Labour Of Love

Wainscotting, double doors, custom-made fixtures and carefully curated furniture turned this humble HDB flat in Bukit Batok into a bachelorette pad worthy of a heritage resort. ASIH JENIE takes a tour.

- Asih Jenie

Homeowner TC Tan purchased this two-bedroom resale HDB flat in Bukit Batok as soon as she turned 35 nearly nine years ago. An administrator in the education sector, she had been wanting to get her own house and chose the location for its proximity to her parents’ home in Choa Chu Kang.

Brimming with interior design ideas, TC enlisted the help of freelance interior designer Yichun Lee and her contractor to realise the vision for her home. A design aficionado and a long-time Home & Decor reader, she moved in in December 2014 and spent the next eight years perfecting the house to finally invite us for a tour last year. The result is breathtaking.

The original flat was almost three-decades-old when she bought it. It had a long, rectangular layout in which the two bedrooms ran parallel with the living space and the kitchen, with a storeroom separating them. TC had this storeroom removed to create a better flow and bigger dining space. She also had a portion of the kitchen converted into a yard and the two existing bathrooms combined into a large, sumptuous one.

The labour of love is apparent right from the front door, which reminds one of a black-and-white bungalow with its dark-stained timber steps, oversized planter, and black scissors-style metal gate. Entering the house, one is received into an entryway with a matching aesthetic featuring antique-inspired furniture and black-and-white accessories. “I am a fan of colonial design,” says TC. The places that inspired her include Raffles Hotel Singapore and Seven Terraces in Penang. This aesthetic informs the rest of the interior.