From Bare to Timeless Classic: Young Couple’s 5-Room BTO Renovation

Plus, subtle references to a 20th century pop culture classic.

For many young couples, owning a home is a dream come true, and it was no different for the owners of this 5-room BTO flat in Clementi.

“It was a bare unit because they opted out of the OCS,” shared Darien, their interior designer from Starry Homestead, as we sat down for a chat about the home. “They wanted a blank slate for the look they had in mind.”

As you’ll see, there’s plenty to discover in this home – including an enduring love for Winnie the Pooh.

About the homeowners and their home

The owners had a clear idea for their home when they first approached Darien. For one, they liked the clean look of Scandinavian and minimalist interiors.

“They also told me about their hobbies,” said Darien. “The wife loves Winnie the Pooh and has a huge collection from their travels all around Europe, Asia and the US. That’s why they wanted a place to keep their collectibles and figurines.”

This was puzzling, since we had barely seen any in the photos of the home.

“Exactly!” Darien said. “It’s all hidden away, since the owners didn’t want things to look cluttered. The free space is also good for their pet cat to roam around."

Being the highest unit in the block, this house has a 2.7m ceiling – about 10 centimetres more than the typical BTO flat.

Thanks to this, the ceiling doesn’t look low even with a false ceiling.

On designing the living room

One look at the living room and you can see it’s seamless, just as Darien and his team intended. They chose a neutral palette and elements that don’t look visually heavy for a cosy area to relax in and host friends.

“For example, the curve and texture of the TV feature wall soften the space,” said Darien. “Though you can see similar designs in the market, most of those use partition walls with regular laminates. In our case, we used a solid core laminate.”

Darien explained that, unlike regular laminates, this solid core laminate is anti-fingerprint and has a smooth matte texture; you won’t see the typical thin black joining line of regular laminates either.

Darien also pointed out the wooden panels on the right side of the living room: his team’s solution to the owners’ storage needs.

This is a stretch of camouflaged storage cabinets, done up with laminates with softer grains. They hold collectibles on the left, and shoes on the right.

To tie everything together, matte white tiles were used in all the communal spaces.

“Instead of white cement grout which tends to easily absorb dust and dirt, we recommended epoxy grouting to the homeowners. It doesn’t absorb dirt, so it’s easier to clean,” said Darien.

The wife made most of the decisions while the husband only had a few particular needs for the spaces, like a PlayStation setup inside the TV console.

“He always told me, happy wife, happy life,” Darien laughed.

About the kitchen/dining and dry pantry

Wanting to interact with their guests while making food, the owners stuck with the unit’s open-concept kitchen and dining space.

“They don’t have a dining table since their families don’t usually come over for meals. Instead, they have a simple breakfast top behind the sofa for having a meal – but you can’t see it in photos,” shared Darien.

The owners work from home a fair bit, so he highlighted that this peninsula is important for them as it doubles as a workstation.

The kitchen layout creates a smooth workflow and owing to the extra ceiling height, the owners also get a little more storage in their two-tier upper cabinets.

The foldable windows also give them the flexibility to close off the kitchen to prevent cooking fumes from escaping.

Just adjacent to the kitchen, you’ll spot a modest dry pantry fitted with a wine fridge and a quartz countertop from iQuartz which was also used in the kitchen – an option the owners went with since they don’t cook heavily and liked the variety of modern-looking designs.

“I proposed the dry pantry to the homeowners since it’s easier for them to prepare snacks and drinks here,” said Darien. “One interesting point here is the tiered shelves. These actually function as a mini catwalk.”

He clarified with a wry grin that the decor in the photo was put up just for the photoshoot, and that the owners leave it empty for their cat.

On reconfiguring the master bedroom layout

The master bedroom undeniably underwent the most layout changes. More accurately, it’s a combination of the two former junior bedrooms, with a divider to partition the spaces into a resting area and a walk-in wardrobe.

The reason?

“The husband is a trader and he doesn’t want to affect his wife’s sleep while he’s working, so the original master bedroom is a trading room for him,” said Darien.

While there aren’t any photos of the space, you can picture a sophisticated setup of TV panels, monitors and computers, plus a single bed for resting.

Unlike in the living room, the bedrooms feature wood-look tiles. Darien shared that the typical choice for bedroom flooring is vinyl, but the owners had wanted a more durable option.

The resting space, while simple, has a tri-coloured bedhead feature wall to demarcate the different ‘segments’ like the bear-shaped chair, the bed and the suspended side tables.

“I helped to source the bear-shaped chair. The wife said it’s for her bear plushie, not her,” Darien shared with a laugh.

If you had any doubts about the owner’s love for Winnie the Pooh, this custom laser cut lightbox installed on the divider will put them to rest.

“For the walk-in wardrobe, the owners mainly needed a vanity and storage for their clothes. The wife specifically wanted a display for her bags too,” said Darien.

With the warm ring-like pendant lights and reflective surfaces like the see-through wardrobe doors, the room has more of a luxe feel compared to the rest of the home.

About the master bathroom

Head into the bathroom and you’ll see another Winnie the Pooh motif: a backlit bear-shaped mirror that adds a quirky touch to the space and highlights the texture of the grey tiles from Lian Heng Sin.

Besides enjoying a higher ceiling, scoring a unit at the highest floor means there aren’t any light boxes or pipe boxes.

For a totally clean look, Darien shifted the storage heater to the service yard by diverting the piping there.

Though the bathroom sports a distinctly different palette from the rest of the home, there are still features that link it all up, like the wood-look tiles at the shower area that are the same as the bedroom floor tiles.

Darien also shared that the high ceiling gave them enough room to fit a GROHE rain shower with thermostatic controls that the owners wanted.

To sum up

As first-time homeowners, the couple often reached out to Darien for advice on things like functional designs that suited their lifestyle, and brands for appliances and materials.

To help them with narrowing down the choices, he would choose a few suitable options and fine-tune them based on the owners’ preferences.

“They were previously staying with the husband’s parents so they adore having their own space that suits their lifestyle,” Darien said with a smile. “They get to spend a lot of quality time with each other and their pet.

I’m satisfied to hear that, knowing I have done my part to try to achieve what they need and want.”

Like what you see?

Get in touch with Starry Homestead to discuss possibilities for your own home!

Contact Starry Homestead

Alternatively, we can help you shortlist suitable firms when you tell us your renovation requirements below.

Renovate with assurance, only on Qanvast. Find and meet interior designers verified by homeowners, with no hidden costs and no commissions involved. Find an ID

We're on Instagram, Telegram and TikTok! Follow us there to keep up with the latest design trends 🙌_