2020 BY
Y O U R U LT I M AT E R E N O V AT I O N G U I D E
S$9.00
STRESS-FREE HOME RENOVATION Everything you need to know to achieve your dream sanctuary
LAVISH LIVING ROOMS How to ‘wow’ with stunning feature walls
BEDROOM MAGIC
Transform your space into a sleep haven
KITCHEN MAKEOVERS The best materials for an efficient cook space
BATHROOM SECRETS Tips to maximise your private shower space
US$6.50
RM15.00
1. Picking the right renovator There’s no denying that renovating your home can be a challenging process. In fact, you will already be facing challenges even before the construction begins! It all starts with choosing the right person to work with. After all, you’re entrusting your future home in the hands of strangers! Whether you decide to work with an interior designer, interior stylist or contractor, this person must be someone you can trust and rely on. Protect yourself from scams and con jobs by making sure that the person you want to engage is qualified and certified. To help you make the right decision, here are a few essential questions you need to ask.
• Are you licensed? • Are you insured (workers compensation and liability insurance)? How • long have you been in the business? • What kind of residential homes do you usually work on? Have • you worked on similar projects before, and can I look at the pictures? How • many projects are you handling simultaneously? Do • you offer warranties? • Can I have some references from old customers?
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renovations
3. Know your limitations
2. Understanding your floor plan Take a good look at your floor plan. A good understanding of this blueprint will allow you to understand your home’s layout better, and consequently, give you the capacity to consider a total spatial reconfiguration. The first thing to know is that the floor plan presents a top-down view of your home. Everything is drawn to scale and it includes your walls, doors and windows. By looking at the lines, you should be able to identify which walls can be knocked down and which walls are structural constructs that cannot be removed.
It’s easy to get carried away when you’re thinking about your dream home. You can dream about spacious rooms, openconcept homes and Instagram-worthy vignettes, but the truth is, there may be a lot of limitations holding you back. Setting your expectations is important. Firstly, your renovation budget will immediately affect your renovation scale. Almost everything will cost a little extra, from knocking down a wall to opting for better quality materials. Next, you’re limited by the space you have. For example, a luxury bathtub in a small bathroom might not be possible without making some sacrifices. It’s just as important to note that you’re also limited by laws and regulations. Before you make any drastic changes, you might need to request for approval from the appropriate bodies, whether it’s HDB, URA or condominium management.
A good understanding of the floor plan will also allow you to play around with furniture placement. You will have an idea of where each furniture piece goes, and how much space you need. Just remember to leave enough room for you to walk around the room comfortably.
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4. Avoid making these common renovation mistakes Don’t be too influenced by Instagram Spending hours scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest is great when sourcing for inspiration, but don’t get caught up in chasing trends. You want an interior design that will last you several years, not something that you’ll get tired of after a few months. Make sure it’s a look that you actually like, and not just a look that looks good on your social media.
Don’t compromise quality over price Trying to cut corners by purchasing items or materials of lower quality might help you with your budget, but these shortcuts are not worth the trouble as you might have to pay for it in the long run. For example, buying a budget sofa might seem like a bargain, but you’ll have to spend even more to replace it in the future. If you invest in quality furniture and materials, you can rest assured that they’ll last much longer.
Don’t forget to allocate time
Design by Space Atelier
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Renovating a home takes a long time. It can even stretch out to over a year, if you’re also considering about landed homes. As such, you need to make sure that you budget more than enough time to your home renovations. In fact, add a few more days to that number as a buffer in case of unexpected delays.
living
Text Shimin Chu
LIVE AN IMPRESSION Need help planning out your living room? Here’s how you can create a space that will leave a lasting impression and yet be as functional as ever. Whether you call it a living room, an entertainment room or a sitting room, this ubiquitous space is most likely the first thing you see when you enter your home. As such, it needs to look good while still meeting its everyday functions. After all, you sit, rest, idle and entertain in this room. Here are a few ideas (and some handy tips) for your very own functional living room.
