HDB’s Upcoming 'White Flats': Pros, Cons and Open-Concept Design Ideas

The good, the bad, and what yours could look like.

Earlier this week, HDB announced that it would pilot open-concept “White Flats” in the Kallang-Whampoa area, as part of the October 2024 BTO launch.

The term stems from the idea that units without internal walls separating the living area and bedrooms would offer homeowners flexibility, a metaphorical “white canvas” as to how they wish to configure their spaces.

But should you gun for them if you’re looking to apply for a BTO? What would they look like? Let’s dive in.

General pros and cons of open-concept homes

Pros

• Freedom to demarcate spaces as you wish
• More airy, with more natural light
• Feel less cramped

Cons

• Lack of privacy in bedrooms
• Cooking fumes and/or noise will not be contained
• Fewer walls to include power points

Will you actually save on renovation costs?

It depends on how many partitions/walls you intend to build

A single partition wall costs upwards of $500 to build (sometimes in the thousands, depending on your requirements and materials used). So, the number of private spaces you require will affect how much it costs to renovate a White Flat.

It depends on the space configuration you desire

Another factor would be whether or not you’re fine with standard BTO room dimensions. If you wish for some rooms to eat into the space of others (such as having a larger bed room and smaller study adjacent to it), the White Flat layout would definitely help you to save on renovation, since you wouldn’t need to hack existing walls before rebuilding them where you please.

It depends on your long-term plans

Additionally, it’s also best to ensure your home is future-proof and able to cater to your evolving household needs, to avoid having to renovate again just a few years down the road. Questions to ask yourself include:

• Do you intend to have children?
• Do you foresee yourself requiring more private spaces in the near future?

Design ideas for open-concept homes

But of course, it’s also helpful to visualise how an open-concept White Flat could look like.

Here are some ideas to kickstart your imagination:

1. While each room may still stand enclosed, almost every drywall in this Tampines resale flat was hacked and replaced with glass panels. What you get then is a ‘glass house’ that’s visually open, bathed in natural light and coupled with hunter green walls that bring the outdoors in for its nature-loving owners.

2. Adopting a similar approach but a different look and feel, this 4-room BTO in Dakota is decked in lapis blue walls and complementary golden lattice doors. Topped with wall paintings and sconces in a classical style, the dining area in particular is reminiscent of a fine dining restaurant.

3. If you’re inclined to something a little grittier (but not over-the-top), this resale flat at Bukit Batok might just be the inspiration you’ve been looking for. Wabi-sabi is the name of the game in the dining area and kitchen; then, over in the living area, an elongated concrete slab doubles as both a coffee table and tatami-style seating area, accentuating the length of the open-concept communal space.

4. Boasting a charming mid-century modern aesthetic, this walk-up apartment in Novena is at once fully open, yet clearly demarcated into distinct spaces. For one, it’s bisected by a strong axis that runs the length of the home, while each half is then further divided by custom pole system shelves and an oversized kitchen counter-cum-cubby-hole-cabinet respectively.

5. In a rather bold move, the owners of this resale flat in Ang Mo Kio combined the living room with the bedroom for a roomier and light-filled home. As for the rest of the communal space, they extended the dining and island along the whole stretch of the corridor, and even set up an outdoorsy area for winding down and ‘alfresco’ dining.

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