Keppel Bay 2-Bedder Condo Takes On a Brutalist Look After $105K Reno

Designer pieces set the tone for this art-forward home.

In this 2-bedder condo, the homeowner’s renovation brief was simple: create a calm, future-ready retreat with plenty of room for storage, art, and flexible day-to-day living.

Taking that direction, interior designers Valery and Leon from Ovon Design leaned into a raw, sculptural aesthetic that brings out the home’s high ceiling and natural openness.

Soft limewash textures, flushed carpentry, and a few bold architectural moves set the foundation, while thoughtful layout tweaks carve out space for work, rest, and hosting.

On creating an open-flow communal space

One of the first things the designers learned was how much the homeowner values calm and privacy. They love art, collect designer pieces, and wanted a home that felt “a little different from normal.”

They also planned to retire here eventually, so the space had to stay open, easy to move around, and flexible in the long run.

“They knew what they liked — bold forms, soft textures, and a sense of flow,” Valery recalls.

With that in mind, the team approached the entire communal area as one connected space.

Instead of breaking the living, dining, kitchen and balcony into separate pockets, they kept everything visually open so the homeowner could host comfortably or enjoy quiet evenings on their own.

The sliding panels at the balcony were a big part of this. “They wanted a spot to read or work, but nothing cramped,” Valery explains. “So we made the nook flexible — open it up when friends come over, or close it off when they need a moment of quiet.”

“We knew the homeowner admired certain designers and had plans to bring in original pieces,” Valery shares.

That is why materiality played such a major role. Valery and Leon leaned into limewash textures, flushed carpentry and reflective surfaces — elements that quietly echo the estate’s façade and give the home its sculptural character without overpowering the homeowner’s designer pieces.

“The homeowner also wanted space for keepsakes,” Valery shares, “so we worked together to find ways to tuck storage into the architecture without letting it feel heavy.”

That led to full-height cabinets that blend into the walls — storage that’s present, but not demanding attention. “The furniture mattered a lot to them, so the built-ins had to stay light,” she explains. “We wanted the room to feel curated, not crowded.”

With the larger forms kept quiet and streamlined, the designer furniture naturally steps forward, giving the communal space its artful, lived-in character.

About the pitched-roof ceiling design

One of the biggest transformations in this home sits right above you. The ceiling, packed with hidden beams, exhaust tracks and large piping, quickly became one of the project’s main hurdles.

Once the original false ceiling was dismantled, Valery and Leon realised they were dealing with far more structural bulk than expected — enough to disrupt the clean, sculptural look the homeowner envisioned.

Instead of boxing everything up again, the team engineered a pitched-roof ceiling that both celebrates the height of the unit and discreetly tucks all that infrastructure out of sight.

Think of it as a softly slanted ceiling that lifts the middle of the room, making everything feel taller and more open.

Getting the angle right wasn’t straightforward; Valery and Leon had to go through multiple iterations to find a gradient that was visually balanced, deep enough to conceal the beams and ducting, and still able to accommodate the AC without compromising airflow.

The result is a ceiling that feels intentional rather than improvised — a sculptural form that anchors the communal space, draws the eye upward and reinforces the raw, architectural identity of the home.

On the master bedroom and bathroom

To give the homeowner a room that felt spacious and unconfined, Valery and Leon reworked the layout.

The wall between the two original bedrooms was removed to extend the master suite, making room for a larger wardrobe, a dedicated study area and a more generous circulation flow — important since this home was also planned with future accessibility in mind.

The sculptural language from the communal area carries through in quieter ways. A full-height mirror reflects the greenery outside and visually doubles the room, while flushed carpentry keeps the storage footprint sleek rather than bulky.

Behind the bed, the designers built an ergonomic study table that doubles as a lift-up platform for the projector — a discreet solution that keeps work and leisure neatly integrated without adding clutter.

In the bathroom, dark tiles wrap the space in a cocoon-like feel, but the standout feature is the faux skylight — a lighting panel that mimics soft daylight and brightens the otherwise moody palette.

The vanity further improves usability with vertical strip lighting set into the cabinet, giving even, shadow-free illumination when getting ready.

It’s a thoughtful touch that pairs practicality with the home’s calm, atmospheric design.

To sum up

For Valery and Leon, this project was a chance to stretch both creativity and problem-solving abilities. The homeowner’s openness to unique ideas gave them room to explore sculptural forms, flushed carpentry and a ceiling design that had to be refined repeatedly to get the proportions just right.

Along the way, they were reminded that small details make a big difference — from choosing durable materials to planning lighting carefully and ensuring moving parts, like sliding mechanisms, are built to last.

These lessons shaped a home that feels true to the three words they chose to describe it: raw, bold, sculptural.