The home of Matthew Lee and Alee Wee is exactly what their Instagram handle, @thewoodyhome, describes – a cosy space dressed in warm, woody elements.

“We love teak wood as it is hardy and looks so raw,” the couple said. “Interestingly, both of us grew up surrounded by teak furniture – so this is also our way of bringing a piece of our childhood into our new home!”

Japanese Influences

When designing their 5-room HDB flat, Matthew and Alee took inspiration from Japanese architecture. “During our trips to Japan, we noticed that glass and wood are frequently used as the main interior design elements. The result is a rustic yet contemporary look – something we wanted to replicate for our home.”

The kitchen and home office carry the strongest Japanese-inspired influences. In the kitchen for example, the couple opted for wooden shelves to mimic the minimalism of Japanese home kitchens.

Across the room, the wood-framed glass windows of the home office recreate the look of Japanese cafés. “We hacked the top half of the wall to incorporate windows. Beyond aesthetics, the windows also brighten up the space by letting in more natural light—it’s a win-win,” Matthew explained.

The couple mainly opted for loose pieces in their home to highlight the spaciousness of the flat. Besides the teak furnishings that they love, they also added rattan pieces to the mix. “Rattan is a common element in Japanese homes. Plus, the varying texture of rattan furniture also helps with creating dimension within the space,” Alee says.

Mix and All Match

With shades of brown and white making up the primary colour palette of the flat, pops of colour are used to liven up the space. The living room for instance, is decorated with rugs and cushions of different textures and tones.

Colour is also added in the form of a shoe display that features the home owners’ sneaker collection. “The sneakers add a dash of personality to the space and frankly, serve as reminders of what we already own,” laughs Alee.

The mix and match design also extends to the bathrooms. While the walls of the common bathroom feature a mixture of terracotta and white tiles, the couple took a different design approach in the master bath by combining different wall finishes.

 

“We were planning for a combination of green and white tiles for our ensuite bathroom,” Matthew explains. “However, we were unable to find the exact shade of green we wanted, so we decided to paint the upper half of the wall instead!”

Maximise Space, Minimise Built-Ins

While built-ins in the home were kept to a minimum, the key ones that Matthew and Alee opted for—the kitchen island and wardrobe—were meant to add storage space.

“The kitchen island provides more countertop space for cooking prep, and acts as an extended dining table for when we have guests over. It also triples up as a storage space where we keep our tableware,” the couple says.

In the master bedroom, the couple pushed back a wall into the adjoining room, to enlarge the wardrobe space.

 

On her favourite spot in the flat, Alee says, “I love the dining area. Now that we’re working from home, I spend even more time here. This spot is spacious and allows me a panoramic view of the house.”

While Matthew’s go-to spot is also in the communal area, he shares why the living room is his favourite. “I like hanging out in the living room – especially on the sofa,” he grins. “Since I grew up with a teak couch, I really appreciate having a cushioned resting spot.”

Full of colour, but with a hint of minimalism, Rina Raihana and Muhammed Fauzan’s home in Bukit Panjang is a representation of their individual styles.

“I wanted a colourful, playful space while Fauzan leans towards the Scandinavian aesthetic. So, we decided on a mainly white-and-wood theme that’s decorated with splashes of colours and playful elements,” Rina smiles. The 5-room flat is also adorned with wall paintings and rattan décor that add to its Bohemian charm.

Mixing Shapes and Patterns

Rina and Fauzan, who are second-time home owners, worked together to achieve the shared vision for their home. In the open plan communal area, the walls and most of the décor items, are primarily white. The herringbone pattern is weaved into the flooring, creating a seamless flow between the living, dining and kitchen areas. These aspects of the design are attributed to Fauzan, who explains, “I’m a minimalist who prefers consistency and continuity.”

The home is far from monotonous, however, as the couple incorporated arches and colourful wall paintings for a playful touch – a result of Rina’s bubbly personality. “With their round edges, the arches also help to soften the overall look,” she says.

The arch is also present in the kitchen pantry, albeit in a different style. A vintage-inspired wallpaper is used as the backdrop, to add a pop of colour in the area. This complements the white rattan chairs at the kitchen island, where Rina does most of her cooking preparations.

“The extra countertop space comes in handy, especially because I cook often. The kitchen island is also perfect for us, as it doubles up as a hosting area whenever we have friends and family over,” Rina shares.

The kitchen sports a minimalist look with its matching marble backsplash and countertop. The rustic look of the shaker-style cabinets and farmhouse sink further ties the kitchen’s aesthetic back the rest of the communal area.

