Unpretentiously warm and welcoming, this bachelorette pad’s quiet Swedish style is livened up by dashes of cool blue
Key Ideas
1.Blue is a cool shade so it is very complementary to an all-white colour scheme. It will instantly switch the mood from cold to inviting.
2. Brighten up dull and petite kitchen spaces with the use of vivid hues and implement some open shelving. An entire kitchen of closed cabinets will box up the space and make it look narrow.
3. Keep multi-purpose rooms versatile with portable furniture. This home’s study room features a desk that slides along the window niche so the settee can be accessed as a spacious reading corner.
4. For a lighter and roomier feel, go for low-lying furniture so it doesn’t hinder your line of vision.
Think bachelor (or bachelorette) pad and images of immaculately sleek, modern or posh abodes usually come to mind. And that’s precisely what makes this four-room HDB fat unit such an unexpected surprise. Dressed in monochromatic hues of blue and accompanied by a generous use of wood materials and surfaces throughout, this home offers just the right amount of visual interest and style, while exuding a humble and cosy vibe that beckons.
With only four weeks to spare for the overhaul process since the homeowner was in between homes, designer Kelly Choong from Project File had no time to waste. Apart from having to meet the homeowner’s tight time frame, Kelly was tasked to beautify the fat in a creative and fresh way, while maintaining a home’s necessary functionality and cosiness. And like most other overhauls, storage space was also an important factor.
Despite the limited time though, Kelly did not just settle for simple cosmetic changes. In fact, an entire wall was rebuilt. Where clear tempered glass used to demarcate the guestroom(which was formerly a kids’ playroom) from the living space, Kelly had it replaced with a solid wall instead. This prevents the clutter from within the guestroom translating into a messy environment in the connecting public zone. A complete revamp of the two bathrooms and kitchen was also proposed.
With so many time-consuming and tedious changes already set to take place, Kelly had to maximise time and cost by keeping several areas of the home untouched. One such area is the fooring of the foyer, the living and dining spaces and the kitchen. Since the existing pebble fooring oozes a natural appeal and offers an interesting element of texture, she decided to retain and complement it by having the existing panelling that hides away the door access to the bomb shelter stained black. Beside it, the shoe cabinet constructed from laminate is splashed with hues of blue and grey and elements of wood fnishing, allowing it to serve as a feature wall as well.
Following through with the mixture of blue monochromes into the living room, veneer ply wood panelling is added upon the wall and stained a dark hue. Interestingly, Kelly specifcally designed it to create a simple and welcoming backdrop for the space, instead of an attention-grabbing focal point. For visual interest, four picture frames are affxed to the backdrop. To further accentuate the Scandinavian theme of the home, a modest TV console with partial open shelves and an inconspicuous coffee table – all in brown wood fnishing – are added to the mix.
Sharing the same open space, the dining area is placed not far behind so the homeowner can enjoy telly time while dining. Though small, the dining set and accompanying light fxture are a visual feast. To make up for the unassuming dining table, the designer proposed dining chairs with metal back rests from Motto to give the area more detail. Above, two pendant lights with wire frames hover on top, while the one without is enclosed in a blue-tinted laminate box designed by Kelly to frame the light bulb. For design consistency, this combination of blue hues and wood fnishing against a white backdrop is carried into the kitchen, which featuresblack granite countertop, white crystal backsplash and laminate cabinets.
Moving over to the rooms, high resilient laminate fooring with a rubber base is chosen for its sturdy quality and rich texture that evokes cosiness. The use of lively blue hues is also toned down in the study room and closet space. Instead, the space is kept calm and restful with white and brown laminates with wood grain fnishing. To make the space more versatile, the study desk is designed with a sliding feature so it can slide along the niche beneath the windows and more space can be opened up when needed.
In a similar relaxed atmosphere, the bedroom is a spacious and airy cocoon adorned with brown wood furnishings. To achieve an even cleaner and roomy feel, the furniture is kept low-lying so the entire room looks less visually cluttered. For the fnishing touch, the homeowner’s personal collection of vintage décor items and a framed Andy Warhol quote afford the room with a distinctive character.