After 40 years, this old resale flat was finally given a fresh, contemporary makeover!
Securing a resale home without little fixed carpentry has its perks, as there isn’t a need to tear down any built-ins that aren’t to your liking (and incurring extra costs in the process).
But these days, it’s increasingly rare to find an old HDB flat that has been left untouched – which is why Dominic was over the moon to secure this 3-room flat in Ang Mo Kio that, in 40 years, has never been renovated at all.
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“It gave me a blank canvas to work with,” says Dominic. “Regardless of whether the house was recently renovated or not, I knew I was going to end up redoing everything, so getting a house that was untouched was a good thing – not just because of aesthetic reasons, but also because it helped cut down on demolition costs.”
Previously living with his parents, the thought of purchasing a home of his own felt a little intimidating at first – but it was eventually outweighed by the newfound freedom to renovate the space the way he wanted it.
And with clear design preferences in mind, he soon transformed this old home into a dark, contemporary bachelor pad that just screams ‘cool’. Keep scrolling to find out more about this stunning home transformation, as well as Dominic’s thoughts on the entire process!
About the homeowner and his home
The floor plan of Dominic’s home, before and after renovation
Dominic (D): I had a few things I wanted even before the renovation began. Firstly, I was keen on combining both the common and master bathrooms – since I live here alone, I don’t really need two toilets. Doing this will give me a more spacious bathroom to enjoy, since HDB toilets tend to be very small.
My second requirement was to include an island-dining table combination. As I host small groups of people on a semi-regular basis, this feature will let me cook and entertain guests more conveniently.
Aesthetic-wise, I’ve never been the kind to like bright, warm colours. Even when I was still staying with my parents, I always found myself being able to relax more when I’m surrounded by cooler, more muted colours – so naturally, this was my choice for my home.
About finding an interior designer
D: I spent a lot of time researching and looking for interior design inspiration on Qanvast, Pinterest, and Instagram. I believe it was during this time that I came across Ovon Design – I found myself really liking the style and quality of their projects, so I eventually decided to reach out to them.
Including Ovon Design, I reached out to about 6 interior design firms in total. But after meeting with all of them and discussing ideas and proposed budget, I thought that Gordon – my appointed designer from Ovon – was the clear choice.
Most of the other IDs I met weren’t really keen on executing what I wanted – like merging the two bathrooms – as they thought it was structurally too difficult to do. Gordon was the only one who was willing to find ways to do it, and understood the design direction I wanted, so I naturally engaged him to work on my home.
WATCH: Homeowner Dominic talks about his 3-room resale flat’s renovation
About the living room
D: This house is a corridor unit, so there was an issue with privacy. At the same time, I didn’t want to block out all the natural light coming from outside, especially since I was going with a darker look.
That’s why we chose reeded glass door and window panels, which had a good balance with keeping the interior fairly bright while preventing passers-by from looking in.
Also, I’m a firm believer in loose furniture. Unlike built-ins, they give me the freedom to play around with different furnishings whenever I want, and they’re also easy to change out in the future.
So, you’ll see that most of my furnishings are of the free-standing kind. Most of it was sourced by browsing through websites of furniture shops and images of homes that have a similar aesthetic to what I wanted. The latter was so that I can get a sense of what would look good in my home, and the vibes it’ll add to the space.
About the kitchen
The wall separating the living room and kitchen, pre-renovation
D: There used to be a wall separating the kitchen from the living room, but as I wanted the space to flow more seamlessly, I decided to knock it down.
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I know some homeowners aren’t very keen on having an open kitchen because of the cooking fumes, but I don’t see myself having that problem. At most, I cook two to three times a week, or if I have guests – and even if I do cook, it doesn’t involve heavy-duty things like deep-frying. That’s why I didn’t even install a hood over the hob!
Colour-wise, Gordon suggested going with this copper backsplash so that the space doesn’t look overly dark or flat. I really like it; I think it adds a bit of warmth, and matches the black laminates very well.
About the master bedroom suite
The master bedroom layout, pre- and post-renovation
D: We did a bit of reconfiguration here. Originally, the master bedroom was further inside the house, next to the bathrooms, while the junior bedroom was nearer the entrance.
I decided to swap the layout, so that the old junior bedroom is now the sleeping area while the master bedroom is now my walk-in wardrobe. I figured that this creates a better flow, since it’s more convenient to get ready after a shower without needing to walk all the way to the other side of the house.
There also used to be a store room in between the two spaces, but because we wanted the two bedrooms to flow more seamlessly, we decided to hack it. To make up for it, we dedicated one side of the walk-in wardrobe to store the things I’d normally keep in a store room – like luggage and appliances.
I know some homeowners prefer having a separate room for their study and bedrooms, but I didn’t really see the need for that. I don’t work from home, and my computer setup is purely for entertainment purposes like gaming.
Besides, the house is already small — I don’t have the luxury of creating a dedicated space for the study and sleeping area. I would rather prioritise having enough storage space over that.
About the bathrooms
D: Generally, I prefer having a larger sink area so that there’s enough space to accommodate all my things. And while I was thinking about it, I realised that even if I were to merge both my bathrooms, I wouldn’t have enough space to create the big sink I wanted – so that’s why we decided to shift it out, into the walk-in wardrobe.
Again, flow-wise, this made a lot of sense, since I can just get ready for the day in the same place, without needing to go in and out of the bathroom.
One unintentional benefit I got from merging both bathrooms was that I ended up with a much brighter space, even after using dark tiles. Previously, each bathroom had only one small window to illuminate the space, but now that it’s merged, I get two sources of light that brightens up the entire area, which I thought was pretty neat.
To sum up
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D: Living alone was pretty daunting at first, because when I was staying at my parents’ place, I was only responsible for my own bedroom. This time around, I was responsible for an entire house, which was a big leap. I think it took me a few months to really get used to the idea that I was living alone.
But gradually, I got used to it. And 9 months in, I find myself really enjoying the freedom to decorate the place the way I wanted to – I can choose the furniture I like, what items I want to put on display, and so on.
I think one thing future homeowners should keep in mind is that engaging an ID doesn’t mean leaving the work entirely up to them. I’ve had a few friends who did that, and they’ve always ended up regretting it because the house didn’t turn out the way they wanted it.
To me, working with an ID is more of a partnership. You still have to do your homework so that the ID is able to bring your vision to life. And because of this collaborative aspect, it’s important to find someone that you can gel with, to ensure that the renovation goes as smoothly as possible.
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