Image courtesy of Admore
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Get The Right Fit Choose furniture that complements your living room space. Trying to fit too many furniture pieces in a single space results in unsightly cluttering, even for large living rooms. Decorating your living room should begin with choosing a sofa of the right size and style, as the sofa is usually the focal point of the living area, also tends to takes up the most space.
Always make sure to measure your doorway to ensure that your sofas can easily get through it!
Sofa So Good A favourite among homeowners is no doubt the sectional, L-shaped sofa, for its ability to fit more people, making it perfect for large families. However, for living areas with limited space, you may want to consider getting one or two love seat sofas instead. Smaller than the traditional sofa, love seat sofas comfortably sit two people, making them ideal for smaller families and couples. Face two love seat sofas together and a cosy, conversation area is created.
Design by SPORES_Studio
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All Laid Out Always ensure that the furniture in your living room is laid out in a way that does not impede human traffic. Homes with larger living areas have more space to play with, however, the sheer amount of space may render the room cold and uninviting. A good way to add warmth to a large living room is to refrain from pushing all your furniture against the walls. Instead, keep furnishings within close proximity – enough to let you move around freely – to create a more snug and intimate atmosphere.
For many Singaporean homes, including HDB flats, we tend to have narrow living rooms and equally narrow dining rooms. Thus, one of the best ways to maximise available floor space is to mesh living and dining spaces together, creating a unified communal zone. It is always advisable to demarcate the spaces by subtly marking where one room ends and another begins. A good way to do this is to play with different flooring types, or to make use of your sofas, to visually mark different rooms without setting up physical boundaries.
Design by Fuse Concept
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SHOW YOUR STYLE Treat your living room like a personal canvas and decorate it in a way the reflects your personal taste. However, your living room layout should also be functional and well-suited to your daily lifestyle needs. A fancy sofa may be visually-attractive, but what good is it if it’s not comfortable?
1 Creating a focal point Display areas throughout the room are great focal points that give your eyes something beautiful to rest on. Whether it’s a decorated console table, a cosy corner or even a statement-making armchair. For larger living room spaces, you can afford to go big with your décor elements, such as having a large artwork, or sprucing up your room up with statement items like vases and floor lamps. Conversely, smaller living areas look best when decorated with simpler furniture items, especially those with clean lines. While cushions and overstuffed chairs may give large rooms a cosier touch, these furniture items can easily overpower a small living room. Design by M.Atelier
2 In Neutral Neutrals and light colour palettes work well in almost any living space, and especially so in small living areas. Keeping décor and furnishings muted and simple creates a lighter, more airy feel, making it ideal visual solutions for smaller rooms. For both large and small living rooms, it is always advisable to keep your main furniture items, like the sofa, in neutral tones, and alternatively, play with accent colours on smaller décor accessories like pillows or lamps.
Design by House of Chais
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Sinks And Basins As a high-action zone in the bathroom, sinks and basins need to be extremely functional, durable and hardy to support all the activity that goes on on top of them.
1. Vessels and pedestals Pedestal sinks tend to be the most common among HDB households. Vessel sinks (that are mounted on vanity sinktops), on the other hand, allow you to take advantage of every square inch of space available in your bathroom.
Image courtesy of Magnus Home Products
If you’re using a pedestal sink, don’t forget that you can use the space around the base to place things like washing pails and laundry baskets. KEY TO YOUR HOME / 95
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Toilets 1. Two-piece toilets
Image courtesy of Vintage Tub & Bath
Image courtesy of Hometure
Two-piece toilets are commonplace in household bathrooms. As the name suggests, two-piece toilets consist of a separate tank and bowl, which are then installed together to form a complete toilet fixture that is mounted on the bathroom floor. Typically taller than one-piece toilets, two-piece toilets are better-suited for adults.
Image courtesy of KompacPlus
Image courtesy of Kohler
2. One-piece toilets
3. Wall-hung toilets
4. Smart toilets
One-piece toilets combine both the tank and bowl in its body, and are mounted on the wall. The integrated design is sleek and slender, and they generally take up minimal space. These type of toilets are also likely to be easier to clean and maintain, with less grooves and niches to worry about.
