While some homeowners hanker after trending styles like industrial and Scandinavian, the middle-aged homeowners of this HDB flat unit preferred a more relaxed family home to spend quality time with their two young adult children. “They specified for a quiet, contemplative space which leaned towards minimalistic style influences from Japan and Taiwan,” reveals the Artistroom design team who took charge of the renovation.
Taking inspiration from airy and high-ceilinged Asian homes, the designers needed to figure out how to work that spacious appeal into an HBD flat. The key to that was to reconfigure the layout of the unit and to maximise the natural orientation of daylight. Besides that, they needed to adhere to certain Feng Shui requirements and that culminated in them hacking away one of the common bedrooms, and rebuilding another room at the original living zone.
Now set in between the two common bedrooms, the shared living and dining zones are bathed in an abundance of daylight. The flow of light is accentuated by hacking away the boundary walls of the kitchen and then turning it into an open-concept space. The serenity of white is also well explored within the open confines of the living, dining and kitchen zones.
For a tactile touch of warmth, soothing nature-inspired finishes are introduced through the use of wide format homogeneous tiles in a light sandy hue and timber strips. By keeping the design lines simple and the flow of light and space mostly unobstructed, the designers brought out a subdued elegance through the understated colour palette.
The flat unit came without flooring and doors so the team decided to change the entrances to the bedrooms to something less conventional. Veneer surfaces now clad the swing-in door and sliding pocket door for the master bedroom and son’s bedroom respectively. These wood-look accents further reinforce the tranquillity of the Asian minimalistic style, and better define the transition from the communal zones to the private bedrooms.
Noting that the family enjoys entertaining, the team designed an island unit which now fronts the open-plan kitchen. This hardworking counter can double as a food preparation station as well as a breakfast counter to accommodate overflow guests from the dining area. The team also designed a storage settee in the adjoining living area as extra seating. These thoughtful amenities all point to an entertaining-friendly communal zone which is all set to receive guests.
One of the design highlights of this HDB flat is its application of graceful contours. It can be seen on the curvy edges outlining the quartz kitchen countertops and the wall dividers which front the bedrooms. These curvy design accents not only soften the boxy forms stemming from the overall minimalistic style, it has a functional appeal. One of the dividers is used as dual-sided display shelving and it adds visual interest to the dining space.
Combining a minimalistic aesthetic with thoughtful practicality, this family home by Artistroom has successfully achieved a sense of calm without compromising on functionality. With that, the homeowners get to enjoy familial bliss amidst the wonder of minimal detail.
This post was adapted from an article originally published in the January 2020 issue of SquareRooms.
