This eco-friendly home is a 5,000 sqf, three-storey semi-detached house that was built from scratch by its current owners.

Apart from their requirements for a house with lots of open space, a well-ventilated layout suitable for entertaining large groups, and a pool for their young children to enjoy, the owners also wanted to make their house as eco-friendly as possible.

In the living room, pops of colour from the furniture stand out against the neutral colour scheme.

The couple had a pair of mangrove roots that they bought from Zia Concept made into door handles for the main entrance.

They chose an open concept kitchen for a more social space since the family often entertain guests. Here are some tips to design your own open-style kitchen in a HDB or BTO flat.

Fitted out entirely with Hansgrohe fixtures and sanitaryware, the daughters’ shared bathroom won an award in a design competition organized by the brand. Also, the “bio-retention system” installed in the house makes use of excess rain from the garden to flush the toilets.

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Up on the top floor sits a family-cum-entertainment area, which extends to an expansive balcony with a view of the neighbourhood.

Owners of the second eco-friendly home, a four-room condo apartment, includes sustainable features such as renewable bamboo flooring from Star Bamboo throughout the house, vintage furniture and energy-saving lights.

Full-height windows allow ample sunlight and ventilation into the open-plan dining and living area so it remains bright and airy without having to switch on the lights in the day.

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The homeowners worked with Kelly Woo, interior designer and owner of eco-friendly furnishings company Hunter Gatherer, where this unique wood floor lamp here is from.

The countertop for the bar is made from salvaged teakwood, another eco-wise design choice in the home.

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An old coffee table was repurposed to become the bathroom mirror.

Here’s an environmentally-friendly home that looks straight out of a movie set. As self-professed environmentalists who are not big fans of consumerism, Shanmugaraj and Maheswari — who have professions in the arms and mechanical engineering industry respectively — were mindful of ensuring minimal waste production during the process of their home renovation.

This, together with their want for an industrial, post-apocalyptic design resulted in an apartment that looks unlike any other.

As the couple love “outdoorsy” activities like rock climbing and diving, Shan says they try to live a lifestyle that “as environmentally conscious as possible, and do as much as we can to reduce our carbon footprint”.

“For example, we always bring our own food containers to hawker centres and our own water bottle everywhere we go,” he says.

As for the motivation behind their home’s sustainable design? Shan says, “We wanted to ensure that our home can truly stand the test of time, because we didn’t want to have to throw away or repair furniture after a few years. So we had to make sure we used materials of industrial grade strength. Everything in the home also had to have a purpose.”

In order to reduce repair costs, the couple ensured that everything was modular. “If a part of the furniture breaks, we can easily replace just that part instead of the entire item. Also, this way we can easily dismantle everything and bring it over to our next home, reducing renovation costs for the next home as well.”

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Mahes says she wanted an industrial-style home, while Shan wanted a post-war ambience, so they merged both styles together which resulted in this industrial, post-apocalyptic look.

“We’re also fans of various super villains, and you can spot them around the apartment. They include Joker and Harlequinn from DC Comics, Carnage from Marvel Studios, The Sith from Star Wars, Decepticon from Transformers, Akuma from Capcom and even weapons from World of Warcraft.”

Shan reveals that the challenge for their interior designer, Erstudio’s Rey Tan, was “to better understand the movies and characters we were interested in, and see how they could be incorporated cohesively with the interiors”.

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Standout eco-friendly features around the home include this shoe rack made from PVC pipes, as well their open-concept wardrobe created with cast-iron rods painted over with epoxy. Shan says they used industrial materials where they could.

“We also reuse or upcycle materials where possible — our herb garden and sofa is made from reused wood pallets, and our coffee table was upcycled from old drums. Another thing we did was to make sure we did not have too much storage space, so we can’t hoard or buy excess items we don’t need!” he says.

“Through discussions with Rey, we also established our want for a home that looks extremely raw. As a result, he proposed rebars casted into the concrete screed flooring to help tie the look of the spaces together, while creating a tactile experience,” says Mahes.

For homeowners who want to create a green home, here are some practical tips from the couple:

“Think about the materials when buying furniture – not just in terms of aesthetics but practicality. They should be durable so you don’t have to throw them away after just a few years. If you can reuse or upcycle old materials, do that instead of buying a brand-new item. Another thing is to consider is the purpose of household items – they should be multi-functional if possible, so that they’re truly useful.”

The entire renovation cost $80,000.

Speaking of upcycling, this four-room flat in Ang Mo Kio is a prime example. Homeowner Steve Thio’s recycle-and-restyle philosophy led to an eclectic furniture collection with layers of history. Steve’s definition of beauty is the refurbished, the recycled and the handmade; anything with a story.

The flat is decorated with hand-me-down Persian and Indian rugs, and the wooden daybed in the living room explodes with colours – thanks to over a dozen patterned and embroidered pillow covers.

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He engaged Panerai Decor to create a home that would be adorned with their many statement furniture pieces. This coffee table is from lifestyle and fashion retailer British India.

“The idea is to not waste anything, as much as we can. We are proud to say this is a home of mementos. The dining stools are from my mother’s home and are as old as I am, and these patchwork cushion covers are from Vietnam. Admittedly, I bought so many without realising I had no cushions, so I had to buy some!” says Steve, with a chuckle.

Steve’s advice to homeowners: Adapt your current furniture for your new home. Steve upcycled his old bookcase into this headboard. They also traded unwanted items with a used furniture dealer, for sandpapering service.

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The renovation cost $75,000, most of which went towards the cost of extensive glass and metal doors throughout the home. They’ve combined the master and common bathrooms, too; the space is accessible via the bedroom and kitchen.

“Go to garage sales to find unique, one-off pieces. Think of ways to revamp them, whether by reupholstering or revarnishing, or let its authenticity resonate within your home. With a well- furnished space, your personality will naturally shine through,” says Steve.

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Text: Domenica Tan, Melody Bay and Eliza Yusof/Home & Decor Singapore