With a more compact body, wall-hung toilets are best-suited for bathrooms with space constraints. The tank is hidden within the walls, with only the bowl and flush plate visible on the outside. Wall-hung toilets are also extremely versatile, and can be mounted on anywhere in the bathroom as long as a water source is present.
Smart appliances also extend to the bathroom, with more and more toilets boasting advanced, smart technology functions. From heated seats to automated flushers, and even self-cleansing functions, smart toilets provide unparalleled comfort and functionality.
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Bathtubs Bathtubs are no longer an unattainable luxury, as it is now possible to incorporate a bathtub even in HDB households.
1. Freestanding tub Versatile, freestanding tubs are highly popular for they are able to stand on their own without being restricted by their location in the bathroom. Freestanding tubs typically come in the form of charismatic pedestal tubs with a solid base, and classic clawfoot tubs that give off an old-world charm.
2. Built-in tubs
Image courtesy of Signature Hardware
To keep your bathtub in tip-top condition, make sure you give it a quick rinse after every use. Every one or two weeks, give the tub a good rub down. To remove any stains, use powdered cleansers that will gently scrub the tub clean. KEY TO YOUR HOME / 97
Built-in tubs are capable of fitting comfortably into any corner of your bathroom space with their customisable size and depth. With the right planning and configuration, a custom-built tub can tuck itself into the confines of the smallest HDB bathroom.
bathroom
Text Shimin Chu
BEST BATHROOM BASICS A well-assembled bathroom is definitely within reach with these helpful renovation and design tips.
Set Aglow Typical HDB bathrooms in Singapore do not come with large windows, unfortunately. This gives rise to the issue of lighting and ventilation in the bathroom. Proper ventilation is key in preventing mould and bacteria build-up in a humid bathroom, while sufficient lighting helps to make a compact bathroom look bigger and more airy. Additionally, grooming activities require a well-lit, highly visible setting.
Design by UPSTAIRS_
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Ensure that your bathroom lighting will not cast shadows on your visage in a way that would disrupt your grooming or makeup procedures.
Store It The variety of items that are stored in a bathroom makes the delicate space extremely prone to unsightly visual clutter. Storage fixtures become a must to have, but do make sure to choose your storage solutions wisely according to your bathroom size. Appropriate storage will thwart clutter and also remove the need for additional freestanding units, making it more space-efficient for small bathrooms. Take advantage of vertical space (walls offer plenty of opportunities for storage) with floating vanities and shelves. For example, the space above your toilet can also be transformed into a good storage unit. Storage solutions in the shower area do not have to be limited to shower caddies. Recessed or corner shelves, or ledges, can also be functional and aesthetically-pleasing when it comes to storing your toiletries.
Built-in furnishings like the vanity and countertop should be clad in non-porous, waterproof and stain-proof materials.
Image courtesy of Showclause
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Design by The Orange Cube
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If you bathroom layout allows it, go for wall-to-wall, built-in vanities and countertops as much as possible. They present fewer corners, ridges and surfaces, thus making cleaning less of a hassle. Wall-mounted, floating vanities also help to free up floor space below, allowing you to mop the area with greater ease. Most importantly, your vanity or countertop should be wide enough to accommodate all your grooming essentials.
bathroom
Getting The Big Picture Before you even get down to the nitty-gritty details, have a clear overall image of where you would like your major bathroom fittings to be. Think about where you will install your toilet, vanity tops, shower zone, or even a bathtub. The positions of these indispensable features of your bathroom will naturally dictate the rest of the space for you. Do you still have leftover floor space to accommodate another storage unit or a decorative potted plant? And more importantly, are you left with sufficient space to navigate around? As you will be moving around the bathroom, you will definitely want to allocate a safe distance between your bathroom fittings.
Design by AWA Design Office
Safety First No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop the bathroom floors from getting wet. To prevent accidents, invest in non-slip flooring that will reduce the possibility of skidding or slipping. For added safety – especially for households with children and the elderly – you can even install grab bars and rails in the shower area, bathtub, and beside the toilet. They will provide extra assistance when getting up or sitting down. Having a shower seat or bench will also make it easier for low mobility occupants. And if you use electrical appliances like hair dryers and razors in the bathroom, ensure that you have a specialised wall socket (ground-fault circuit interrupters) as an added safety measure against electrical injuries.
