Sometimes it feels like there are only a few floor plans available when it comes to buying a new HDB apartment, right? Well, with a little bit of thought and a great interior design team you can transform your new apartment into something that not only suits your lifestyle and stands apart from the crowd.

Pretty Pastel Palette

The owners of this pretty pastel Sumang Walk HDB apartment definitely aren’t afraid of using colour to give their home a fun, fresh style. Lots of different shades of green, sky blue, neon green, lavender, pale yellow and pale timber flooring makes this apartment a joy to behold. With toys as decorative items, a bedside table that looks like an emoticon, off-kilter door handles in the master bedroom, there is nothing too serious about this warm space. The large living space is sectioned by clusters of furniture, and a built-in bench functioning as a dining area creates a break before the kitchen area. In the master bedroom, the built-in wardrobes create another fun aspect to what could be a very basic room. While the homeowners haven’t changed too much of their HDB’s basic floor plan, the use of colour has created a truly one of a kind apartment. 

Interior Designer: Chapter B

Location of Home: Sumang Walk

Renovation Cost: $36,000

Industrial Retro with Local Flavour

The clever mix of industrial fittings combined with light colours and retro style furniture gives this Hougang apartment a fun, quirky vibe. The large-format tiles on the floor in the living space are easy to look after, and the white-painted brick walls creates texture in an affordable way. But it’s the exposed wiring and old-school switch-plates that really give this home its industrial vibe. The use of multi-bulb lighting over the dining table creates a highlight in the room and we love the funky chair cushions that look like slabs of wood! Also in the living room the study space has its own industrial and funky feel with the mix of bright colours and metal tubing used to create bespoke shelving units. Even the lighting fixtures have a retro industrial look.

Interior Designer: Hue Concept

Location of Home: Hougang

Renovation Cost: $40,000

Travel Tale-inspired Scandinavian

The homeowners of this Bedok Reservoir apartment obviously love to travel. The lounge area has been decorated with travel inspired pieces that create a fun atmosphere--the perfect spot for dreaming of your next great holiday. Mixing with these travel details are the white walls and light wood textures of modern Scandinavian style that is used throughout the HDB apartment. In the kitchen the addition of a strong blue shade adds definition to the space that’s bright and open; the pale timber accents continue into the master bedroom too. Really creative panelling can been used to create not only a stunning bedhead, but also the built-in storage. The white and blue scheme of the kitchen space continues into the main bathroom to create a bright, refreshing space, don’t you think? 

Interior Designer: Starry Homestead

Location of Home: Bedok Reservoir

Renovation Cost: $70,000

Everything Old is New Again

Do you have a sense of nostalgia for your grandma’s old flat? If your answer is yes then you’ll love what these homeowners have done to their Bukit Merah HDB apartment. From the lovingly polished terrazzo flooring to the louvers and old window bars as art, this home has a cool retro vibe. Lots of Mid-Century Modern furniture pieces hark back to the ‘old days’ of Singapore, plus retro orange and green lamps and laminate make for a slick interior style. Leading into the master bedroom through the redone kitchen space, there’s a cool wash basin with a classic old mirror that links to the bathroom. Nostalgia can be such fun when you mix it up with modern conveniences just like in this stylish HDB apartment.

Interior Designer: Chapter B

Location of Home: Bukit Merah View

Renovation Cost: $40,000

A Sporting Life

This HDB apartment has been especially designed for the owners’ love of sport and fitness. The living space is rather unusual, instead of the usual couch and television, there’s a massive pool table, a punching bag and an open space for exercise. Cleverly tucked way in the cupboards, however, is the TV, so you won’t miss out on your favourite programmes. Another cool built-in has been used to create a dining space opposite a timber clad kitchen--the same textured finish is used throughout the apartment. This is certainly not your usual HDB home. 

Interior Designer: The Design Practice

Location of Home: Fernvale

Renovation Cost: $40,000

Dark, Artistic and Masculine Space

This Chai Chee HDB apartment has a warm, cozy and masculine feel thanks to the use of dark colours on the ceiling and floors combined with lots of metal accessories. However it’s the use of art that really makes this home stand out. The huge mural-sized artwork in the living area dominates the space; its pale background really standing out and the matching light coloured couch adds to the elegant feel. In the kitchen area a custom-built dining table in timber has been added to the prep space to create a great live-in kitchen concept and the metal accent of the range hood adds to the masculine style. Moving into the bedroom, the dark wall colours continue but the use of the glass wall with metal edges allows light to enter, creating an open feel that stops the apartment from feeling too closed off. Such an elegant and artistic space!

Interior Designer: Aart Boxx Interior

Location of Home: Chai Chee

Renovation Cost: $40,000

Mix & Match, Glam & Grunge

This apartment in Tampines is totally unique with its mix of glamorous and grunge details, curving partitions, the use of retro-style glass bricks and totally crazy kitchen tiles. Everything is able to be seen from the entryway, with clever spaces tucked away here and there to create not only visual interest but also spaces for relaxing, eating with friends, or watching movies on a drop-down screen. Every item has been carefully chosen since they’re all visible--the electrical cables, the lamp shades and lights, the mix of tiny tiles and raw concrete flooring--every detail is one part of the whole concept. This is truly a very different HDB apartment.

Interior Designer: The Design Practice

Location of Home: Tampines

Renovation Cost: $80,000

More Inspiration:

Other gorgeous homes to get inspired by

Don't neglect your bathroom or your kitchen!

If this isn't your vibe, and you want something simpler, try these Minimalist Homes.

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