Playing with Colours

In the children’s bedrooms, colours are used to liven up the space. “We didn’t plan to use vibrant colours in the bedrooms initially. However, after receiving a yellow playmat as a gift, we thought the décor for the children’s bedrooms could be brighter, especially since the rooms are also their play area,” Rina says.

In the adjacent bedroom, the couple chose a refreshing sage colour for the walls. White, rustic-inspired bedframes add a cosy vibe to the bedroom.

It is however, in the bathrooms where Rina’s vision for colourful spaces truly come to life. The common bathroom features a half-wall designed with green subway tiles paired with a mosaic-tile floor, while the ensuite bathroom stands out with a terrazzo wall and wood-inspired floor tiles. Both bathrooms are also adorned with gold fittings that further brighten up and add luxe to the intimate spaces.

“I really unleashed my creativity in the bathrooms,” Rina laughs. “Since the bathrooms are more ‘hidden’, I could add more colours without them looking too contrasting to the rest of the flat.”

From the earthy colour palette to the breezy, sheer curtains that bathe the flat in natural light, it’s almost hard to believe that Joey and Huang Peng’s flat is located in Toa Payoh, and not in a more exotic locale by the beach.

Channeling Resort Vibes

It was love at first sight for the first-time home owners, who were drawn to the resale flat’s spacious and squarish layout. “When we were viewing the flat, we could already envision what our home would look like,” they recall.

They combined the living and dining rooms, creating a villa-like open plan, and connected the open-concept kitchen seamlessly to this communal space. “The countertop is prep space and hangout spot all in one,” Joey says.

This layout creates a larger common space for hosting family and friends, and helps to keep the area cool through cross-ventilation, especially when the bi-fold balcony doors are open.

The balcony features a row of house plants, including an oversized banana tree that channels serious resort vibes. This cosy space is also furnished with a bar table and stools, where Joey and Huang Peng would occasionally spend their time unwinding after a long day.

Blending Old and New

The balcony isn’t the only place to have a meal. Indoors, a dining set featuring rattan—a classic material enjoying a revival— adds a laidback charm to the home.

In the kitchen, terrazzo—another material making a comeback— feature in the floor tiles. Considering that the Huangs’ flat is 37-years-old, the heritage elements are a fitting nod to the ‘retro-ness’ of the flat.

“We embarked on our flat-buying journey knowing that we wanted a home for life, one that could accommodate our current lifestyle and grow with our needs,” they say. “Since we’re planning to make this flat our forever home, we made sure that the lease could cover us up to the age of 95.”

Place for Privacy and Rest

Their forever home is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. To carve out a little privacy in an open plan home, Joey and Huang Peng incorporated a partition wall, to demarcate the space between the bedrooms and common living area.

A combination of function and form, the partition doubles up as a storage space too. It is a statement piece – one of the interior design ideas suggested by the couple’s architect consultant.

The private quarters of the home feel like a sanctuary. A darker shade of teal is used in the master bedroom to create a restful ambience, with the chic white sheets reminiscent of those in a resort. The bathroom sports a minimalist look, with grey subway tiles as its primary feature.

When recalling the renovation process, the couple emphasises, “It’s important to invest in quality materials, especially for built-ins and fixtures that are going to last you a long time. We always believe in putting functionality first – an important consideration we think home owners should take into account.”

Source: mynicehome.gov.sg

With its local-inspired décor, Peranakan accents and mid-century modern furnishings, Ridzwan and Nadiah’s BTO flat in Kallang is reminiscent of a shophouse – but with a contemporary touch.

Purchasing Their First Home

“We opted for a 3-room flat as we wanted to be comfortable in terms of the space and budget,” Nadiah explains. “We applied for housing grants and made the downpayment with our CPF. This freed up our cash savings for other home-related costs such as renovation works and furnishings.”

“Our home reflects our modern take on a heritage shophouse – perfect for old souls,” laughs Ridzwan.

A Personality-Driven Home

Ridzwan and Nadiah wanted the space to incorporate their lifestyles and personalities. In the living room for instance, the couple demarcated a space for their book collection. “Both Nadiah and I love reading – one of the first things we talked about when we met was our shared love for Enid Blyton books when we were children,” Ridzwan smiles.

In addition to their book collection, the feature shelf also houses the couple’s collection of trinkets, including a vintage clock and tingkats. Family heirlooms such as a typewriter and sewing machine also double as home décor, adding to the nostalgic vibes that carry throughout the space.

When asked to describe the overall look and feel of their home, Ridzwan says, “It’s a combination of mid-century modern and influences from local heritage – in a way, our home design is our classy take on a traditional Singapore shophouse.”

Space Planning

One of the home owners’ priorities is to have a flexible space that can adapt to their changing lifestyle needs.

