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5 Stylish HDB Kitchen-Yard Combos
Incorporating the service yard into the kitchen has given these flats a more spacious and stylish cookspace
Chiquit Brammall
21 May 2019
Design journalist and freelance editor. Dollhouse architect. Serial renter.
As avid foodies, Singaporeans are cooking and entertaining at home more often – and with that, having their kitchens renovated to be comfortable enough for cooking a feast, and entertaining-ready. That’s a challenge when you’re limited by the walls of an apartment. These HDB homeowners (and their designers), however, figured out a way to gain more floor area for the kitchen: by reclaiming the footprint from the service yard and incorporating the laundry functions into the cookspace. Here’s what they came up with:
1.
Home: 5-room flat in Tanglin Halt for a couple and their two dogs
Designer: Raymond Kuek of Fineline Design
An odd configuration had the service yard adjacent to a window, leaving the original kitchen dark and uninviting. Kuek opened up the cookspace by taking away the upper half of the wall separating it from the main entrance, and replacing that with brass-framed glass. The laundry functions (washer and dryer) were incorporated into the bank of glossy white kitchen cabinets, almost like built-in kitchen units for a seamless look.
Read more about this home
Home: 5-room flat in Tanglin Halt for a couple and their two dogs
Designer: Raymond Kuek of Fineline Design
An odd configuration had the service yard adjacent to a window, leaving the original kitchen dark and uninviting. Kuek opened up the cookspace by taking away the upper half of the wall separating it from the main entrance, and replacing that with brass-framed glass. The laundry functions (washer and dryer) were incorporated into the bank of glossy white kitchen cabinets, almost like built-in kitchen units for a seamless look.
Read more about this home
2.
Home: 5-room flat in Woodlands for three generations of a six-member family
Designer: Jeremy Tan of Fifth Avenue Interior
Home: 5-room flat in Woodlands for three generations of a six-member family
Designer: Jeremy Tan of Fifth Avenue Interior
The previously enclosed kitchen was opened up two ways: a glass partition replacing one wall physically but not visually separates it from the dining area, while the wall separating the service yard was removed. This created a much airier cookspace. A slim storage counter doubles as a divider between the two areas – kitchen and laundry – and as an additional worktop.
Read more about this home
Read more about this home
3.
Home: 5-room flat in Choa Chu Kang for a school teacher and her pet
Designer: Jason Quek of DB Studio
This kitchen was also opened up two ways.
“The kitchen wall was hacked slightly higher than the kitchen cabinets, a counter-ledge was also extended onto the wall so that when the glass doors and windows are fully open, there is the option of having a small breakfast bar, extra kitchen countertop space or extra space for guests to sit when they crowd around the dining area,” says Quek of one end of the kitchen.
On the other end, the kitchen was opened up to the service yard, making the washing machine almost an extension of the kitchen worktop. The service yard has the same flooring as the kitchen, and with it open now, both areas enjoy ample daylight and natural ventilation.
Read more about this home
Home: 5-room flat in Choa Chu Kang for a school teacher and her pet
Designer: Jason Quek of DB Studio
This kitchen was also opened up two ways.
“The kitchen wall was hacked slightly higher than the kitchen cabinets, a counter-ledge was also extended onto the wall so that when the glass doors and windows are fully open, there is the option of having a small breakfast bar, extra kitchen countertop space or extra space for guests to sit when they crowd around the dining area,” says Quek of one end of the kitchen.
On the other end, the kitchen was opened up to the service yard, making the washing machine almost an extension of the kitchen worktop. The service yard has the same flooring as the kitchen, and with it open now, both areas enjoy ample daylight and natural ventilation.
Read more about this home
4.
Home: Maisonette in Toh Yi Drive
Designer: Homeowners Lingting Ko and Santosh Kumar with Country Concept‘s Field Teo, and contractor Jensen Tan
Home: Maisonette in Toh Yi Drive
Designer: Homeowners Lingting Ko and Santosh Kumar with Country Concept‘s Field Teo, and contractor Jensen Tan
Ko loves to bake, and designed her kitchen to accommodate that. Requiring wet and dry sections of the cookspace, she needed more floor area so the wet area of the kitchen doubles as a laundry. “We love the apron or farmhouse sink which makes washing up such a breeze”, she says. She uses this sink to wash cookie sheets and baking trays rather than the smaller one at the island.
To its left of the farmhouse sink is a pull-out waste disposal unit, with two bins (one for recycling). The opposite wall features a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf housing Ko’s recipe book collection, which is also a secret door to the bathroom.
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To its left of the farmhouse sink is a pull-out waste disposal unit, with two bins (one for recycling). The opposite wall features a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf housing Ko’s recipe book collection, which is also a secret door to the bathroom.
Read more about this home
5.
Home: Maisonette in Bishan for a family of three
Designer: Martin Ngo, co-founder and managing director of Schemacraft
Renovating to have an open-concept kitchen also meant opening two ends of the cookspace for this maisonette. Ngo took down the walls facing the dining area and created a breakfast bar in place of one of the walls. On the other end, he also opened the wall to the service yard so that the kitchen can have a dedicated wet area and more storage space.
Read more about this home
TELL US
Would you combine your kitchen with your laundry? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Home: Maisonette in Bishan for a family of three
Designer: Martin Ngo, co-founder and managing director of Schemacraft
Renovating to have an open-concept kitchen also meant opening two ends of the cookspace for this maisonette. Ngo took down the walls facing the dining area and created a breakfast bar in place of one of the walls. On the other end, he also opened the wall to the service yard so that the kitchen can have a dedicated wet area and more storage space.
Read more about this home
TELL US
Would you combine your kitchen with your laundry? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
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