Harry Potter Fan’s Bachelor Pad is a Collector’s Dream Come True

Renovation managed.

It took a single step into Daniel’s 4-room resale flat in Bedok to understand the full extent of his love for the Harry Potter series.

On the right, framed posters of the movie adaptations lined the wall, while on the far end of the home, character figurines filled the display cabinet, illuminated by a soft backlight that bathed the area in a warm, cosy glow.

“As you can see, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan,” Daniel says when we pause to take a closer look at the replica Marauder’s Map mounted on the back of the entryway partition. “From the start, I wanted my home to be able to show off everything I’ve collected over the years, so having enough display areas was important to me.”

But that wasn’t the only priority for his home renovation. As the sole homeowner, there was no one he could split the household chores with – and in his eyes, keeping his home simple and spacious was the best way to ensure that his house is as easy to clean as possible.

So, with the help of Din – his interior designer from Prologue Studio – he sought to create a home that’s a) neat, b) easy to maintain, and c) cosy. Here’s his story.

About the homeowner and his home

“Previously, I was staying in the West,” Daniel says – and then laughs at our incredulous expressions. “I know, right? From Jurong to Bedok – almost like moving across the country!”

“I moved here for two reasons. The first is because I wanted to explore a new area, because I’ve lived in Jurong for over 30 years.”

“The second reason was for feng shui reasons. The master I consulted told me that it was best for me to find a home near the East-West line, and this home went up for sale just as I began to look for a place. So, it was just nice.”

“The reason why I’m such a huge Harry Potter fan is because it changed my mind about reading. Before I read the books, I really hated reading; when I was young, the books my parents asked me to read weren’t any fun – they were just purely meant to help me learn English, you know?”

“It was around the time I was in Secondary 3 or 4 that I first came across the Harry Potter books. As I was reading them, I found myself falling in love with the story and characters – and from then on, I was addicted to reading.”

“In fact, I make it a point now to read a new book every month, no matter how busy I get!”

About finding an interior designer to renovate his home

While homeowners are usually recommended to meet between 3-5 interior designers, Daniel went above and beyond that by meeting a total of 8 different designers.

“I really wanted to make sure I found the right one,” he says. “I looked at their portfolio and reviews online to get a gauge of what working with them will be like.”

“Din was actually the last of the IDs I met, and from the start, I could already tell that she was very different from the rest. She was very detailed about everything, and she’ll tell me if some of the ideas I had were not practical.”

“A lot of the IDs I met were willing to include whatever I wanted without thinking if it’s feasible or not, which wasn’t what I was looking for. Talking to her and listening to her ideas for my home made me excited, because I knew I could learn things from her.”

About the kitchen

As Daniel doesn’t cook often, he opted for a one-wall kitchen layout to keep things simple.

“Other than the day I moved in, I don’t think I’ve ever used the stove,” Daniel says amusedly. “And I moved here about 5 months ago, so that tells you how much I don’t cook.”

“My main priority for the kitchen was the carpentry. I have two reasons for this – firstly, as I was getting rid of the store room, I wanted to make sure I had enough space for all my things.”

“Secondly, I wanted them to be able to hide the pipes. My parents’ place had so many exposed pipes, and I honestly found them really ugly (laughs), so I wanted to be able to hide the pipes as much as possible.”

All that storage eventually gave rise to a good problem – having too much storage space.

“In fact, there’s so much storage that some of the cabinets are empty,” he says, and pulls open multiple cabinets to emphasise the point. “But I believe it’s better to have storage space and not need it, instead of needing space but not having enough of it, in case I need anything extra in the future.”

About the living room and collectibles display area

Wanting a more spacious communal area, Daniel decided to hack one of the junior bedrooms – but that was only the first step of reconfiguring the layout.

“I initially envisioned the new space to be the dining room,” Daniel says, “but after discussing with Din, she said that it may make the space feel a little squeezy. So, we shifted it to the other side of the house where there is more space to walk around.”

“The new space then became the living room. If you notice, it’s quite simple; there’s no coffee table or anything. I guess I just wanted to make sure that the space was easier for the robot vacuum to manoeuvre around, with no things blocking the way.”

