Connected living

An open layout that links the kitchen, dining and living areas gave this home a better flow and made it more conducive to hosting

- BALVINDER SANDHU 

With a love of hosting and entertaining, the couple residing in this four-room BTO flat envisioned their new home with a holistic, interconnected layout. Not only did they want a spacious dining area for gatherings but they also longed for an integrated study and living room.

Finding the standard HDB layout rather restrictive, they instead wanted to open up the existing space and start building from a blank canvas. The style of the home was inspired by their travels and love of minimalist and timeless design—particularly Danish and Japanese midcentury—as well as natural materials like wood, stone and clay.

They knew a lot of work needed to be done, including removing walls and default fixtures. Engaging the team at Threehaus Works for the extensive renovation, they used a natural mood board with lots of wooden textures as a starting point to bring their vision to life.

Opening up the home

The design process involved creating a single room that connects the kitchen, dining and living areas as one. To facilitate this, a wall between two of the bedrooms was hacked, combining them into a larger common space that serves as a living room and study corner.

The dining spot was relocated to the original living area, with an eight-seater dining table that gives the homeowners lots of room to host. A window settee behind it offers even more seating options with extra storage underneath.