Classic Comforts

Vintage designs infuse this spanking new apartment with timeless appeal.

- Isabelle Tow

Space 4-room HDB BTO flat

Location Bidadari

Reno period Eight weeks

Home to A married couple in their 30s

Budget $60k

Despite its brand-new bones, the interiors of this apartment hark back to a vintage era, one of simple pleasures and classic shapes. Long before they collected the keys to their 1,000sq ft BTO flat in Bidadari, owners Wilfred and Corinna had already acquired distinctive tastes—about their personal pastimes to their design preferences—that they wanted to reflect in a sanctuary that was inimitably their own.

They were partial to an open layout for the communal area, envisioning an enlarged living space that could accommodate lounging, dining and a workspace all at once. This proved to be a prescient choice, since right after renovation was complete, the country entered the circuit breaker period, which forced homes everywhere to double as remote offices. The couple had also accumulated a small collection of treasured furnishings that they wanted to incorporate into their home. The couple called on Joy Loo and Khoo Kean Hu, the husband-and-wife creative directors behind WAFF, to conceptualise a design that fulfilled their brief.

Noting the classic mid-century icons in their furniture and lighting collection, Joy and Kean focused on curating a muted material and colour palette that would complement rather than distract from their fine designs. White walls, concrete screed flooring, and stained plywood joinery form the backdrop of the communal space, which was expanded into the adjacent bedroom as per the couple’s wishes.