior designer from Versaform, to make it look more cohesive.
WS: We took the idea of having a feature wall from a cafe found on Pinterest – its walls were clad with tiles slanted in one direction. I wanted to incorporate this idea in our living room but, sadly, our wall wasn’t tall enough. So, Vincent proposed a full floor-to-ceiling feature instead – it’s become our favourite detail in the home. We think it’s rather unique too since you hardly ever see other apartments with a feature wall that spans the entire living room.
WS: Since we didn’t want things to look too raw, we opted for a lighter palette that was also recommended by our fengshui master and used sliding doors that open from both sides to make the study area airier. Traditionally, people will use aluminum because its lighter, but it needs to have a certain thickness in order to hold our tempered glass frames. In the end, we ruled them out in favour for mild steel.
WS: Other doors in the home were also given an overhaul. Drawing inspiration from Pinterest ideas, we engaged a door maker to install a glass panel into the centre, bought several decals and pasted it on for a more industrial touch.
WS: It may look as if we kept the flat’s original open concept kitchen, but we didn’t – we installed glass panels atop our kitchen island to enclose the cooking fumes. The glass panels, of course, not only allows us to look into our kitchen area but also helps to keep the overall breezy look!
WS: Our kitchen backsplash was given an update too. The tiles were set in a herringbone pattern to make it match better with our feature wall.
WS: Because we didn’t want our bathrooms to look too “raw”, we kept it clean and bright with hexagonal tiles. As the tiles are bigger, it looks more obvious, which adds to the visual impact.
WS: We first got to know Versaform through Qanvast. We were looking for interior designers who specialise in creating industrial style homes. Vincent said he would be able to realise our dream space within our set budget. We also really felt really comfortable with him from the get-go and he was extremely confident in his work, which was why we chose to work with him in the end.
WS: He really pulled out all the stops even while working around our fengshui restrictions. He pushed the boundaries of the industrial style and created a standout home that’s filled with many eye-catching textures. We adore our new space!