HDB flat transformed with light and texture
A 4-room HDB resale flat was transformed with light and texture to feel calm and warm.
Gladys and Amoz’s brief was for a 4-room HDB resale that felt calm, warm, and quietly playful. They are a product designer and a digital marketing specialist, respectively. The couple sought a space to share meals, host friends, and display trinkets and art posters.
Joshua Wee, co-founder of Threehaus Works, led the project. He identified key themes from the couple’s references: warmth, simplicity, and quiet contrast. Joshua translated these themes into a material-led approach, using a light and neutral color palette with cozy wood accents.
Renovation Details
The renovation took four months and came to close to $70,000. Joshua’s first move was to hack down the third bedroom, allowing natural light to flood the center of the flat. This created a secondary living zone and made the original living and dining area feel more spacious.
The bomb shelter, located at the junction of the two spaces, was worked into the layout. The standout feature is the checkered tiles running from the foyer through the kitchen. They trace the flat’s elongated footprint and serve double duty as a textural contrast to the warm vinyl wood flooring from Wood Culture.
Design Choices
The walls are off-white from Nippon Paint, a deliberate choice to provide a muted backdrop for the couple’s colorful objects and furniture. Circular glass blocks at the entrance offer a partial screen from the main door and add a retro, textural note to the foyer.
The bedroom doors are wrapped in wood-look laminates from floor to ceiling, creating a textural wall effect. Joshua pushed for this design, which required tearing out the original frames and rebuilding them. The master bedroom benefits most from this framing.
Laundry and Kitchen Solutions
Older resale flats often lack a dedicated laundry zone. Joshua introduced a ribbed glass sliding door that divides the kitchen into a cooking area and a laundry zone. The ribbed panels diffuse light softly into the main kitchen while keeping hanging clothes discreetly out of sight.
The main kitchen has a warm palette, with cabinetry finished in laminates from EDL, the backsplash in vertical tiles from Hafary, and countertops in quartz from Caesarstone. The semi-open layout poses no ventilation concerns, as the couple prefers light cooking.
Final Touches
The tiling for both bathrooms was hacked and redone. The common bathroom is simple: a round mirror, a warm wood-look vanity, and rounded tile trims. The master bathroom features a Boba accent light from Sol Luminaire, which adds a touch of fun to the space. Tiled-up boxing conceals exposed pipes throughout the bathrooms.