For example, a sliding glass door replaces the wall between one of the bedrooms and the living room, resulting in a semi-open space. While the space is currently being used as the dining area and (?) Ridzwan’s home office, the room can be converted into a nursery once the couple starts a family.

The kitchen and service yard were combined to accommodate an extended kitchen counter.

“We enjoy cooking together, so we wanted a spacious layout that allows us to move about freely as we do so,” says Nadiah. “We love how we could also fit a full-sized pantry while allowing sufficient space for our laundry area.”

One uncommon feature is that the couple did away with a wardrobe in the bedroom. On this decision, Nadia explains, “We wanted to place a vanity table, which is a family heirloom, in the bedroom instead. We figured that having a storage bed and large cabinets in the common areas will meet our storage needs.”

In the en suite, the sink was relocated to the right side of the bathroom, to accommodate an L-shaped counter. “With the fixtures and fittings flushed to the right, the space feels bigger.”

“With the current work-from-home arrangement, we have come to appreciate our home a lot more,” the couple laughs. “We usually work in the dining area, so during lunch time, we’d prepare and have our meals and get back to work. In the evenings, the communal area will be transformed to an exercise area for our workouts. We’re really happy with how our home is perfect for both work and play.”

Source: mynicehome.gov.sg

Even before collecting the keys to their resale flat, Geraldine Toh and Vincent Lim had already decided on the look of their future home. With a passion for the arts, the couple wanted to add a dash of personality to the space with their works.

“I love painting and Vincent is passionate about photography. We wanted to decorate our home and were already working on the paintings and prints despite not being homeowners yet,” 28-year-old Geraldine laughs.

“We prefer warm and darker tones – so naturally, we found ourselves leaning towards a mid-century-themed home.”

A Modern Mid-Century Home

Featuring an open layout, nature elements and walnut tones, Geraldine and Vincent’s Executive Apartment in Tampines comprises the defining features of a modern mid-century home.

“We fell in love with the flat’s spaciousness and squarish layout – we thought the panoramic view of the house from the living room was (and still is) amazing,” Geraldine says.

In further embracing an open concept home, the homeowners removed the partition wall that stood between the kitchen and the common living area. With the expanded space, the incorporated a kitchen island.

“Having a kitchen island has always been a dream – it’s like the ultimate kitchen goal,” Vincent smiles. “Aesthetics aside, we’re really happy with the additional countertop space. Now that we’re working from home more often, we spend more time preparing our meals and the space allows us to do so more comfortably in the kitchen.”

Being nature lovers, the homeowners saw the balcony as the perfect space for greenery.

 

“The balcony is like our mini getaway to the outdoors. We love hiking and trekking, so having big, leafy plants in an outdoor space is a way of bringing nature closer to us. The balcony also happens to be one of Luna’s favourite hangout spots,” Geraldine laughs.

To tie the entire modern mid-century look together, the homeowners opted for loose furniture pieces instead of built-ins.

“Loose furniture allows more room for creativity and for us to mix and match the décor. There’s also more flexibility, where we can shift the position of the furniture to create a different look.”

Incorporating Eclectic Elements

In addition to woody tones, Geraldine and Vincent also incorporated their love for quirky colours and shapes – an element that is immediately captured by the brightly-coloured main door, which has since become an icon of the house. This eclectic element is amplified with the colour spilling over to the conjoining wall.

“We wanted to inject pops of mustard yellow into the house. So, when we came across a photo on Pinterest that showed a yellow square painted on an angled wall, we were sold!” Geraldine says.

Other eclectic elementsi, including in the kitchen and bathrooms, add to the character of the home.

On the contrasting look of the common bathroom, 29-year-old Vincent says, “We wanted to create an entirely different space, and we thought the common bathroom was the best spot to do so. However, we did use the same shade of mustard yellow for the bathroom cabinet, to ensure consistency.”

DIY Prints

From the living room to the home office, the house is decorated with numerous crafts – but unlike the other décor items, the art pieces on display are painted by Geraldine. Her masterpiece is the floral mural on the wall facing the master bedroom.

“I had painted my room in my parents’ home and couldn’t wait to do the same for my own house,” Geraldine smiles. “I eventually decided on a Peony and a muted colour palette to match the aesthetics of the rest of the space.”

“Home is a place for us to unwind, it’s also where we can fully be ourselves – our new home presented the perfect canvas for us to express our creativity.”

Adorned with antique furnishings and Peranakan-inspired prints, Daria and Faizal’s home will take visitors a step (or two) back in time.

“We love the look of old school, colonial homes,” Daria smiles. “Instead of adopting the minimalist look, we decided to go the other way and incorporated darker-coloured wood furnishings!”

