Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Creative Solutions to Awkward Corners in 5-Room Flat
This multi-generational home got more than a fresh, new look; its odd spaces got a functional transformation too
But with the good came the not-so good – the odd design features of a curved balcony and a kitchen set at an angle to the hallway.
“The design brief was to tear down all the existing fixtures in the house, and create a bright home with a dash of colour for the family of six,” Teo says.
To create the bright and airy feel, Teo designed clever storage solutions throughout, beginning with the shoe cabinet and bench at the foyer. The wall of cabinets conceals the bomb shelter room, says Teo. It also keeps the hallway uncluttered.
“The design brief was to tear down all the existing fixtures in the house, and create a bright home with a dash of colour for the family of six,” Teo says.
To create the bright and airy feel, Teo designed clever storage solutions throughout, beginning with the shoe cabinet and bench at the foyer. The wall of cabinets conceals the bomb shelter room, says Teo. It also keeps the hallway uncluttered.
Teo reclaimed some floor area for the open-concept living and dining space from the balcony, which had originally been designed with a curved parapet. Taking his cue from that curve, the designer proposed a custom-made curved sofa. This automatically serves to separate the living from the dining functions of the space, so that it remains bright and airy. “The overall colour palette we chose to go with was white, grey and pastel blue,” says Teo.
Customised curved sofa: Blafink; plants: Island Landscape and Nursery
Customised curved sofa: Blafink; plants: Island Landscape and Nursery
A round dining table ensures that all the family members – Mr and Mrs Yee, their children and the elderly Yee parents – can dine together comfortably.
Mr Yee, who often works from home, needed a private working space for him to conduct conference calls, and Teo provided this with a glass cube home office that is visually coherent with the living and dining area, but is walled off. The home office has an optional view into the kids room via a sliding pocket door.
Furniture: Blafink, Comfort Design, Taobao; Soft furnishings: Taobao, Hooga
Mr Yee, who often works from home, needed a private working space for him to conduct conference calls, and Teo provided this with a glass cube home office that is visually coherent with the living and dining area, but is walled off. The home office has an optional view into the kids room via a sliding pocket door.
Furniture: Blafink, Comfort Design, Taobao; Soft furnishings: Taobao, Hooga
“As the family cooks often, it was essential to have a large and functional kitchen with sufficient storage space. The homeowners also requested to have their appliances, such as their washing machine and dryer, kept out of sight”, Teo says. The kitchen’s walls are not all at right angles to each other; this is most evident with the island, which was built perpendicular to the wall on the left.
The bank of blue cabinets is where the designer installed the appliances to give the kitchen a practical workflow.
The bank of blue cabinets is where the designer installed the appliances to give the kitchen a practical workflow.
The master bedroom is a serene space outfitted mostly in grey and white.
The bathrooms also wear the colour palette of white, grey and blue. Pictured above is the luxurious master bathroom, with marble-look tiles used in the shower; left is the common bathroom, with terrazzo tiles that complement the blue details.
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See more of this project
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, save the story, and join in the conversation.
Who lives here: A multi-generational family of six
Location: Sengkang
Type of property: 5-room HDB flat
Size: 1,600 square feet
Project duration: 12 weeks
Designers: Ben Teo of 19 Eighty Three (in collaboration with Chris Huang of Bowerman Interior / Space Planner)
When the owners contacted interior designer Ben Teo of 19 Eighty Three to renovate their 5-room resale flat, it was already two decades old. The advantage of age was the larger footprint compared to the average size of around 1,185 square feet for flats built in the 2000s.