My Houzz: A Singaporean Apartment Designed to Feel Like a House
See how two architects designed their five-room apartment to feel like a freestanding house
When married architects Lee Liting and Chow Khoon Toong of Nitton Architects decided to create their own home, they chose to redesign a typical five-room, public-housing apartment to create a space that feels more like a freestanding house than a unit. Here’s how they did it.
The couple reconfigured the plan of the former three-bedroom apartment, hacking open as many walls as structurally allowed, and rejigging room sizes to their preference.
Liting explains that creating the open-plan layout was important to ensure that the apartment felt like a “welcome retreat from the crowdedness of urban living”, and was more “emotionally uplifting”.
Indoor potted plants and built-in planters create the effect of having a relaxing indoor garden as part of the main space.
“The plants thrive within integrated planter stands next to windows, and mobile self-watering pots sit within the planter stands [so] plants are easily moved around for regular misting and re-potting,” says Liting.
Liting explains that creating the open-plan layout was important to ensure that the apartment felt like a “welcome retreat from the crowdedness of urban living”, and was more “emotionally uplifting”.
Indoor potted plants and built-in planters create the effect of having a relaxing indoor garden as part of the main space.
“The plants thrive within integrated planter stands next to windows, and mobile self-watering pots sit within the planter stands [so] plants are easily moved around for regular misting and re-potting,” says Liting.
The kitchen space was created to be a “backdrop or visual extension of the main living space,” says Liting.
“The ambient lighting is enhanced in the evenings by diffused lighting coming from the openness of the kitchen.”
Pandomo Loft cementitious flooring: Ardex; ‘Brix’ timber-toned laminate on wall: EDL Laminates
“The ambient lighting is enhanced in the evenings by diffused lighting coming from the openness of the kitchen.”
Pandomo Loft cementitious flooring: Ardex; ‘Brix’ timber-toned laminate on wall: EDL Laminates
By using sliding partitions and a full-height glass wall, two bedrooms can become “independent spatial units” yet also remain part of the main living area.
The partitions can be opened to naturally ventilate the space via the main living space, or closed off if air-conditioning is needed.
A continuous feature wall integrating two concealed doors visually extends one end of the guest room. One of the doors camouflages the entrance to the common bathroom, while the other leads to a walk-in wardrobe serving the guest room.
A continuous feature wall integrating two concealed doors visually extends one end of the guest room. One of the doors camouflages the entrance to the common bathroom, while the other leads to a walk-in wardrobe serving the guest room.
“This feature wall continues, albeit across a glass wall, into the master bedroom where it morphs into the vanity counter,” says Liting.
Rocce Anthracite homogeneous tiles: Rice
Rocce Anthracite homogeneous tiles: Rice
The practical use of the guest bedroom is down to the two hidden beds – one is a pull-out bed under the raised timber deck of the indoor garden; the other is a Murphy bed that folds down from a wall cavity.
American white oak solid timber strip flooring: Perswood
American white oak solid timber strip flooring: Perswood
“The space starts to breathe and come alive, changing throughout the day and adjusting to different routine needs,” says Liting. “This fluidity is especially stimulating for children, who are thrilled by the interactivity and scale of available play area.”
There are dedicated zones in the master bedroom that include a vanity area and enough room for a king-size bed, with a wardrobe being used as a room divider.
“The wardrobe is lifted from the floor by a bottom steel frame, allowing natural light to filter through to the vanity area,” says Liting.
“The re-zoning is made possible by relocating the wash basin within the master bath to the external face of the bathroom enclosure. Space within the master bath is also freed up to accommodate both a bathtub and a separate shower stall, enabling indulgent bath routines.”
“The re-zoning is made possible by relocating the wash basin within the master bath to the external face of the bathroom enclosure. Space within the master bath is also freed up to accommodate both a bathtub and a separate shower stall, enabling indulgent bath routines.”
The original floor plan before works
As for whether or not the renovations ran smoothly, Liting says precision was important from the outset to ensure there were not any major problems with the project.
As for whether or not the renovations ran smoothly, Liting says precision was important from the outset to ensure there were not any major problems with the project.
The new floor plan after works
“Components like the large sliding panels and glass wall also had to be the right size for the workers to successfully transport all the materials up the fire escape staircase in the high-rise block,” says Liting.
“[And] Industrial-grade hardware such as the sliders for the pull-out bed concealed beneath timber decking had to be imported.”
“Components like the large sliding panels and glass wall also had to be the right size for the workers to successfully transport all the materials up the fire escape staircase in the high-rise block,” says Liting.
“[And] Industrial-grade hardware such as the sliders for the pull-out bed concealed beneath timber decking had to be imported.”
Sofa, chaise longue and 2.4-metre-long timber dining table with steel legs: Commune
Your turn
What do you like most about this flexible design? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like this story, and join in the conversation.
More
Craving more inspirational design? Don’t miss our last My Houzz: A New Zealand Home Celebrates Colour and Easy Materials
Your turn
What do you like most about this flexible design? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like this story, and join in the conversation.
More
Craving more inspirational design? Don’t miss our last My Houzz: A New Zealand Home Celebrates Colour and Easy Materials
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Lee Liting and husband Chow Khoon Toong of Nitton Architects
Location: Sengkang, Singapore
Size: A five-room apartment measuring 110 square metres
Project duration: Three months
The concept behind the redesign was “to emulate the ambience of a landed house, unencumbered by the standardised framework of high-density, high-rise housing,” says Liting. “We wanted to explore the true potential of space within a HDB [Housing and Development Board] flat. The project is a genuine design experiment that opens up bold perspectives on urban living.”
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