This mid-century modern flat was transformed to make its Vietnamese family feel right at home.
Overall view: From the curved kitchen entrance to the dining corner and the rustic furniture dotted around the space, this HDB flat never fails to be inviting. Warm lighting is the cherry on top, ensuring an intimate vibe throughout the whole house.
Living away from home can be freeing and exciting, but it can also unearth something less pleasant—homesickness. As the pandemic has made it particularly difficult to connect with loved ones across borders, many have had to grapple with this feeling, finding creative ways to build a home away from home.
Living and dining: While a standard laminate feature wall would have been a suitable choice for a sleek and modern home, it would have felt forced and out of place in this cosy nest. The design team opted for a curved paint feature in a soft sage green tone from Nippon Paint instead, avoiding monotonous straight lines. In the dining area, the same shape is flipped upside down in the form of a recessed wall for some extra visual intrigue.
It is then no surprise that this Vietnamese couple wanted to infuse their HDB flat with a touch of their home country. With the help of interior designer Vina Christine from Fifth Avenue Interior, they were able to materialise their aesthetic vision into a gorgeous abode that tells a story, incorporating Vietnamese furniture and exuding mid-century modern charm with a sense of nostalgia.
Kitchen: Wondering why this HDB flat doesn’t have a service yard? The often unsightly space was knocked down to make room for a bigger kitchen, the washing machine and dryer finding a new home in between the Panaplast cabinets. With its aesthetic and functional appeal, the kitchen has it all and is understandably the couple’s favourite spot.
Rattan and green hues tie the look together across the various areas of the house—a boho-chic, Jungalow-inspired combination that balances out the sleek luxury of mid-century modern design. While the space is bold and eye-catching, it retains an understated, classic charm.
Built-in storage: The rattan panels were initially chosen purely for their functionality as they provide the shoe cabinet with ventilation, but the homeowners liked them so much that they were added to various cabinets throughout the home.
On the functional side, the flat underwent a floor-to-ceiling upgrade, including the removal of the service yard and storeroom, resulting in a spacious, open-concept kitchen. With a small child on board, extra storage space had to be allocated in various nooks and crannies to ensure plenty of room for the household’s necessities.
Bedroom: The homeowners’ beloved rattan gets to shine in all its glory in the main bedroom, fronting a spacious, full-height Panaplast wardrobe. It’s complemented by colourful cushions, carefully selected artworks and an understated strip of sage green paint for that true Jungalow vibe. A charming corner settee makes for the final touch.
After months of intensive renovation works, the young family was able to move into their dream abode, finally getting to cosy up in all of the home’s inviting nooks and crannies.
Main bathroom: The decadent gold mirror makes a real statement in the main bathroom with its fine detailing, the warm sheen of the material further accentuated by deep green wall tiles. A full-length floating vanity cabinet boasts matching gold knobs and is topped with a softly curved sink that helps to break up the straight lines.
This post was adapted from an article originally published in the July 2022 issue of SquareRooms.
