Forget cookie-cutter HDB living. This flat at Bukit Merah View has been dramatically reconfigured into a warm, organic, Japanese-inspired sanctuary — complete with curved walls and a genkan-style entryway.
4 September 2025
When Vincent Tan of v.ii.n.s was handed the keys to this 1,500-square-foot Bukit Merah executive apartment, he didn’t just renovate it — he tore down the playbook. The original HDB layout was cluttered and uninspiring, so he went bold: demolishing almost every wall and redrawing the plan from scratch. The result? A home that trades rigidity for fluidity, and generic spaces for crafted experiences.
The homeowners — a couple with two kids — wanted a home that felt “Japanese, organic, spacious and unique.” They also love to cook, host, and spend time with family. Instead of compartmentalised rooms, Vincent envisioned the flat as a sequence of atmospheres, where each transition changes the mood. The layout was flipped, with walls demolished, toilets relocated, and circulation re-designed to create both privacy and drama.
Step inside and you’re greeted by a genkan-inspired entryway. A rounded frosted glass window filters natural light, casting shifting shadows when the sun starts to set. A custom shoe cabinet doubles as a bench, while a wire-glass panel subtly separates the threshold from the rest of the home.
It’s a clever move: the entry sets the tone for everything else — part Japanese restraint, part designer flourish.
From the entry, a raised timber platform announces the dining and kitchen zone, cladded in wood flooring and a continuous stained wood ceiling. The effect? Cosy, atmospheric, almost like stepping into a ryokan setting.
To the left, the wet kitchen is kitted out with professional-grade Song Cho aluminium cabinetry and stainless steel finishes — perfect for heavy cooking. To the right, a dry pantry hugs a curved wall, its Caesarstone counter following the organic line. Stainless steel sconces, a record player, and subtle lighting inject lifestyle flair into what could have been a purely functional space.
Transitioning into the living area, the flooring drops to large-format tiles, creating a tactile shift. A curved TV wall continues the organic language, while limewashed walls and ceilings (painstakingly hand-finished) add softness.
Then comes the house’s most unexpected moment: a “dungeon-like” passage with raw finishes, pebble-wash flooring, and a round porthole door leading to the common bathroom. It’s a touch of theatre — mysterious, playful, and unlike anything you’d expect in an HDB flat.
Inside, the bathroom flips the mood again: funky colours, rounded-edge tiles, and a cheeky pop-red on the wall that makes even tooth-brushing feel fun.
The study occupies what used to be the original master bedroom. A folding wooden door with round frosted glass windows maintains visual continuity while allowing light to filter through. With stretch ceiling panels and gaming-ready privacy, it doubles as a home office and “man cave”.
The kids’ room takes the opposite approach: bright, bold, and Taobao-furnished with lockers, bunks, and colour-popping curtains. It’s deliberately un-styled, leaning into fun and practicality while still slotting into the home’s broader warmth.
The new master suite is a quieter retreat. Relocated for better flow, it integrates a dry vanity area clad in brown mosaics with a separate wet zone finished in simple 10×10 beige tiles — a nod to Japanese bathhouses. A curtain conceals the storeroom area, keeping things visually soft.
Everywhere you look, this home rejects the generic. From limewash walls to curved partitions, from industrial touches to hand-applied raw finishes, it’s a space shaped by both designer and homeowners (who even DIY-finished parts of the corridor themselves).
The renovation came in at around $180k and took just over three months. For the couple and their two children, it’s transformed daily routines — cooking feels more theatrical, hosting more atmospheric, and even mundane tasks like entering the bathroom feel like part of a journey.
“Nothing original was kept,” Vincent admits. And thank goodness. Because what stands in its place is a flat that refuses to be ordinary — an HDB that’s equal parts home, experience, and experiment.
v.ii.n.s
www.instagram.com/v.ii.n.s
Builder: The Working Men
Photography by Marcus Ip
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