“Even though I don’t have a console or coffee table, the TV niche that my ID came up with is quite useful. I can still put things on it, and it helps the space generally look neater.”

Upon heading over to the display area, Daniel’s enthusiasm is clear as he gestures toward his prized collection.

“This display area is easily my favourite part of the house,” he says. “When I was still living with my parents, I never had the space to show off what I liked – and since it’s their house, I know they would’ve killed me if I took up space with my things (laughs).”

“As you can see, I love collecting Funko Pops. Other than the Harry Potter ones, I also have those from Game of Thrones, Squid Games, Marvel, Pokemon, things like that. Because the boxes have a little window on them, I don’t have to take them out of the box, and that helps to prevent the display from looking cluttered.”

To make sure there was sufficient space, Daniel had to make some rough measurements of his collectibles before his ID could get to work on the compartment sizes.

“You can tell she really paid attention to the measurements, because everything fit perfectly,” he says. “It really makes me happy, because at my parents’ place, I had to keep them hidden in boxes and stuff.”

While having a dedicated display area may compel other collectors to fill up the space with more collectibles, Daniel amusedly tells us that it has the opposite effect on him. “Whenever I’m thinking of buying more, I just have to look at my display area to know that I don’t have any more space,” he says with a grin.

About the master bedroom suite

Like the communal area, Daniel wanted a bigger bedroom to enjoy. So, he decided to combine the original master bedroom together with the old store room and adjacent junior bedroom.

“For feng shui reasons, I shifted the sleeping area to the other side of the room, while the old master bedroom became the walk-in wardrobe,” Daniel says. “Lifestyle-wise, I think this layout makes more sense, since you can immediately access your clothes after walking out of the toilet.”

“The wardrobe also acts as a partition between the bathroom and bedroom to give some sense of privacy.”

With the bedroom and walk-in wardrobe positioned on either side of the enlarged bedroom, it left the middle area for his study.

“The study area was something I really wanted from the beginning,” Daniel explains. “I don’t always work from home, but when I do, I want a proper space to sit at. Previously, I could only work at the coffee table, which isn’t really comfortable.”

“I also didn’t want the table to be flushed against the wall – personally, that orientation makes me uncomfortable. That’s how Din came up with the idea of having my table positioned 90º to the wardrobe, so that it faces the bedroom door instead.”

“She also carved out a niche for me to place my knick knacks. The back of the wardrobe is also a useful ‘wall’ for me to mount some of my medals and personal achievements.”

About the bathrooms

Toilets in HDB flats are notorious for being small, which is why many homeowners resort to shifting their vanities outside to create more room inside. Daniel is one of them.

“It’ll be very squeezy if everything was inside,” he says. “This way, there’s more space inside, and I can have a bigger vanity with more space to put my things.”

Upon seeing the common bathroom, we had one question. If Daniel was the only person living in this house, why did he decide to install a second shower here?

“I actually thought the same as well,” he responds. “Honestly, I didn’t really see myself using this bathroom much, because I already have the master toilet. Din was the one who recommended that I install a shower area, just in case I have guests who stay over, or if the other toilet is undergoing repairs.”

To sum up – his experience living in this home, and words of advice for prospective homeowners

“It’s been almost 5 months since I moved here,” Daniel recounts. “It’s been great to finally have my own place, because I have the space to express myself. In fact, my parents were quite surprised when they came over to visit, because they didn’t know I was an avid collector!”

“And honestly, having a robot vacuum has been a lifesaver,” he says, laughing. “I didn’t have one at my parents’ place, and I never realised just how much it helps until I moved here. It’s especially useful, considering that I stay here alone!”

When asked if he had any advice for prospective homeowners looking to renovate their home in the future, he stresses the importance of finding the right interior designer.

“Because of all the renovation horror stories, my mom kept telling me to be careful when choosing the right ID,” he says, laughing. “But I think I’ve been very fortunate, because I managed to find an interior designer I could trust. And not only that – she also helped enhance the design beyond what I initially wanted, so the house turned out better than I envisioned!”

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