Creating A Cave!

AEN is a designer and engineer who contacted us a while back about the renovation he was doing on his new HDB. From the photos, you'll see it’s more of a redesign than a renovation and nothing like we've ever featured before. We were pretty wowed, and are happy It’s completed so we can show you!

Aen and Pei Tsyr bought the four-room build-to-order flat and have been living there for over a year. They’ve lived in Yishun for most of their lives and this time chose a more peaceful part of the neighbourhood, near the Lower Seletar Reservoir, to be closer to nature.

Tell us about the design of your home.

We wanted our space to feel like it’s been around longer than we have – like we had found a cave and settled in it. Visually, we wanted it to be raw and simple so it doesn’t feel all man-made. But also to recreate the security and permanence of a cave.

We found inspiration in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern houses that were simply carved out of rocks. And we stuck to a single colour and limited textures throughout the space. The more homogenous it is, the more it will feel like a cave.

There is almost no entryway – there is immediate access to the large living space as soon as we enter. We don’t have special rituals we had to design around. The whole space is large and flexible to allow for spontaneity.

All the walls were removed to reallocate space.

What about your home décor?

We put off getting bulky furniture to allow the living space to adapt to any purpose. It can be a workout space, or easily host friends and movie nights, without things getting in the way.