Design by Prozfile
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PICTURE PERFECT
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This Instagram-ready home is driven by stylish Scandinavian influences that will impress and inspire.
Space 5-room HDB BTO Size 1,216 square feet Location Sengkang Reno Period 7 months
Light wood, dark teal and plenty of intricate detailing come to head in this ultra stylish apartment. The designers were heavily influenced by the lightness and clarity of Danish homes, and wanted to replicate their sensibilities in this home. They achieved this by using a combination of clean lines, gentle curves, and restrained colour and material palettes, resulting in an interior design that stands out from its neighbours.
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key projects / studio fortyfour
1/ LIVING AND DINING ROOMS
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2/ DINING ROOM Clear glass doors separate the home from the front entrance. This threshold highlights the transitional space that welcomes the homesowners when they first step into their homes. These glass doors also separate the kitchen, preventing cooking fumes from entering the rest of the home.
3/ KITCHEN The kitchen, which is tucked away from the rest of the home, maintains visual connection with the communal spaces through a carved-out window. This window features a hinged glass panel that can be opened or closed, depending on what type of cooking is going on in the kitchen. Here, the countertops feature an etched chevron pattern that pairs well with the dark teal cabinetry.
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A very well controlled combination of colours and textures is key to achieving this home’s stylish Scandinavian look. From the light wood floors to the furniture choices, everything has been picked out to complement the overall look. To create a subtle visual feature, the back wall is painted white, with a single diagonal strip of taupe that elevates the look.
4/ BATHROOM A similar look of restrained elegance can be found in the bathroom. The highlight here is the choice of wall tiles. Navy blue tiles are laid out in vertical strips, forming an eye-catching detail that also seeks to visually heighten the space.
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5/ BEDROOM As with the rest of the home, the bedroom too boasts a strong Scandi influence. The pastel colours are easy on the eyes and instead of a bulky bed, the designers opted for a wall-hung cushioned headboard that contributes greatly to the room’s lightness.
STUDIO FORTYFOUR Tel: 9178 1791 hello@studiofortyfour.com.sg www.studiofortyfour.com.sg 5
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key projects / zlc
STYLISH SIMPLICITY
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Apartment living is taken to new heights in this light-filled home with plenty of hidden storage solutions. Space 3-bedroom condominium Size 1,100 square feet Location Canberra Drive Home To A young couple Reno Period 6 weeks
No matter what type of home you live in, finding enough storage space is always a problem. To rectify this, this home designed by ZLC is filled with plenty of storage spaces built into the carpentry. This includes the ceilinghigh shelves, platform drawers and built-in cabinets, resulting in a function-filled home that’s built to last.
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1/ DINING ROOM A simple counter custom-built right outside the kitchen becomes a multi-purpose counter space for the family. It acts a dining table, a surface for food preparation and even a storage unit. To make full use of the space, the designers integrated cabinet shelves into the base of this dining counter.
2/ KITCHEN
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Beautiful white-on-white tones take centre stage in this single galley kitchen. By keeping to a minimalist colour palette, the designer helped to maintain the illusion of space. They also balanced out the the starkness of an all-white interior by adding marble textures to the kitchen backsplash.
key projects / zlc
3/ STUDY A similar aesthetic is seen in the study room, with the pairing of white and wood bringing a sense of lightness to the space. The designers needed to accommodate two workstations, so they built a cantilevered desk that is long enough to fit two. This sleek and slim desk houses pull-out drawers, and is attached to a wall-high custom shelf.
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4/ BEDROOM A customised bed anchors the look of the master bedroom. Decked out in strong wood grains, it presents a beautiful complement to the all-white interior. As with the other custom carpentry in this home, the bed features integrated storage. The homeowners can store bedding and bedside material in pull-out drawers housed in the bed’s base. 4
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