HDB or Resort? 9 Dreamy Flats That Nailed the Mini-Vacay Vibe

Making home your dream destination.

While we’d love to be lounging about at a seaside resort, soaking in the immaculate vibes and sun, it’s not possible all-year round. The next best option?

Transforming your home into the place you wish you were at, instead of waiting for your next vacation. At least, that’s what the HDB owners of these 9 homes did!

Keep reading to get a taste of what their getaways look like – and maybe start planning for your own.

1. An earthy 5-room resale flat with Balinese resort vibes

It’s almost like the owners brought Bali home in this 5-room resale flat with a Bohemian flair that you’d find in resorts at the tropical paradise.

You’ll be wowed right from the entrance: the former recess area was converted into a mosaic stone-paved pathway, complemented by wooden rafters overhead and pops of greenery.

This space connects to the kitchen, demarcated by oak-look flooring. Here, an impressive island with a butcher block countertop also doubles as a stove so the homeowners can cook and serve guests while enjoying the light-filled area.

Throughout the rest of the home, you’ll find quintessential designs and decor reminiscent of Balinese interiors: wooden furniture and fittings, stone-like elements and loads of rattan accents and greenery.

Don’t miss the grand floor-to-ceiling headboard in the master bedroom either, and the ensuite with wood-look tiles and an irregular stone sink!

2. A 4-room resale flat with a refreshing coastal concept

With a bright, airy interior and blue-accented spaces that flow seamlessly, this 4-room resale flat calls to mind a beach house/resort along the Australian coast.

While the home’s tricky layout with corners at almost every turn posed a challenge initially, the homeowners and their interior designer decided on a gut renovation that involved hacking rooms around the communal areas for a more open and spacious layout.

Now, it comfortably fits a bespoke dining table set and a kitchen island with customised bar stools.

Some of the hacking works involved tearing down the walls of one junior bedroom to connect it to the living/dining area; it’s now a play area with a walnut bookshelf painted light blue to match the rest of the home.

In the master bedroom, the nautical style gets a change up with a green accent wall for an equally restful space.

3. A moody jumbo flat balancing tradition with a touch of modernity

Drawing inspiration from a Balinese resort concept – but with a touch of modernity – this jumbo flat is striking from the moment you step in to see its mosaic tiles, moody wood tones and even the hanging panel that resembles hand-carved wall art.

Walking into the living room, you’ll spot the sofa with a customised wrap-around shelving and display unit; it helps to visually demarcate the space too.

Even more impressive is the dedicated dining room resembling the ones you see in resort suites, with a longer-than-usual dining table to fit the home’s many occupants.

Much like the rest of the home, the bedrooms are dressed in neutral tones so the dark accent colours pop out, with tasteful soft furnishings and area rugs to add texture and cosy up the spaces.

Peep into the bathroom to find a mix of textured tiles: the small, geometric stone tiles backing the sink, wood-look tiles in the shower area, and grey large-format tiles for the rest of the walls.

The small carved framings, like the ones at the home’s entrance, add the perfect finishing touch.

4. A 5-room flat that brings the country to the city

Take a break from the fast-paced city life in this urban farmhouse villa (read: 5-room flat) infused with country-style elements.

While it’s not any bigger than a typical 5-room flat at about 112 sqm, the reconfigured open spaces and full-height living room windows give the impression of an expansive home.

Mixing traditional and modern styles, this home uses warm tones to create a cosy atmosphere with materials and furniture, like the wooden flooring and plush mustard-yellow sofa.

A cleverly placed arched ‘window’ next to the TV not only makes the space feel bigger but might also trick you into thinking you can look out to enjoy the view.

Perhaps the most arresting feature is the fireplace in the dining area, with a cluster of candles to recreate the effect of flames crackling atop logs of wood.

The curvilinear construction of the false ceiling and flooring tiles continues in the wavy shape of furniture like the bench at the dining table – this all serves to soften hard edges in the spaces and to add visual interest.

