Mixing modern design with vintage finishes and pops of colour, this HDB flat strikes a timeless balance.

Having lived in multiple countries and travelled a fair bit, the family residing in this HDB flat knew exactly what they wanted: an open, free-flowing space that exudes a tidy elegance while still evoking plenty of character. Despite a tight schedule and labour shortages due to the pandemic, executing this vision wasn’t a problem for Kuan Mei Yee, the capable interior designer from DISTINCTidENTITY. The final result? Everything the homeowners dreamed of and more.

FACT FILE
Space: 4-room HDB flat
Size: 1,001 sq ft
Location: Chai Chee Road
Designer: Kuan Mei Yee from DISTINCTidENTITY
Reno period: 12 weeks
Budget: $60K

Overall view

To kick off this project, the three walls surrounding what used to be a bedroom in this area were hacked, making room for a spacious living area instead. Entirely open and freely connected to the dining and kitchen for easy entertaining, this is unsurprisingly the family’s favourite space in the house. The white walls and light wood-look tiles lend it extra brightness and an even greater sense of expansiveness for good measure.

Kitchen and dining

The open-concept design allowed the family to extend the kitchen cabinets into the dining area, creating a mini pantry within arm’s reach from the dining table. Clad in a bold blue hue, the cabinets were custom-built against the marble-look porcelain backsplash, coming together to form a visually striking feature wall at the heart of the home.

Living area

With its understated, chic design, the living area invites the whole family to relax and unwind on the spacious L-shaped couch from KING. The vintage-style wainscoting across the walls is balanced out by a modern TV console from Grey and Sanders, while an eye-catching ceiling light from Shiok Lighting keeps things dynamic and contemporary.

Bathroom

Forgoing the usual HDB layout, the designer combined the two bathrooms to create a larger, more luxurious space with separate wet and dry areas. Maximising both style and comfort, this new space can fit both a classy bathtub from Inovo and a generous shower cabin in the wet area, as well as a WC and a vanity on the dry side of the bathroom.

About DISTINCTidENTITY
Simple, modernistic and avant-garde, DISTINCTidENTITY never fails to offer innovative solutions to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Contact
12 Arumugam Road
#01-02 LTC Building B
Singapore 409958
Tel: 6846 0033
distinctidentity.com.sg

This post was adapted from an article originally published in Key To Your Home 2022.