Going Old-School

Step into the 5-room resale flat, and you will be greeted by a full-length mirror framed with colourful Tibetan prints, followed by an antique shoe cabinet. The vintage vibes continue with the living room and the balcony which has been repurposed to a lounge area.

In addition to the white and blue bamboo blinds and black rattan chairs, the balcony also features Peranakan tiles – a nod to Faizal’s roots. “The concept is partially influenced by motifs commonly seen in my childhood home, such as Peranakan and Batik prints,” Faizal smiles.

Incorporating Italian Influences

While the vibrant home features splashes of colours, the flat is consistently decorated in a white and blue colour palette.

Daria, who is born in Italy, explains that blue reminds her of her country and it is also her favourite colour.  Italian elements are incorporated into the flat through items such as art pieces, bed covers and shawls.

Repurposing Furnishings

To furnish their home, the couple opted for pre-loved antique furniture, to go with the vintage concept.

“Wood is lasting in nature, so we had no hesitation about buying secondhand furniture, as long as they are often in good condition. Even our fridge is pre-loved. It’s good for the environment (and our wallets!)” Daria laughs.

While pre-owned pieces like the coffee table, TV console, and the guestroom wardrobe were bought from local furniture shops, the couple also actively repurposes furniture previously owned by family and friends. “We think it’s a waste to throw them out, so we often adopt their furniture! For example, our rocking chair and vanity table were hand-me-downs from our friends.”

Daria and Faizal have also found a way to give new life to leftover materials from their renovation works. “There was some extra wood from the kitchen countertop, so we repurposed it into chopping blocks. We also turned the extra tiles into coasters,” the couple says.

“Waste not, want not – we hope other homeowners will consider repurposed furniture as they furnish their homes!”

It was love at first sight for Samantha and Jovin Loh, when they viewed a 5-room resale flat in Queenstown. “We loved it so much we made an offer for the unit on the day of the viewing!” they recall. “The spaciousness of the flat and panoramic view from the living room were really attractive to us.”

While they were excited to kickstart renovation works after collecting the keys to their new home, they decided to do so only after their wedding, a decision which worked out unexpectedly well. Prior to their big day, Samantha and Jovin had been searching for a studio to practise their first dance when they thought of their new home. “The walls of the living room were previously lined with full-length mirrors and we thought, ‘Where better to rehearse our dance than in our future home?’”

Wooden Accents and Muted Colours

Rattan furnishings and wooden wall frames add warmth

Post-wedding, Samantha and Jovin gave their flat a complete overhaul, transforming its stark monochrome interior into a cosy, calming space which featured plenty of wood. “We wanted to create a homely vibe, so we opted for wood-like tiles throughout the flat. We also use wood and rattan furnishings for an added dose of warmth,” Samantha explains.

Complementing the wooden accents is a pastel colour palette, in which one unique shade stands out. “I’ve always loved the colour frost. It reminds me of summer and adds a pop of colour to the overall look,” Samantha says, referring to the blue shade with grey undertones.

Made for Entertaining

In the Lohs’ flat, the colour is especially eye-catching as it is used in the open kitchen—the cabinets and bar— which is close to the flat’s entranceway.

In designing their new home, the couple prioritised a spacious living and dining area. “We often have family and friends over and we want to be able to house everyone comfortably, hence the open kitchen concept,” they explain. “To accommodate larger gatherings, the bar sometimes transforms into a dining area. It provides a good view of the house and we installed electrical points there so that we can host hotpot and fondue parties!” the couple says.

Unique Design Elements

Guests to the flat might find it difficult to locate thae common bathroom at first, and that’s because its entrance blends into the living room, concealed by Japanese-inspired wooden slats. The bomb shelter received the same design treatment, with the two hidden entrances demarcated with two alphabets – ‘T’ for toilet and ‘B’ for bomb shelter. “We thought the idea was really unique, so we built a feature wall to conceal the rooms, as well as to give the living room a more seamless look.”

Unlike the living areas, the bathroom features a monochrome colour scheme. The black-framed glass partition and door repeats itself in the master bedroom, where the couple decided to do away with an entire wall because they wanted more light in the room.

The master bedroom and common bedroom were also combined to form a dressing/ home office area with more wardrobe space, a decision that the Lohs are very happy with.

The couple are happily settled into their new tranquil neighbourhood, despite being initially unfamiliar with the area—Jovin used to live in Choa Chu Kang and Samantha grew up in Bedok.

“I always thought we would live in the east. Out of the 18 houses we viewed, this was the only one that wasn’t located in the east. I guess east side might not be the best side after all!” Samantha quips.

Photos by Briana Tan