We pick out fine examples of HDB flats that recraft new possibilities for public housing.
21 August 2024
Text by Janice Seow
The recent announcement of HDB “White Flats” – open-concept and customisable units that are beamless and come without partition walls between the living and bedrooms – are expected to launch soon in the October 2024 BTO exercise. The pilot project is said to be a response to changing demographics and increasing demand from homeowners for more free play when it comes to designing their homes.
It’s a big leap for public housing but even now, interior designers and home buyers with vision are already creating some truly unique HDB homes. Here are examples of HDB flats that are far from cookie cutter.
Home type: 3-room HDB flat
Floor area: 732sqft
We know of dual-key condos, but this project by design studio KTARCH offers up an exciting residential typology – that of a dual-key HDB flat, and in a compact three-room unit no less.
“Looking to the future, the client, who lives alone, wanted his home to be able to accommodate two individuals living independently in the same unit should the need arise,” says Khai Toh, the founder of KTARCH. “Space maximisation was also an important requirement,” he continues.
Khai has found ways to elegantly deliver adaptable spaces and solutions across the unit so the home can morph from a single to double occupant residence with ease.
At the entrance, he has designed a foyer with two separate doors on each side. The door on the right leads one into a space designed for lounging and gathering with friends. The sofa doubles as a bed for overnight stays while the daybed by the window serves as additional seating. Entering from the left would lead one into a multifunctional space comprising a study with a wall-to-wall work desk, an exercise and entertaining area, and further in, the bedroom – which has a privacy curtain instead of a door for greater flexibility and openness.
The wall running straight through the centre of the unit, along with one bedroom and the storeroom have been demolished, resulting in a U-shaped, open-plan layout with an enlarged portal about 2.4 metres wide. It connects the two sides of the living space, while the full-height and acoustically treated sliding door can be closed to turn the flat into a dual-key residence with two separate and independent living units.
See the full story here
Home type: 4-room HDB flat
Floor area: 970sqft
The homeowners are a young couple, and this fun and characterful flat is highly reflective of their personalities. Spatially, the design is also a unique response to the couple’s desire for a home that goes beyond pure function to offer a sense of homecoming.
The designers from Tofu Studio, who were tasked with this project, further elaborate: “Comfort and space were top priorities since they spend most of their time at home. They also planned to stay here for many years, and to have dogs in the future, so an open space where their pets could roam freely was essential.”
Just as important, the clients wanted to avoid the conventional path of maintaining underutilised bedrooms for fear of the unit losing its resale value, and since the place was also meant to serve as a home office, it needed to cater for meetings with minimal disruption between the common and private areas when in use.
The designers stripped down every non-structural wall to reimagine new possibilities for the space, starting from a blank slate. Since the couple had no kids, the two common bedrooms were merged to create a large and enclosed den-like living area for them to hang out and host gatherings comfortably and more intimately. This move also eliminated the unnecessary passageway, making more efficient use of space. The original living room was then converted into a multipurpose dining room large enough to accommodate a custom two-metre table for meals as well as work meetings. When needed, a sliding panel between the living and dining can be drawn close for privacy, allowing different activities to take place at the same time
Entering from the foyer, the curved walled-up living area is hidden from view and remains mysterious and private, leaving only the dining and kitchen (tucked in the corner) in one’s view. The couple doesn’t cook often and so the colourful kitchen is used more as a bar/pantry area and a place to hang out with friends.
The master bedroom entrance has been relocated (one enters from the living room) to allow for a walk-through wardrobe space that would adequately accommodate the couple’s extensive clothing collection, with the circular peephole being a thoughtful detail designed with the owners’ future fur buddies in mind. Bold coloured curtains also separate the bed and dressing area, which the designers say is “loosely inspired by the more theatrical changing room experience.”
See the full story here
Home type: 3-room HDB flat
Floor area: 700sqft
The owner of this three-room HDB flat is a bachelor who loves concrete and the idea of open-plan living. Both were key elements in his brief to MONOCOT.
For his new home, the client wanted to demolish the existing two bedrooms and create a completely open space to live and to entertain,” shares Mikael Teh, the design studio’s founder. “He is a big fan of concrete and is very open to exploring textures and designs that challenge the norm,” he continues.
The flat’s standard three-room layout has been completely redone in an open plan. Kitchen and living/dining/resting are visually defined and separated by different flooring treatments of cement screed and engineered oak respectively. Walls and ceilings are clad in microcement, and cast off site fair faced concrete grace the sleeping area. Cool stainless steel finds its way onto the kitchen countertops and even the main door and threshold.
To soften the stark brutalist scheme, the designers have judiciously included elements of wood and deep browns around the unit – on floors, carpentry, pantry backsplash, kitchen tiling and furniture – that do a remarkable job of warming up the space.
The kitchen and dining are designed for entertaining, and given that the client does not often watch television, there is no need for a living area. Instead, the designers have created a little lounge space, furnished simply with a single Fritz Hansen PK Lounge Chair that takes up minimal room. And since the homeowner lives alone, a simple screen divider that gives semi-privacy to the rest area suffices.
An open pathway leads from the public spaces to the bathroom amenities, which are located behind the sleeping zone. Here, the designers have created a large and open bedroom-facing shower room that’s strikingly cladded in beautiful, cracked tiles, and inserted a separate and private WC and vanity adjacent to it.
See the full story here
We think you may also like 4 unusual homes that don’t look like residences
Like what you just read? Similar articles below
Many are turning to resale rather than BTO flats as wait times and prices continue to rise.
From the vibrant colour palettes to iconic furniture designs and playful patterns, retro design offers a versatile and eclectic approach to decorating your home.
