A 35-year-old resale flat gets a much-needed makeover, resulting in a stylish home with plenty of character.
It’s exciting to move into your first home and what better way to put your stamp on it than renovating it? That’s exactly what these homeowners did, as they wanted it to fit their style and preferences. Plus, the 35-year-old resale flat had never been renovated before so the couple took the opportunity to execute this transformation.
With the two owners having different style preferences, the couple decided on a mishmash of their favourite looks—retro, Scandinavian and boho. As the couple shares: “Why stick to one when you can have all three!”
The team at Pith Interior enjoyed not having to stick to a single style, instead focusing on creating a home with personality and incorporating elements from all three themes. The result is a cosy abode infused with splashes of colour and vintage elements that add to its appeal.
Experimenting in the kitchen
One of the homeowners’ requests was to have enough kitchen space for their culinary experiments, as well as a large area for entertaining family and friends. To achieve this, the wall between the kitchen and dining hall was hacked and the kitchen split into dry and wet areas. The dry kitchen now includes a bar island, which the homeowners can use as a workspace too.
Spanish porcelain tiles in black and white were chosen for the floors to complement the moss-green cabinets in the dry kitchen, laid diagonally for a distinctive retro statement. The muted, matte finish ties in with the home’s understated style, further enhanced by the geometric backsplash tiles.
The glass pendant lights lend the dry kitchen another layer of texture and visual interest, further adding to the home’s vintage feel. One detail we particularly love? The original Kickapoo artwork from the 1960s, which the couple found in an antique shop along Jalan Sultan.
Unsurprisingly, the homeowners pick this area as their favourite: “We love the kitchen and we’re so glad we made the decision to knock down the wall, to do a dry pantry area and a wet kitchen area. It’s something that guests comment on as well and it really opens up the space.”
In the high-traffic wet kitchen at the back, things were kept functional with a smooth, seamless backsplash panel that’s easy to clean, perfect for the owners’ frequent cooking.
“As we’re slowly experimenting with recipes on TikTok, the kitchen also has a good open space and sufficient countertop space for prep work. Our ID suggested a hidden extra countertop that looks like a drawer when not in use, which is genius and we use it all the time now,” they add.
Artisanal touches
Originally one with the living area, with no segregation of zones, the foyer was expertly demarcated by the design team. Green Kopitiam-style mosaic tiles and half-height shoe and settee cabinets are complemented by vintage grilles in this new space. This flooring then curves softly into the wood-look vinyl laid across the living and dining hall.
The old-school grilles are both a decorative feature and a functional add-on, doubling as a privacy divider for the common areas of the home. The designer had them customised and powder-coated, working with a skilled fabricator who bent the material by hand.
To allow the couple to relax and unwind when they need some time out from their active lifestyles, a new chill-out zone was incorporated into the living area—a raised platform that acts as a makeshift balcony. The wood-look tiles and soft bamboo blinds turn it into a soothing spot to decompress and the ideal place to display their treasured plants.
A very special item in this space is the rustic planter’s chair, which was passed down to the couple by the husband’s father. “We love that it has found a space in our home and that it is a genuine vintage family item,” they share. Adding the final touch is the handmade driftwood pendant, sourced by the couple from a German Etsy store.
Inspired spaces
As the shower and basin were previously located next to each other, it wasn’t possible to fit a shower screen into the en-suite bathroom. When the team realised that the owners really wanted a separate dry area, they knew the bathroom needed to be fully reconfigured.
The shower and basin were moved to the adjacent wall and a shower screen was installed, spanning diagonally across the corner to maximise space. The final touch was laying earthy yellow and light brown mosaic tiles from Hafary, resulting in a dreamy accent wall that lends the bathroom a resort feel.
The bedroom doors were given a fresh coat of green paint and new lever locks were installed as well. An L-shaped wardrobe with an embedded dressing table was added in the main bedroom, making efficient use of the limited square footage.
