Set in stone

These homeowners knew what material they wanted from the start, then planned their renovations around it.

There was one main focus in this BTO flat’s renovations – travertine stone. The homeowners love this material and wanted the design of their abode to revolve around it. Therefore, everything was planned to match the look of travertine – a warmer tone and a raw and organic look, with every space still being functional. By why travertine, though?

“Unlike marble, the beauty of travertine is that it wears with time and it grows with us. That was what attracted us the most – not the beauty of perfection but rather how the home will age together with us,” the homeowners, Jerlynn and Marcus (@ourtanhowse), reveal. “So we chose laminates to match it and we love how a contrasting darker walnut brings out the rawness of travertine perfectly.”

The couple also briefed their ID from Local INNterior that they wanted their home to look different from the regular cookie-cutter BTO flats. One advantage was that they didn’t opt for the HDB tiles so the flat was given to them completely in bare concrete, which means they were easily able to pick the materials they favoured. Travertine tiles are in the main areas, wood-like tiles for the bedrooms and rougher, raw concrete-looking tiles for the foyer area.

“Without a definite theme in mind, our home was able to come together in a way that suited us uniquely rather than being inspired by another theme and replicating it entirely,” they share.

The entire home is painted in limewash, including all ceilings and walls. The homeowners committed themselves to executing this job even though there was a huge delay as many layers and touch-ups were needed – and they have no regrets about going this extra mile.