Living in a cosmopolitan city like Singapore often means that it can be difficult to bring in nature and botanical-like elements into our homes. After all, most people in Singapore live in HDBs and don’t quite have access to backyards or even an opportunity to grow a beautiful garden.
Here, these Singaporean homes show how you can bring in a little bit of nature into your home through various decorative elements — even if you live in an HDB home.
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Decals or wallpaper are an ingenious ways to instantly add character and charm to your home – just take this four-room HDB for instance. Lifted 29 storeys above ground, Tammi Lin and Mykel Yee’s 970sqf HDB home takes on a tree house concept inspired by its lofty perch.
Helping the couple achieve their tropical-themed abode was their friend and interior designer, Adrien Ritzal of Adrien Kent Creative Studio. A lush treetop wallpaper in their living room anchors the space, and the look is brought to life through soothing shades of green and wood accents throughout the house.
For other parts of their house, the couple used olive colour-blocked walls. This goes perfectly well with the pastel pink and green fittings and detailings found in the other parts of their home.
The couple chose a predominantly white palette for their master bedroom for a serene vibe. “We initially wanted terrazzo flooring but Adrien made a really good call to run this wood-look vinyl across the house, which we splashed out on with the herringbone arrangement,” says Tammi. Their storage bed is from Muji and the pendant lights are from Crate & Barrel.
Pops of colour from decorative plants and brass accents stand out against a white backdrop.
Clarence Chua and Candice Li were so inspired by their honeymoon in Africa two years ago that they decided to decorate their five-room executive condominium in Bukit Panjang in the tropical-colonial style.
The living and dining areas of the 1,050 sq ft apartment are filled with lush potted plants that tower above a person of average height and antique-looking wooden furniture.
Loose gravel and stepping stones add a resort-like feel of the guest bathroom.
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Because they love animals so much, Clarence and Candice have also included 20 small animal figurines in their home as part of the décor. The couple had used them as table markers in place of numbers during their wedding dinner banquet.
Spotting one in the flat – for instance, a cute rabbit “hiding” in a potted plant – can be a delight.
If plants are too difficult to maintain, you could always purchase botanical-print artworks and display them throughout the house. It’ll help you achieve the botanical theme you want without all that upkeeping.
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In this sophisticated family home, designed by Australian-based interior designers Cedar & Suede, natural materials as well as nature-inspired motifs were used to create a relaxed atmosphere.
The home features an open-concept living and dining space; contemporary upholstered furniture was chosen for the living room.
While the living room was simply designed, the dining room features an eye-catching wall covering.
Dining chairs and a lamp in natural materials add to the outdoorsy atmosphere of the dining area.
Designing a small apartment is always a playing on its “smallness” and capitalising on its challenge, and creative efforts usually zero in on ways to make the space look (or feel) bigger. However, Stanley Tham, partner at KNQ Associates, offers this advice: Embrace it and play up the small space.
“Tiny spaces can exude comfort and cosiness, so why not play on that?” says Stanley. “While this unit may be small, its balcony looks out to some plants and greenery, and we could use that to our advantage by bringing in elements of the ‘botanical’ surrounds indoors.”
Grey may not be everyone’s preferred colour in a small space, but in another bold step, Stanley chose it as the main hue for the home. “It doesn’t always have to be white,” he says. “Grey makes a great canvas and can help ‘harmonise’ the interior when combined with other shades such as green and brown.”
Mirrors in the living room reflect the view outside – another design feature that serves to bring the outdoors into the home. “Cushions with fern motifs are used to reflect the green surrounds, and customised frames with artificial leaves embedded within add touches of green on the walls of the interior.”
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Text: Home & Decor Singapore