Young Family’s $169K Tampines EA Reno is Designed to Grow With Them

True futureproofing.

Life can come at you fast, and Shakina and her husband know that all too well. Soon after getting married, they welcomed their first daughter – and before they knew it, COVID happened, too.

With so much happening at once, the renovation of their first home – a 4-room BTO flat – became less about their lifestyles and what they wanted, and more about putting together a family home quickly and within budget.

Once their old home reached MOP five years later, they were ready for a change – and this time, Shakina came prepared with Pinterest references, a PowerPoint presentation filled with ideas, and a much clearer sense of what she wanted in a family home.

After a brief search, they eventually found it in this 146 sqm Tampines executive apartment, and spent $169,000 turning it into a home that they can truly grow into.

WATCH: Homeowner Shakina shares more about her renovation journey

About the homeowners and the home

“One of the main reasons why we wanted to move was to have more space,” Shakina says. “Moving from a 90-ish sqm home to a 146 sqm one really makes a difference – the girls have more space to run around, and it’s not as cramped. My youngest actually told me, ‘Wow, now we have space to play hide-and-seek!’”

Also, the view was a show-stopper. Overlooking Tampines Eco Green, the unit boasts unblocked views of lush greenery, which Shakina describes as a reminder to relax after a long day at work.

For the interior, Shakina describes the look as “English farmhouse with a bit of a wabi sabi influence”: warm, cosy, and inviting. In her own words, she wanted to keep the colour palette as neutral as possible as “too many colours give [her] a headache”.

The open-concept layout – something that the previous homeowners had already introduced, and that Shakina chose to retain – was also something she really wanted, since it gave the space the seamless, interconnected feel of older homes.

There was, however, one not-so-charming remnant of the home’s past. The unit had been left vacant for years after its previous owners migrated – and once renovation works began, the family discovered a termite problem that took a sizeable chunk of their renovation budget.

“It was quite concerning,” Shakina says, “but Alhamdulillah, everything turned out fine after that.”

About finding an interior designer

Being a creative person, Shakina already had a pretty clear vision of her home in mind, which she laid out in a PowerPoint deck filled with colour schemes and inspiration images. Her husband’s wishlist, amusingly, was much shorter: false ceilings, and a home that was neat and tidy.

“He’s a pretty simple person,” Shakina says, smiling. “He left most of the design direction up to me.”

After speaking to around five firms, Ovon Design stood out almost immediately. “The moment I met Joann, she already had different layout plans prepared for us,” Shakina recalls. “That made me feel like she took the job seriously.”

But perhaps more importantly was that Joann listened to what she wanted. “I don’t want an ID who tries to enforce their vision on you,” Shakina says. “With Joann, I felt that she really paid attention to what I said and wanted, which sealed the deal for us.”

About the entryway

The original entrance felt a little too tight for Shakina’s liking, especially with five people – Shakina, her husband, their 2 daughters, and their helper – coming and going. “I wanted a bigger entryway, so when we come home, or when guests come over, there’s space to put things down comfortably,” she says.

To carve out that extra room, they shifted the storeroom and shaved some space off the adjoining bedroom. The result: an entryway that feels way less cramped, enhanced by soft lights that welcome the family home.

About the communal area (the living and dining room)

With the kitchen, dining and living areas already flowing into one another, the communal space naturally became the part of the home where everyone gathers.

They had initially planned to place the dining table further in – where the study is now – but eventually kept it in front of the kitchen. “This way, I can watch my girls easily when they’re doing their homework or eating,” Shakina says.

The workspace is now a flexible area. Initially meant to be a space for the girls to do their homework, it now functions as a place for Shakina’s husband to use when he works from home.

But there’s a futureproofing purpose to this area, too. If the girls eventually want their own rooms, or if the couple’s parents need to move in, the workspace can then be enclosed and turned into a full bedroom.

The living room, meanwhile, is where the family winds down together. “The girls will be on their iPads while my husband and I watch TV,” she says – which is a very ordinary family scene according to her.

At Joann’s suggestion, the rock-like plaster feature wall adds some texture to the otherwise soft, neutral palette – something that Shakina really likes as it ties back to the home’s wabi sabi influence without making the space feel too heavy.

About the kitchen

“I think my favourite space in the home is the kitchen,” Shakina says. “My helper and I cook quite often, so we have a lot of storage here.”

What she loves most, though, is that the open layout keeps her connected to the rest of the home. “I can be cooking here and still see what the girls are doing,” she says. “I don’t feel like I’m separated from them.”

There is, however, one small downside to having a kitchen you love this much. “I actually don’t cook as much anymore because it turned out so nice,” she laughs. “It feels very sayang (wasted) to dirty it.”

About the common toilet

The common toilet – and the girls’ bedroom, as you’ll see later – is one of the few places Shakina allows colours to take over. “Too much colour gives me a headache,” she jokes, “but I wanted somewhere fun just for them.”

The colour choice (pink) was intentional: Shakina felt the brighter palette would make the space feel more cheerful for her daughters, especially since it’s a bathroom they use every day. “I think pink has a way of brightening up people’s moods,” she says.

About the girls’ bedroom

The girls’ bedroom is where Shakina let herself have a little more fun. Unlike the rest of the home, she wanted their room to feel brighter and more playful.

“I like to DIY, so I painted this room myself to give the room a more cheerful vibe,” she says, upon seeing us in awe at the intricate wavy design splashed all over the room.

Additionally, as the girls are still young, Shakina kept their room connected to her and her husband’s room via the master ensuite. “Since they’re still young, I’m not ready to let them go fully,” she admits. “This way, we can go into each other’s room easily when we need to.”

About the master toilet

One of Shakina’s main requests for the master toilet was to shift the sink outside, creating a separate dry and wet zone. The main benefit: to ensure that the girls can safely pass through without stepping into any puddles.

But the other benefit? Freeing up more room inside the actual toilet – which Shakina decided to take advantage of by having a bathtub. “It’s a small luxury we can indulge in every now and then,” she says.

About the master bedroom

Compared to the rest of the home, the master bedroom is left simple – something that Shakina asserts is intentional. “I work shifts, and after a long day, I just want something neat and cosy to come back to,” she says.

To help keep the space tidy, Joann planned full-height storage on both sides of the room, thus giving the couple plenty of space to stow things away.

To sum up

Looking back, Shakina is glad they gave themselves the time and space to do things differently this time around.

“The extra space we got from this home is really a blessing,” she says. “My girls have more room to run about, and it’s not as cramped as our previous home. We’re also able to host bigger groups of people during festive gatherings and such.”

“We love how it turned out, and we can definitely see this as our forever home,” she adds — one where the girls can grow up, and where the family has enough room to adapt to whatever comes next.