From a karaoke room to a sleeping area to crash in, this luxurious ‘pub’ has everything you need for a great night out!
Regardless of how long you’ve lived in it, there’s always a certain attachment you feel for your childhood home – which is exactly what Aaron felt about this 5-room flat.
“I lived here for almost 20 years before moving out,” says Aaron. “A lot of major milestones happened here, and the place means so much to me that I can’t see anyone else living here. So, even though we already have a home elsewhere, I decided to pay the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) to keep it.”
View this project by Fifth Avenue Interior
Initially, the home was used as a storage area as well as a makeshift gathering place for Aaron and his friends during a night out. But after a suggestion to spruce up the space got his gears turning, Aaron decided to give it a full-scale makeover, turning it into a swanky entertainment area complete with a karaoke room.
Read on to see what went into this one-of-a-kind renovation!
About the homeowner and the home
Aaron (A): After hearing my friend’s suggestion to renovate the space, I was admittedly a bit hesitant to do that, because there was a certain discomfort with the idea of getting rowdy in a place you grew up in.
But then I thought, why not remodel the space to give it an entirely new look and feel? That way, I get the best of both worlds – I can keep the house and my childhood memories intact, while still having a cool place to host gatherings.
For the look, I personally am a fan of Scandinavian-style homes, but for this space, I decided to emulate the typical pub aesthetic with dark, moody colours. At the same time, I also wanted it to look a little more upscale, which is why you see a lot of metallic accents and glossy surfaces all over the place.
If I were to give [the look] a name, I’d call it ‘industrial luxury’.
About finding an interior designer and designing the home
A: Several of my family members work as interior designers and contractors, but I didn’t want to engage them as the existing personal relationship can make this [renovation] overly-complicated.
I first found out about Fifth Avenue Interior through friends, and decided to approach them with an open mind. I found myself really liking my designer, Ron – he was experienced, had great ideas, and was very open-minded.
In fact, I decided to engage his services from the first time I met him, without meeting anyone else, because I was that impressed!
About changing the layout of the home (with soundproofing in mind)
The floorplan of Aaron’s home, pre-renovation
A: While my main goal was to create a proper entertainment space where everyone can enjoy themselves, I also wanted to make sure that we minimise the amount of disturbance to our neighbours.
And as one of the things I wanted was a karaoke room, we took steps to make sure that the house was as soundproof as possible – because the last thing we want is to be so noisy to the point we disturb our neighbours.
The first thing people usually think of is to just use the living room as the karaoke area, but it’s not ideal with this layout. I share the living room wall with my neighbour, and if we were to sing in this area, there will be zero sound buffer between us and them.
The floorplan of Aaron’s home, post-renovation
So instead, we decided to shift the karaoke room further into the house, converting the two junior bedrooms to make way for it. That way, the living room can act as a ‘shield’ between us and our neighbour.
We also created a foyer to prevent sounds from escaping outside the home. When you have guests over, there’ll be a lot of movement in and out of the home, so I wanted to ensure that the sound is contained within the home as much as possible.
About the foyer, bar area, and kitchen
A: The first area you’ll step into after entering the home is the foyer. You probably noticed the LED panel on the interior door; it’s a bit like the ones you see outside nightclubs that can highlight the event happening on that day.
The design can be customised – so for instance, if we’re celebrating a friend’s birthday, I’ll create an image featuring that person’s face and put it up on the panel.
After shifting the karaoke room further inside the house, I wanted the old communal area to be able to accommodate a lot of guests. I also wanted the space to have dedicated areas for different activities, because that’s what will happen when you’re hosting a lot of people at the same time.
So, we came up with the idea to reconfigure the space to make room for 3 tables/islands for people to gather around.
The first table – found in front of the TV – is best used for those taking part in group activities, like playing card games or watching a football match, while the island tends to be used as a place where people hang around to chit chat, with a drink in hand.
The last island by the kitchen is for those who want a quick bite or a drink. From the start, I knew I wanted an open concept kitchen with a bar. I envisioned myself hiring private chefs and/or bartenders for big gatherings – so I wanted them to be able to entertain guests easily.
Apart from these requirements, I pretty much gave him free reign when it came to the design. I’ve always believed that you should leave the design decisions up to your ID, because they know how best to achieve the look you want, and have the technical expertise to make it happen.
So, all I did was tell him the gist of what I wanted aesthetically. Other than that, I let Ron make most of the decisions – like material choices – himself. At most, he’d shortlist a few options for a certain feature – like the countertop surface – and ask me to pick my favourite.
About creating the karaoke room
A: Aside from reconfiguring the layout, I wanted to make sure that the karaoke room is as soundproof as possible.
One thing we did was to install soundproof doors and curtains to keep the sound contained within the area – for the former, we got the special double-glazed kind that can reduce sound by about 30 decibels.
The other was to insulate the floor, to prevent unnecessary noise from reaching our neighbours below. To do this, the flooring includes multiple layers – first is cement, followed by noise-dampening rubber foam, and then another layer of cement. The entire thing is then covered by a layer of plush carpet, which is one of the best materials you can use for soundproofing.
It’s also a comfortable material to sit on, so it keeps guests comfortable no matter how long they’re singing for.
About the sleeping area
The corridor leading to the bedroom
A: Usually, when people drink to the point of inebriation, they end up crashing on their friends’ couch – or worse, the floor. I didn’t want that to happen here, so I told Ron to design a bunk area that these people can properly crash in.
When thinking about the design, I had a silly thought to have the beds painted bright orange. The idea is that you’d never do this in your own home, because it’s too visually-striking for long-term use. Plus, it’s reminiscent of the orange suits you wear in jail – which is sort of the vibe I was going for (laughs).
But surprisingly, the kids are the ones who have been using this room the most. Because each bed has its own wall plug and USB port, they practically camp there with their iPads and play Roblox the whole day, or have fun climbing around.
Recently, they’ve taken to fortifying the room whenever they're there, because they don’t want us adults disturbing them!
To sum up
“Both bathrooms are fitted with customisable RGB lights and air conditioning to mimic the club experience,” says Aaron.
A: It’s been about a year since I renovated this space, and so far, my friends and family really loved how the space is tailored for gatherings.
In fact, I played host to my extended family’s Chinese New Year gathering earlier this year, and according to my wife, we managed to host almost 70 people at a go without anyone complaining about feeling cramped – which means that the renovation achieved what I intended.
But while it originally started as a place for people to drink, party, and get rowdy, I find it has since evolved into a place for more ‘mellow’ purposes, like casual chit-chat sessions over tea. Interestingly, I also find that it’s a pretty conducive place for work – I don’t have an office at home, so I come over here several times a week just to get things done or hold business meetings.
That’s the intriguing part about owning a home, I guess. You can start with specific lifestyle needs and intentions, but over time, you’ll definitely find new ways to use the space. Personally, I’m quite excited to see how else we’ll be using this space in the future!
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