To accomplish this, major layout changes had to be made to this 28-year-old HDB home.
Considering that one of the biggest perks of owning a bachelor/bachelorette’s pad is the freedom to customise it entirely, it’s only natural that the owner of this 5-room Macpherson HDB flat had it fully tailored to his lifestyle – so much so that i-Chapter designer Cindy describes the entire dwelling as her client’s “personal man cave”.
“One of the things the homeowner wanted from the start was a huge communal space, since he entertains guests quite frequently,” explains Cindy. “He also wanted a dark monochrome theme for a more masculine look.”
Following a 3.5 month-long renovation, the flat now satisfies both requirements, and then some. For a full rundown of this home transformation, we spoke to Cindy to find out more!
About the house and the process of designing it
Cindy (C): Before this, I don’t think the house had ever been renovated before. It had a dated interior – much like an HDB flat from the ‘70s. Also, none of the walls were hacked, which meant that the original layout was left untouched.
Looks-wise, the homeowner wanted a dark, monochrome base – he actually showed us a few examples during the discussion stage, which we replicated by creating deep grey feature walls and using darker wood-look flooring. The house now looks more updated – I like to call it a ‘man cave’ since the homeowner lives here alone (laughs).
The flat’s floor plan, pre-renovation
In terms of space, I suggested a seamless, open-concept look, since he mentioned that he entertains guests frequently. We tore down the kitchen wall and fused the communal areas together, and we also played around with available bedroom space to make the sleeping area and en suite bigger.
The flat’s floor plan, post-renovation
However, the logistics of this large-scale revamp was tricky. The initial layout we proposed included things like sealing the door between the guest room from the ensuite, but we couldn’t do it due to existing regulations.
HDB also had a concern about the door leading into guest bedroom – they felt that it was too near the kitchen and was a potential fire hazard. So, there was quite a bit of back-and-forth, and we had to modify the layout a few times. I think it took us 2 and a half weeks before we were finally able to secure the hacking permits.
About renovating the kitchen and living room
C: Our goal for the communal area was to make it big and open by tearing down the walls between the kitchen and living room. The layout is quite seamless now and it allows the owner and his guests to move between areas freely.
We also included an island and a dining table with long benches to accommodate as many people as possible.
In the living room, we created a dark-coloured feature wall, with diagonal panelling details for visual interest, and used a darker shade of wood for the floor. The walls and false ceiling, however, were kept bare and painted white – this is to draw your attention to the darker elements in the home, while also making it look even larger than it already is.
About creating the “balcony”
The "balcony", pre-renovation
The "balcony", post-renovation
C: We transformed the study into a ‘balcony’ of sorts since the house didn’t have its own. The reason for this was simply to create a separate communal space – so if somebody wants to, say, smoke or take a break from the main area, they can just step in here.
Balconies are typically bright and airy, so we painted the walls white and installed folding glass doors. We also added window hanging tables and changed the frames from silver to black to make it look more like a sleek condo balcony.
On renovating the master bedroom and walk-in wardrobe
C: The original master bedroom was opposite the two junior bedrooms. But because the homeowner wanted a bigger space and a walk-in wardrobe, the decision was made to combine the two junior bedrooms and use those spaces as the master bedroom instead.
To do this, we tore down the wall between the bedrooms, and built storage units that separate the sleeping area from the walk-in wardrobe. There’s no door installed to allow free movement between each space.
Like the communal areas, the bedroom has a dark, monochrome theme. We mounted a TV on one side of the storage units, where the homeowner can watch shows or play games in his own time.
We also included some panelling details like the ones on the feature wall outside. This time, however, we went with squarish panels as they’re subtler.
For the walk-in wardrobe, our main inspiration were the ones shown in Hollywood movies – you know, the glamorous-looking type with lights and plenty of space? We re-created that here and installed an open wardrobe system for easy access.
The owner has some posters from his time working in the media industry, and we thought they could work as décor pieces, so we had them placed here. Without them, I think the room will be lacking in character.
On renovating the master and common bathroom
C: If you look closely, you can see a wall between the sink and WC – that's where the original confines of the en suite were. We extended the bathroom using part of the living room to create a larger, more luxurious-looking space.
For a hotel-like vibe, a wall-mounted WC was installed instead of the usual floor mounted kind. And because we needed to create another wall to hide the WC tank, we ended up with a recessed area that eventually became a display area for another piece of artwork.
Since the en suite – or more accurately, the entire house – had a dark theme, I thought we could do something different for the common bathroom.
Initially, we were thinking of doing a black-and-white colonial theme, but in the end, we settled on a modern luxe theme using white marble-look tiles. These tiles were all chosen by me, with the approval of the homeowner – I think it really helps to make the space look bigger.
To sum up
C: There were a few hiccups along the way, like material shortages and manpower issues that were brought about by the pandemic. However, it helped that there was a good working relationship between the homeowner and myself. We understood each other very well, we made decisions quickly, and the whole renovation process was generally quite smooth.
In the end, our hard work paid off, and I think the house turned out pretty well!
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