Some homes are designed around a look. This 1,001sqft flat was designed around life. The homeowners, a couple with a deep love for Japan, fashion, tattoos, and their three cats, came to Kenny Yeo, Senior Designer at Local Inn.terior, with a clear sense of who they are. “They wanted the home to feel both stylish and personal,” said Kenny, “a space that balances calm, minimalist elements with bold character and unique touches inspired by their passions and experiences.”
“I analysed the key themes, aesthetics, and emotional tone, then counter-proposed a refined design concept that aligned with their vision while introducing my own creative approach,” he added.
Making an entrance
Fashion-conscious and with a diverse footwear collection to match, the homeowners needed the cabinetry to work hard right from the entrance. A structural beam interrupted the run of full-height cabinets, but Kenny turned it into an asset.
“It ultimately became a key architectural feature within the space. We used it intentionally to define and separate the foyer from the living room, creating a more structured spatial transition,” he said. Wood-look panels line the ceiling of the entrance, drawing a warm boundary between the foyer and the living area beyond.
Open by choice
Since the homeowners chose not to opt for HDB’s Optional Component Scheme, the flat came with bare flooring, giving Kenny full flexibility to curate and customise every finish from scratch.
The original three-bedroom layout was also significantly reworked to suit the couple’s lifestyle, with the third bedroom converted into a dedicated dining area, and the master bedroom combined with an adjoining room. Rather than filling the space with carpentry, the homeowners prioritised openness and loose furniture; a lighter, more flexible approach that lets the pieces themselves become part of the design.
The dining table and console were brought over from their previous home, grounding the space with familiarity. Above, two paper pendant lights chosen by the homeowners, inspired by the Japanese chōchin lantern, cast a soft, enveloping warmth across the room. Underfoot, matte homogeneous tiles run consistently through the communal zones. Against this calm base, green makes its first appearance, not to define a zone, but simply because the couple wanted it. The green painted feature wall settles into the space as a rich, grounded backdrop, drawing out the warmth of the wood tones around it, while Yayoi Kusama pieces on the wall bring an extra layer of colour and personality to the room.
“The consistent green tones throughout the space serve as the defining design feature that ties everything together,” said Kenny. “It brings warmth, depth, and a sense of tranquility while subtly reflecting the homeowners’ personality and lifestyle.”
A working kitchen
Continuing the warm palette is the open-concept kitchen. Quartz countertops from iQuartz and the subway tile backsplash from Hafary keep things cohesive. Underfoot, mosaic tiles from Hup Kiong introduce a subtle textural shift that distinguishes the kitchen from the rest of the communal area. LED strip lighting underneath the overhead cabinets serves as both task lighting and a way to highlight the finishes.
Installing a small ceiling fan in the kitchen was a practical request from the homeowners, who spend a lot of time cooking and wanted better air circulation to manage humidity and steam. It is a small detail, but one that makes daily cooking noticeably more comfortable.
Inner sanctum
To support more amenities, the master bedroom was reworked to accommodate several functions. The wall between the master and the common bedroom was hacked to create a combined space that now holds a wardrobe, a study and gaming area, and the bed. A cast concrete divider separates the sleeping area from the work zone, maintaining the material language of the home while creating a clear spatial distinction. Behind the study, a sliding wardrobe keeps storage efficient and the layout uncluttered.
The custom desk setup accommodates both work and gaming without compromising the bedroom environment, a balance that mattered to a couple who wanted every room to feel put-together, not just functional.
Green, all the way
The bathrooms are where the green palette makes its most confident statement. Overlaid tiles from Soon Bee Huat and Hafary cover the walls and floor in the common bathroom. The vanity countertop is raw cast concrete and finished in epoxy finish for durability. “The owners wanted something unique for their common bathroom instead of a standard countertop with a carpentry vanity, and the raw concrete shelving countertop fits the theme,” said Kenny.
The master bathroom’s wet zone is the boldest move in the home. Moss green subway tiles are paired with red grout, a combination that pulls it off with ease in the space. “Since green is their favourite colour, it felt personal, while the red grout adds warmth and highlights the tile pattern in a playful, unexpected way,” said Kenny.
