Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Newlywed Designers Turn Old 3-Room Flat Into Home
An architect and an interior designer transform their ageing flat into a fresh, new matrimonial home
Though Terence Tang and Yap Mei Ying own an interior design firm StudioMyte, they face similar issues many young, first-time homeowners have. Tang shares in his own words how they put their creativity and know-how together for their own renovation:
The project brief
We wanted to design a home to suit our lifestyle needs. Spatial flexibility is something important to us, as our home needs to be many things at once: a cosy studio apartment for two; a workplace on weekdays; and a space for hosting family and friends on weekends. Moreover, as a young couple, our home needs to be able to transform into a space where we can raise a small family in.
The project brief
We wanted to design a home to suit our lifestyle needs. Spatial flexibility is something important to us, as our home needs to be many things at once: a cosy studio apartment for two; a workplace on weekdays; and a space for hosting family and friends on weekends. Moreover, as a young couple, our home needs to be able to transform into a space where we can raise a small family in.
The home
The original wall between the living area and the adjacent bedroom was removed and an operable folding glass door was designed in its place (see first photo). This doubled the size of the living area and gives us the flexibility to close off the original bedroom space when needed. Now we can maximise our social living spaces and have the flexibility of converting the space back into a bedroom when the need arises or when our family grows.
The original wall between the living area and the adjacent bedroom was removed and an operable folding glass door was designed in its place (see first photo). This doubled the size of the living area and gives us the flexibility to close off the original bedroom space when needed. Now we can maximise our social living spaces and have the flexibility of converting the space back into a bedroom when the need arises or when our family grows.
The original unit had a relatively large kitchen given the flat’s small size. We decided that this was unnecessary, so the kitchen was made smaller in order to create a larger dining area. The resulting dining is able to accommodate an oversized 2.2-metre-long marble dining table alongside a pantry. This makes the space perfect for holding large dinner gatherings. This is also where we work on our laptops on weekdays. We customised the light so that we can control the brightness and colour temperature to create different types of ambience.
The wall and cabinetry in the dining area are finished in a darker palette to create a cosier ambience for dinners and night-time drinking sessions. This also visually distinguishes the dining from the living spaces and creates a cavernous effect even though they are physically contiguous. The wood ceiling gives the dining space a warm touch and complements the colours.
Decorating style
We didn’t follow any particular design style. Being both architecturally trained, we were more concerned about the spatial layout. The column-free layout allowed us the freedom to fully reimagine the space. The resulting mood and style is the result of trying to make sense of our very different design preferences! I tend to be more minimalist and ‘serious’, so it was Mei Ying who added colours to our drawers, chose the yellow for the main door and snipped off the corners of my geometric gate – all in the name of good fun!
We didn’t follow any particular design style. Being both architecturally trained, we were more concerned about the spatial layout. The column-free layout allowed us the freedom to fully reimagine the space. The resulting mood and style is the result of trying to make sense of our very different design preferences! I tend to be more minimalist and ‘serious’, so it was Mei Ying who added colours to our drawers, chose the yellow for the main door and snipped off the corners of my geometric gate – all in the name of good fun!
Gardening is one of Mei Ying’s hobbies. Unfortunately, at the time of photo-taking, we hadn’t yet filled the home with plants.
The botanical rug and cushions (in the living area) were chosen to add a soft touch and because we thought they complement the wooden sofa frame well. We intend to change the ‘theme’ of our home every once in a while by swapping out loose furniture. As designers, our tastes change ever so often.
The botanical rug and cushions (in the living area) were chosen to add a soft touch and because we thought they complement the wooden sofa frame well. We intend to change the ‘theme’ of our home every once in a while by swapping out loose furniture. As designers, our tastes change ever so often.
The wonderful views of the sea is one of the reasons we bought this flat. Strong sea winds naturally ventilate our home every day.
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What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
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, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
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House At A Glance
Who lives here: Newlyweds – he is an architect and she is an interior designer – who are also business partners
Location: Marine Parade
Type of Property: Three-room HDB flat
Size: Approx. 700 square feet (65 square metres)
Project Duration: 10 weeks