We love how cosy the living room looks, anchored by a gorgeous wood TV wall. This beautiful maisonette in Tampines belongs to a family of four. They wanted to the interior to look and feel as roomy as possible, and also preferred a black and brown colour palette.

“I incorporated some white colours and elements into the design, in order to create a more spacious appearance,” says their interior designer Tammy of Imagine SK66.

The small space between the main entrance and staircase has been transformed into a cosy dining area, complete with a wooden table and bench, and a pair of black, high-backed chairs. A sliding glass door between the dry and wet kitchens was erected, so that the grease and smoke from cooking can be contained.

A marble and wood counter in the dry kitchen is not only visually pleasing, but it also provides the perfect spot for the rest of the family to hang out whenever son Xavier demonstrates his culinary skills.

With the kitchen being an important part of the home, due to younger son Xavier’s love of cooking, they decided to hack the walls of a bedroom between the main entrance and kitchen, so that the kitchen area would be enlarged.

“They wanted to combine the two spaces into one large, open-concept kitchen so that it looks bigger, but I advised against it due to practical considerations. In anticipation of the heavy-duty cooking that they may do, it is better to have separate wet and dry kitchens,” explains Tammy.

The wet kitchen opens onto a terrace with a beautiful view of Tampines River and the park connector. With just some plastering of the walls and a set of table and high stools, Tammy created another simple, yet cosy, chill- out space for the family.

The terrace is also linked to the living room, and the latter’s palette of blacks, greys, whites and browns was exactly what the family wanted.

READ MORE: 17 Beautiful, Space-Enhancing Balcony Design Ideas From Singapore Homes

The master bedroom shares the same lovely view as the terrace. Its dark colours evoke relaxation and a sense of quietness. With some clever space planning, Tammy managed to carve out sufficient space to fit in a set of wardrobes, a dressing table and other storage spaces.

READ MORE: 10 Stylish & Practical Ways To Declutter A Small Bedroom

Home to a three-generation family, this 1,550-sqf five-room HDB maisonette in Simei needed to accommodate the needs and wants of each family member.

The owners engaged Studio Myte, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy, to design the place to have more functional spaces. For instance, instead of a regular desk, a large wooden table in the centre of the study creates a perfect setting not just for work, but also discussions and gatherings.

Converting the double-volume balcony into an interior space and the use of glass doors create a sense of seamless connection across the different areas. Here are more space-enhancing tips for balconies in Singapore.

An unfettered balcony view allows more natural light to stream into the kitchen.

Vinyl floor tiles in a warm wood tone give a homely vibe to the living areas of the apartment.

Home to a family of three, this 1,390-sqf HDB maisonette apartment has a simple and neat design with a modern touch. The homeowners requested for an open-concept kitchen design that’s complete with a kitchen island. They also wanted a gathering space and a to enjoy natural light at the dining area.

Lots of storage space is added into the home seamlessly too, such as the under-stair area, which is camouflaged by a feature wall.

A dedicated lounging space is carved out and positioned adjacent to the entryway. To give the illusion that more light enters the space, the column next to the window is clad in mirrors.

READ MORE: 10 Decorative Wall Mirrors That Make Your Home Look Bigger

The dining area is a space where the family often gathers. Choosing an extendable table from Commune offers the flexibility of seating more people when there are guests.

Part of the $130,000 renovation, wardrobes were customised in the master bedroom. A walnut tone was chosen here to complement the overall colour palette throughout the home.

READ MORE: 5 Simple Ways To Turn Your Bedroom Into A Sleep Sanctuary

The master bathroom is complete with double basins for the convenience of the homeowners.

Designed by principal designer Zhenwei Lai of JOW Architects, this 1,400 sqf HDB maisonette in Hougang is home to bachelorette Suelyn Lim. Drawn to textural materials such as rattan and subway tiles, the homeowner and designer decided on create a contemporary-style home, dressed with these elements.

For flooring, the home is decked in terrazzo patterned porcelain tiles on the lower floor, while timber vinyl boards are chosen for the upper storey. Walnut timber laminate complements the kitchen, and oak-look laminate is selected for the TV console.

Suelyn previously requested for a kitchen island. However, there were constraints on the existing floor plan and building an island in the kitchen was not feasible. Instead, Zhenwei proposed a breakfast counter that connects the kitchen and living space.  This way, there is visual connectivity and is an easy way for Suelyn to interact with her sister (who stays with her), and her guests when they visit.

Upstairs, Zhenwei converted a bedroom into an open lounge space, complete with sliding glass doors that stretch the length of the room. This strategy ensures more daylight enters the stairwell too.

The master bedroom enjoys double volume ceiling space for a lofty feel. A blue feature wall brings in a sense of serenity, while a backlit headboard adds to the cosy ambience.

The structure of the master bathroom also takes on the silhouette of the pitched roof that brings in a sense of spaciousness overhead.

Interior design firm Mint Studio gave this HDB maisonette a clean and calm feel with its white palette and warm wood flooring.

