Family Moves from Tiny Condo to HDB Executive Apartment for More Space

With its warm, rustic look, this 146 sqm home truly feels like a cosy cottage home stay!

In the grand Singaporean scheme of things, one usually begins their home-owning journey in a HDB flat before upgrading to a condo. However, for Ridzwan and Haslindah, their journey went the opposite direction – and the main reason for that? Space.

“We used to live in a condominium in Canberra, but after the kids came along, we realised that it simply was too cramped,” explains Ridzwan. “They had their things, and we had ours, and there just wasn’t enough space for everything.”

“We also like to host, but our old home was too small to accommodate lots of people comfortably,” adds Haslindah. “Previously, when our relatives visited us during Hari Raya, some of them were forced to sit on the floor, which isn’t ideal considering that some of them are elderly.”

“So, we decided that it was time for an upgrade, and searched for an older resale HDB flat – at least a 5-room flat or bigger, which we thought was the ideal property type for our needs.”

After some searching, they eventually chanced upon this 146 sqm executive apartment in Woodlands – and with the help of Jim from Charlotte’s Carpentry, they eventually turned it into a cosy, welcoming abode that their kids and guests can truly enjoy.

Keep scrolling to read the full story of this renovation!

Introduction

Ridzwan (R): The reason why we shifted to Woodlands instead of staying in Canberra was mainly because I wanted to be closer to my parents.

Haslindah (H): But other than that, this unit is also in close proximity to many amenities and schools – there’s a primary and secondary school within walking distance, as well as a direct bus to Republic Polytechnic.

I guess you could say that the main motivation for the move was the kids (laughs).

About searching for the right interior designer

R: Transparency was a very important factor for us. We wanted someone who was honest and practical when it comes to pricing and design matters.

We also didn’t want a designer who was pushy about their own designs – after all, this was our home, and it should be designed the way we wanted it to.

I think we met about 4 or 5 interior designers, but in the end, we felt that Jim was the one who best fit our criteria. He was very honest and practical, and instead of pushing for his own design, he listened to what we wanted and helped enhance the design even more. All these factors together sealed the deal for us.

About the living and dining room

R: In general, both my wife and I prefer the communal area to have a warmer, brighter look – mainly because we wanted the space to feel cosy and welcoming to everyone as soon as they enter the home.

When we were thinking of what to do with the look, we came across farmhouse interiors on social media and magazines, and found ourselves really liking it. It has the warm, welcoming vibe that we wanted, and it’s also not too different from what we had in our old home, which was a Scandinavian white-and-wood look.

It’s not a drastic change, but it’s enough to feel like we have a fresh start.

As this is a pretty old house – if I remember correctly, it was built in 1996 – there are a lot of odd niches here and there that we initially didn’t know what to do with. Leaving them as they are would have spoiled the overall look, so Jim suggested turning them into storage and display areas.

I liked how they turned out – the display niche by the dining table makes the space pop, while the storage cabinets along the windows make the entire wall length seem a lot more seamless.

About the kitchen

Haslindah (H): Most of the decisions pertaining to the kitchen were made by me – between the two of us, I spend more time here, so letting me handle the renovation here was the natural choice.

As I bake frequently, I wanted to make sure that the countertop surfaces will be able to handle a lot of pressure. I eventually decided to use sintered stone over quartz, as I felt that it’s better able to withstand pressure, like whenever I’m working with dough.

To make the kitchen bigger, we hacked the wall between the cooking area and service yard. I believe that’s the only major layout change we did for the entire house – apart from this, the original layout was kept intact.

I did initially also consider building a kitchen island, but after thinking about it, I decided not to go with it. If we did create one, it would have been right in the middle [of the kitchen], which would have made the space feel less open. The kids would also have less space to maneuver around.

You’ll also realise that you can’t see any piping. Personally, the both of us can’t stand the sight of exposed pipes, so concealing it was one of our must-dos from the start.

I think that made Jim’s job harder, because there were a lot of pipes before this renovation (laughs). But eventually, he found a way and did a great job – a lot of the cabinets you see are actually not built for storage, but for concealing the pipes!

About the common bathroom

H: Since this bathroom is for the kids, we decided to go with a cheerful, playful look using these terrazzo tiles. At the same time, we thought that using terrazzo throughout the entire space would look very overwhelming, which was why we went with a half-tiled look instead.

Unlike the kitchen, we decided not to conceal the pipes in the common bathroom. According to Jim, concealing pipes use a lot of space, and since there’s already limited space in the bathroom, he advised us to leave the pipes as they are.

Also, the original shower area was very small. With the odd niche there, it would have made the space feel very cramped – and since we wanted the kids to have sufficient space to move around safely, we extended the shower area using a custom glass partition.

About the master bedroom and ensuite

R: Since my wife was in charge of the kitchen and common bathroom [renovation], I handled the master bedroom and ensuite.

With one look, I think you can tell that we have very different preferences (laughs). While she likes brighter colours, I like darker tones. I just find them cosier and more relaxing, so naturally, I thought they were the best choices for an area meant for sleeping.

But even then, we still wanted to maintain a natural, earthy theme around the home, which is why we chose materials with stone and wood designs.

You may have noticed that the bathroom tiles are quite large – if I remember correctly, they’re around 600 x 600mm. I’m not a fan of grout as they tend to visually clutter the look, so I naturally gravitated towards bigger tiles to keep the look clean.

To sum up

H: We’ve been staying here for almost a year, and even now, I can’t help but keep comparing this to our old home. Back there, we had to fight for every inch of space, but now, there’s no need for that. It feels so much more open, and the kids have definitely enjoyed having all this space to run around.

Hosting our relatives for Hari Raya was also a much more comfortable affair. They have a lot more seating options and more space to walk around and mingle. Some of them said that the house feels like a cottage home stay, which makes me very happy since it’s what we wanted to achieve with this renovation.

R: I think we made the right choice engaging Jim’s help with this renovation. He was very patient and listened to what we wanted, and had a lot of good ideas of his own. Without his help, I don’t know if the house would have turned out as well as it did, so I’m really grateful to him.

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