Much like a style chameleon, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact style that truly defines this 5-room HDB flat located at the fringe of central Singapore. It is home to a jet-setting bachelor who through his diverse travels wanted to inject a melting pot of styles into his HDB unit. “Just to name a few, there are hints of Orientalism, farmhouse and European style influences in this home,” says the design team from Three-D Conceptwerke whom took charge of the overhaul.
“When it comes to decorating and furnishing, we encouraged our client to go with anything that speaks to him,” says the team. As the homeowner blended colours, time periods and styles with an organic approach, the designers looked into creating a fairly neutral setting to accommodate his decorating whims. Whitewashed walls and ceilings with moulding accents then come into play to create a neutral yet French-inspired ground to house a truly eclectic mix of art and furnishings.
The presence of old-world glamour stands out in the open-concept kitchen, which is decked out with an island unit and matching counters against the wall. Showcasing a rustic charm with its gorgeous wood veneer textures in a grey spray-painted finish, the cabinetry have been beautifully embellished with moulding details and statement handles.
With the homeowner receiving company quite often, the team wanted to establish the boundaries of space between the communal and private areas. That leads to the design highlight of merging all three bedrooms into one expansive and connecting space. The beauty of it is that the doors to these private areas of rest and contemplation have been concealed seamlessly within the wall moulding details—reminiscent of a speakeasy entrance that is not easy to find.
If the homeowner does divulge where the hideaway doors are, his guests will find another world of enigma behind these seamless doors. He adopts the same laissez-faire attitude towards decorating here where loose pieces of intrigue take centerstage in his study, bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and master bathroom. While the private areas reflect on his colourful design personality, the designers laid out practical measures to ensure the new configuration in the private zones has been well-executed.
At the heart of the connecting private areas is the master bedroom. It is flanked by various amenities and this well-planned space configuration by the designers lets the homeowner breeze through daily life. It accommodates the way he moves from room to room effortlessly.
While the planning of the configuration was materialised without a hitch, the team had to take a chance with the tile-work for the ensuite bathroom. “The bathroom wall tiles that we wanted were limited in stock and we had to take calculated measures in the placement,” explains the team. With no more than 2,000 tiles to work with, the designers used most of it in the wet bathroom area. They further add: “There weren’t enough tiles to fill up the dry area so we decided on a two-tone treatment of paint and tiles.” Looking at the final results, the team breathed a sigh of relief as their artful arrangement in this HDB flat turned out much better than a conventionally tiled wall.
This post was adapted from an article originally published in the February 2020 issue of SquareRooms.
