A Personal Touch

Despite the small footprint of her flat, this designer managed to create a bright, spacious abode with a few creative customisations.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel
Despite the small footprint of her flat, this designer managed to create a bright, spacious abode with a few creative customisations. 
My Reading Room

WHO: An interior designer in her 40s.

HOME: Four-room HDB BTO flat in Choa Chu Kang.

SIZE: 990sqf.

When Lilian Sim first saw her new four-room Housing Board flat, she was a little disappointed. “I thought it looked really small,” remarks the interior designer. She thought long and hard about how to create a “large, minimalist home with lots of clean lines”, and looked to Pinterest and interior design magazines for inspiration.

A wall, which separated the kitchen and the dining room, was removed to create an open-concept space. As there was limited space for storage, built-in drawers were installed under all the beds. The fixed, L-shaped dining table plays many roles, too – it’s a kitchen worktop, as well as a desk.

Lilian also incorporated unique and personal touches into the home to make it her own, in a renovation that cost about $60,000 (including furnishings). Here’s what makes the space different.

When I first saw
the flat, it was
very clear that I
had to remove the
wall between the
kitchen and the
dining area for a
larger space,” says
Lilian. Framed art,
from Ode to Art.
When I first saw the flat, it was very clear that I had to remove the wall between the kitchen and the dining area for a larger space,” says Lilian. Framed art, from Ode to Art.
I really like the
shape of the
Sapporo beer
can. Before
the electrician
installed the lights,
I let my friends
drink the beer,”
Lilian laughs.
I really like the shape of the Sapporo beer can. Before the electrician installed the lights, I let my friends drink the beer,” Lilian laughs.
Lilian chose these
gold light fi xtures
from Taobao.
Lilian chose these gold light fi xtures from Taobao.
The furniture’s
placement and the
vinyl floor tiles,
from Tarkett, follow
the same linearity
to visually elongate
the living room.
Red figurines,
from Ode to Art.
The furniture’s placement and the vinyl floor tiles, from Tarkett, follow the same linearity to visually elongate the living room. Red figurines, from Ode to Art.
A versatile dining table

To provide the impression of a spacious living and dining area, Lilian cleverly emphasised the vertical space above the dining counter. The wood laminate that clads the surface of the table was extended to the ceiling to create a “canopy”. “This makes the space visually larger as the eyes are drawn to the ceiling,” explains Lilian. 

The dark wood tone of the laminate was chosen to contrast with the home’s light colour palette, so that the structure stands out as the focal point of the home. Bronze-tinted mirrors wrap the base of the dining table, reducing its visual bulk.

One-of-a-kind track lighting

Every room uses track lighting, including the hallway, but the lighting in the living room stands out – the spotlights in this space are encased within Sapporo beer cans. Lilian simply cut out the base of the cans, and had an electrician fix in the lights. “Spotlights are very flexible – I can angle their light to face whichever direction I want. It’s also easier to replace spoilt ones, as compared to regular lights,” Lilian shares.

“I use this
L-shaped dining
table when
entertaining
my guests, too,”
says Lilian.
“I use this L-shaped dining table when entertaining my guests, too,” says Lilian.
Full-height
mirrored doors
were used for
the master
bedroom’s
wardrobe to
make the space
look bigger.
Full-height mirrored doors were used for the master bedroom’s wardrobe to make the space look bigger.
A toy collector,
Lilian loves to
travel and buy
cool decor and
accessories,
including the
two
Tintin decor
pieces from
Vietnam. She
bought the
shelves from
Luxur Home.
A toy collector, Lilian loves to travel and buy cool decor and accessories, including the two Tintin decor pieces from Vietnam. She bought the shelves from Luxur Home.
Unique home accessories

Lilian looks to popular Chinese e-commerce site Taobao to find affordable home-decor accessories. Her Taobao buys include the light fixture in the living room, her track lights, a moose-head wall decor along the hallway and a set of three whimsical coat hooks in the master bedroom.

She also recommends her buys to clients if she finds the items to be of high quality. She also decorated her home with her toy collection, such as paraphernalia of her favourite characters – Astro Boy, Tintin and Batman. “They add colour to the home’s neutral palette,” she says.

WHERE TO GO Shen Interior Design, TEL: 6725-8438