In a tussle to implement practicality and design features for this HDB flat unit, the homeowners uncovered the perfect balance for their first home.
For most homeowners, sticking to their original plans can be a challenge. Married couple Elden Lim and Mango Chia encountered the same dilemma for their brand new BTO flat unit. Recalls Elden: “We already had a preconceived idea of how our home would be like, so once we got our layout, everything fell into place. Planning the exact layout took two weeks. As we had to be more realistic with the things we wanted, we stuck to our basic idea of having a modern minimalist home where everything would be tucked away neatly.”
Scaling down their expectations definitely paid off. With some careful space configuration and by hacking away the key boundary walls, they created free-flowing and open plan areas. The same application of similar laminate patterns also ties up the look of the home. All these, plus the White Space Living design team’s shrewd eye in making good use of space, made the renovation a success.
Being an interior designer himself, it was only expected that Elden wanted to inject stronger design elements into the picture. He and his team left their design mark on several areas of his dwelling; most notably the vertical timber tiles running from the hallway towards the communal zones.
He describes the feature tiles: “We emphasised on this stretch of timber tiles to create some profile in terms of simplicity; the tiles also helps to enhance the longest part of the place. “
Besides elongating the space, the tiles also emphasise on the open stream of light and space; enhanced by the treatment of a sliding door at the end of the hallway. It is the entrance to the master bedroom, which is located at the end of the layout.
Key ideas
- If you hate having false ceilings crowding the space, use wall lighting instead to minimise the application of downlights and cove lights.
- To make more room, try altering the configuration of the space. For instance, in this home, the owner sacrificed some of the space from the adjacent room to build a bigger walk-in wardrobe.
- Plan your kitchen needs accordingly before you install the cabinetry. Identifying your storage and cooking preferences can help to create a more practical and functional cooking space.
- Your service yard can be more than just a laundry space. If it is privy to a great view, install carpet grass to conceive a chill-out ambience.
The other design highlight is the constellations of LED glass wall lights, which are affixed on the living area and bedroom’s walls. Elden wasn’t too fond of having down lights, cove lights or any luminaries that might lead to false ceilings. The design team suggested a good alternative with 24 LED lights, all customised in glass, and placed stylishly on the wall to create stunning focal points. With various design minds behind this abode, the simplicity of its design details shines. Truly the perfect start-up home for its lucky inhabitants.
This was adapted from an article originally written by Disa Tan that appeared in the July 2014 issue of SquareRooms