The spacious kitchen was designed as an open-concept space which gives it a lofty vibe.

READ MORE: How To Make An Open Concept Kitchen Work In A Small BTO Flat 

An oversized lamp adds a dose of eccentricity in the living room. Placing photo frames at a height from the landing allows one to appreciate the images from the top of the stairs.

Maximalism rules in this Victorian-inspired home. To keep the living room from looking overbearing, homeowner Ivanna chose furnishings in a neutral palette of beige and white. A geometric zigzag-patterned rug underfoot grounds the space. Despite the glitzy pieces, the overall look exudes a cosy ambience, thanks to the large, cushy seats decked in satin, silk, velvet and fabric upholstery. There are even some do-it-yourself projects that she created, including a table lamp clad in white feathers that sits in the living room.

To enlarge the kitchen area, a wall between the kitchen and living room was hacked. This allows for easy communication between the areas, too. The original entrance to the bathroom in the kitchen was reconfi gured and moved to the back to achieve a seamless look. Wainscot panels on the walls add dimension to the room.

The dining room sits right by the entrance, and enjoys natural light from the common corridor outside. The light is also reflected off the mirrored surfaces of the dining table, which is complemented by black-and-white round-back chairs. Behind, a sideboard filled with the couple’s photos and knick-knacks give the home a personal touch.

“This is my favourite — yet most expensive — part of the home,” Ivanna shares of the master bedroom design, which showcases black framed glass doors that replaced original walls. “We needed several approvals for constructing the window panels and door, and that added to the costs,” she adds.

The guestroom is complete with high-back chairs in velvet finishes and bright hues like red and gold.

This homeowner and his wife used lots of rich wood textures and a brick feature wall to create a warm, homey feel in their four-room HDB executive maisonette in Pasir Ris. For instance, ash-wood veneer is used on the TV console.

Distressed handcrafted walnut flooring is used throughout the lower floor. Open shelving adds personality to the home and makes the space feel airier.

The dining set consists of mismatched seats — a customised wooden bench, and chairs from Om and Marquis.

Another impressive nature-inspired space in the home is the cosy family room, next to the dining area. Illuminated by sunlight, the space almost seems to glow, as all its walls – as well as floor and ceiling – are decked out in golden bamboo strips.

Natural light filters in from the balcony area to illuminate the interiors of the master bedroom; herringbone-patterned wood flooring adds character to this space.

This resale executive maisonette in Mountbatten is home to a young couple with two kids, and the husband’s parents. The ID proposed a major renovation for the two-decade-old flat, ripping off its flooring, transforming the kitchen and bathrooms and reclaiming the balcony footprint to enlarge the living room. A Peacock chair adds curves to the room’s strong, clean lines.

The flat is peppered with unique accents that showcase the homeowner’s tastes and personality.

Gold accents of the Beat lights complement the wooden legs of the Eames chairs, jazzing up the austere scheme of the dining room.

Splashes of red liven up the neutral finishes in the master bedroom. The louvred panels help to bring light in.

This maisonette in Pasir Ris features a marble and wooden feature media wall in the living room. Illuminating back lights add a warm touch to the subtle colour scheme.

A see-through staircase leads to the family’s sleeping quarters upstairs. The staircase’s full glass panels enhance the sense of light that’s usually limited in these “corridor” units.

The red dining chairs add a pop of vibrancy to an otherwise neutral, soft-lit dining room.

The trick of this apartment in Toh Yi Drive is to set small patterns against large ones, and include big solids such as the sofa, white country-style kitchen cabinets and subway tiles (see next few images).

Grouped art frames make for simple yet stylish wall decor, and the track lighting gives it a cool gallery finish.

The glass panels lend a spaciousness to the entire ground floor, perfect for entertaining large parties!

Vibrant Peranakan floor tiles bring excitement into the black and white space in the hallway and kitchen.

For this maisonette in Serangoon North Ave 1, the two walls dividing the living room from the kitchen and the balcony were torn down, creating one large open-plan kitchen-dining-living concept.

READ MORE: The Clever Designer Trick To Enlarge Small HDB Flats And Condos

Clever use of floor-to-ceiling storage flushed to the wall saves space and doubles up as a display case as well!

What stole the show though, was the skylight that was installed where the old balcony was, creating a classy, breezy dining area that lets in the sun, sky and stars.

In this Serangoon home, primary elements such as steel, cement screed floors and walls, and a simple monochromatic colour scheme extend to the clean lines and geometric silhouettes of the interior.

A large area rug softens up the look, while a unique low coffee table with a concrete top makes the room look larger.

The palette flirts with organic colours – browns from the caramal sofa and the teak dining table (see next); and splashes of greenery – but is predominantly neutral.

Concrete + lush botanical plants create a really relaxing and soothing interior!

Design: Free Style Intent, Source: Qanvast

This post was first published on August 1, 2016, and updated on July 17, 2019.

Text: Home & Decor Singapore, Qanvast & Elizabeth Liew

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