Designed for him: simplicity, comfort and space | 3-room $60k reno

4711

Virtual House Tour

Urban Modern HDB (Resale)~700 sqft 2 br Solo Living

$60k renovation of a 20 years old 3-room HDB flat. Welcome to my house tour :)
Original floor plan. I like that the overall layout, which seems like a blend between the mature and new HDBs. The odd angle rooms add a little bit of uniqueness to it.
Proposed layout - drastic changes was proposed to transform the 3-room flat into a simple, yet practical bachelor's pad. For example, combining both the kitchen and bedroom toilets into 1, which allows a separate wet and dry area and hacking of some existing walls to create a more useful space.
Biggest change of the entryway is the addition of the built-in shoe cabinet that doubles up as a foyer and provides a sitting space to put on shoes. In addition, the direction of the door swing was changed so that it does not block the cabinet when opened.
Zooming out from the entryway, we get a first glance of the living room. The black tinted sliding door segregates the living room from the kitchen. A small circular dining table is placed at the center to make the area look more inclusive and space-efficient. Some of the furniture was purchased from V-Haus Living in JB, which is more cost efficient than buying in Singapore and more reliable than Taobao. Having a ceiling fan is important in the hot and humid weather in order to provide adequate air circulation and minimize the need for air conditioning.
Curtains are important in not just providing privacy and blocking sunlight but also in setting the mood and ambience for the house.
Chose a C-shaped side table instead of a traditional coffee table, which saves space and allows more flexibility.
Having all white walls is a little boring and having a preference for blue and darker shades, I found myself being drawn to this very dark navy blue called Deep Royal from Benjamin Moore. As described by them, "A dark, distinguished navy that verges on black." This 65" Google TV from Sharp is priced very resonably and yet provides very adequate specifications for its price. I like how it fits perfectly on the TV wall, with an alluring silver rim that contrasts the dark navy.
Kitchen renovation requires a fine balance between aesthetics and practicality. This is why I have chosen Kompacplus as the kitchen counter top instead of more popular options such as sintered stone or quartz. It is sleek looking yet provides sufficient durability. Having a water purifier was one of those few things that I wanted for my new place due to the amount of convenience it provides. Likewise for the induction hob. From the perspective of aesthetics, having LED cabinet lights and hiding away the power sockets was definitely the right move!
As there is no separate service yard, it is important to keep the laundry area compact and well-integrated into the kitchen. Hence, having an automated laundry rack definitely helps and it is an essential on rainy days.
As I work from home quite often, having a dedicated home office/study room is important. Following the same colour scheme of the house, I have painted one side of the wall with Deep Royal and purchased black office furniture to complete the look. The venetian blinds is the cherry on top, which allows me to control the amout of lighting in the room. I also love the FlexBreeze fan from Shark as it can be transformed into a portable fan. For example, I can detach the fan and bring it to the kitchen to get some breeze while cooking!
Putting some plants by the window to elevate the mood.
As mentioned earlier, both original toilets are combined into one big bathroom that now has a dedicated wet and dry area (1 less toilet bowl to clean!). I have opted for an electric heater instead of storage heater due to habit and I find it more fuss-free. This heater from Viessmann comes with the rainshower set, which saves me the hassle to purchase them separately. Likewise, the bathroom follows a dark theme. Together with the warm lightings, it provides a perfect ambience to wind down after a long tiring day.
Most of my bathroom accessories were sourced from JB instead of Taobao, which most people choose to do these days. I believe it is okay to invest a little more than worrying about the quality of the goods. It will be a hassle to deal with rust or change such fixtures in the future.
Opted for a sliding door for the bedroom entrance instead of the usual swing door to free up some real estate.
Consistent with the rest of the house, the bedroom gives off a dark cosy vibe. This is accompanied by a comfortable queen size bed from King Koil, topped with silky soft sheets for a good night sleep.