Second-Time Homeowners Turn Maisonette Into a Cosy, Functional Abode

Second time’s the charm.

While some homeowners get it right the first time around, others may find that their first home renovation isn’t as suitable as they thought. Sure, it’s disappointing, but it’s also a good learning experience that will make you wiser the next time around.

Homeowners Ann and Ismail (@2floors11doors) know this all too well, having lived in a 3-room flat that they eventually realised was a) too small for their family, and b) had features that were either unsuitable, or were difficult to clean.

So, after moving to their maisonette in the West side of Singapore, they knew what they needed this time around and worked towards creating a space that was more suited for their needs. The result: a clean, cosy home that is as functional as it is gorgeous.

Keep reading to find out more!

A dining room-turned foyer and a musollah (prayer room)

Previously, the space by the entrance was the designated dining room. But as Ann thought it was too far away from the living room and kitchen, they decided to turn it into a foyer instead.

Now, they use this area as a place to put their shoes on and do final fit checks before leaving the house.

Adjacent to the foyer, a space that was originally meant to be a study was transformed into a musollah (prayer room).

While the main purpose was to create a large enough space for the family to pray together, it also functions as a quiet space for their guests to do their own prayers during gatherings.

A living room free from built-ins and a dining room with a view

Something that Ismail learnt in their previous home was that he wasn’t a fan of carpentry and false ceilings, since they made a space feel smaller. So, this time around, they opted to keep the living room as simple as possible, by furnishing the space with loose furniture instead of built-ins.

In fact, this is a recurring theme throughout the house. Aside from the ‘essential’ rooms like the kitchen and walk-in wardrobe, the home is mainly furnished with loose furniture, which give Ann and Ismail the flexibility to shift or switch things around whenever they want.

Behind the living room, you’ll find the dining room – a space that Ann declares is the highlight of their home.

While it was originally meant to be the balcony, they thought it was better suited as a dining room as it was connected to both the kitchen and living room. Now, it comfortably houses their 8-seater dining table, which is used by the family during meal times as well as guests during gatherings.

A clean, functional kitchen

As an avid cook that spends a lot of time in the kitchen, Ann mentions that this is where she learnt the most valuable lessons about her lifestyle needs and preferences.

For instance, the kitchen in her previous home had floating cabinets instead of the regular ones. While aesthetically pleasing, it made it difficult to clean the dust and cat fur that accumulated underneath – so this time around, she opted for regular cabinets instead.

Additionally, she ensured that her kitchen had sufficient storage space for her appliances, as she did not want the countertops to be as cluttered as they were in her old home.

Another interesting feature we spotted was the dish rack, which was located next to the sink instead of above (which is the norm in most homes).

Ann shares that this was something that they did have previously. However, due to her petite stature, she often had to get on her tiptoes just to put the dishes away – so this time around, she wanted the dish rack placed somewhere that was more easily accessible for her.

Due to her specific requirements, she spent a long time planning her kitchen layout and measuring her appliances – and then spent another 3 hours with her interior designer discussing her plans.

“It was long, but it was worth it,” she says. “I’d rather go through the headache now to ensure that everything was clear, instead of later after everything is done, but with things that were done wrongly due to miscommunication.”

A master bedroom with tons of natural light

While there was already ample natural light in their bedroom, Ann and Ismail wanted to draw in additional light from the stairwell to brighten up the space further – thus, installing curved windows that matched the overall soft, cosy look.

In here, you’ll find two workstations – a windowside table that doubles as a cover for the aircon brackets, and a bigger standalone table that can accommodate Ann’s work set-up.

In line with the organic Bali-inspired theme that the rest of the house has, their ensuite was fitted with stone-look tiles and greenery to emulate the resort-like feel.

A walk-in wardrobe with tons of space

One of the rooms on the upper floor was converted into the couple’s walk-in wardrobe – something that they also had in their old home, but was not designed to suit their needs.

“The storage was simply not configured properly for things we have – like our accessories and scarves, so there was a lot of wasted space,” Ann says. “There was also a lot of open shelving that ended up collecting dust.

“So this time, we decided to close everything up, and created a small island that is better suited to store our smaller items.”