For a contemporary flair, the bathroom has sea-green tiles demarcating the wash closet, high-gloss gold hardware and a strong black accent for the shower screen frame.

5. A zen 4-room flat perfect for relaxation

If you’re having Japan travel withdrawals, this 4-room flat could take you right back. While it doesn’t take on the full wooden look often found in a Japanese hot spring resort, it balances a white-and-wood look for a soothing and inviting effect.

The textured brick feature wall and wooden panelling running along the corridor and peninsula add visual interest to the space that could have otherwise looked plain.

Looking closer, you’ll spot that shoji doors are actually covering up the windows, and that these doors are used all around the home in place of typical doors.

A look into the master ensuite reveals an onsen-style ‘wooden’ tub; we love that it’s made up of wood-look tiles for practicality since they’re certainly easier to maintain than actual wood in a wet and humid space.

6. A unique executive apartment with ‘Korean-Indo’ inspirations

The owners of this 150 sqm executive apartment had two main requests for their renovation: comfy spaces for family bonding and elements that reflect their Korean and Indonesian origins.

We also think its welcoming, laid-back atmosphere is very much like that of a tropical getaway.

The common areas replicate the wood-look often found in Korean interiors while the balcony housing the mini-garden has a more vibrant palette with full-body terracotta tiles and retro Peranakan tiles.

With the abundance of natural light coming in, the space really does look like a little tropical haven.

Tearing down the kitchen walls helped make room for this custom island adjoining the dining table and settee so that conversation can flow freely, and for the owners to keep an eye on their children.

Another highlight is the built-in bathtub in the ensuite bathroom for a relaxing soak; built up from scratch with patterned tiles, it’s separated from the rest of the space with retro glass blocks.

7. An eclectic 3-room flat that finds beauty in mixing and matching

Because we can’t get enough of the sheer variety of tropical resorts out there, here’s another home that might remind you of one. Terracotta colours, materials that evoke a sense of rawness and the furnishing all contribute to the eclectic charm of this home.

This includes the raw wood incorporated for the cabinets, with birchwood used to enhance the side profile for a layered look.

Similarly, the kitchen is fitted with a reddish-brown backsplash and cabinets that have a natural wood look, evoking images of sun-baked walls.

Even the bed in the master bedroom is customised with a distinct reclaimed wood look and complete with a bed-end bench and colourful textiles.

The master ensuite, meanwhile, has a concrete sink that was custom-made to fit the small space – suffice to say, it works well with the owners’ idea of embracing imperfections (wabi-sabi) and raw finishes.

8. A 5-room resale flat that embraces the outdoors

We daresay the eternal charm of tropical resorts lies in their intimate connection to nature, and the idyllic atmosphere that’s rather different from our hectic daily lives.

This home encapsulates just that, with a remodelling that involved a lot of hacking to connect the living and dining rooms, as well as to enlarge the master bedroom by combining it with a junior bedroom.

The master bedroom walls were also replaced with full-height glass.

While the communal space is free of built-ins, there are plenty of simple yet lovely features, like a brick TV feature wall and the combination of a rustic colour palette with Bohemian styling – the rattan side table and flatwoven area rug, for example.

Wanting to connect with nature and enjoy the view of the greenery from their home, the homeowners also decided to forgo blinds and curtains in the study and the bedroom.

Meanwhile, the splashes of green, whether for the walls or the cabinetry, hit just the right notes in tying up the home’s theme.

9. An open-concept 4-room flat that incorporates raw, natural textures

With its earthy colour palette and use of organic textures, this overhauled 4-room flat could pass off as a suite in this luxurious resort in Utah, overlooking desert views and mountain ridges.

The home is an organic material galore with a stone finish for the TV feature wall and limewashed walls and ceilings.

A wall was also hacked for an uninterrupted connection between the living room and kitchen, the latter of which has an eye-catching terracotta backsplash.

Sliding doors keep spaces flexible for the owners to open and close them up as needed, with furniture and fittings that have an organic feeling to match the rest of the space.

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