A home renewed

Ever since I chanced upon @oldbishanflat on Instagram, I've become obsessed with their collection of iconic furniture pieces and the artful way they've been photographed in their home. @oldbishanflat shares the journey of a young pair of full-time professionals as they transform their first home-a quintessential '90s resale HDB flat located in the vibrant neighbourhood of Bishan.

Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to start featuring your home on Instagram?

We’re a young pair of full-time professionals and have been living here for almost a year. Old Bishan Flat (OBF) began as my way to document the process of building and renovating our first home—a tremendous milestone in anyone’s life. It started with the complete demolition of our dark, dated, original-condition ‘90s resale HDB flat, moving through careful and deliberate design reconfigurations, and the remarkable people who made it all happen, turning OBF into what it is today. Contrary to my expectations that OBF would lose momentum after our renovations concluded last June, it has evolved into my little obsession with the interiors of our old but refreshed flat, where I aim to share the beauty of what we see every day.

Through our social media, we occasionally connect with like-minded individuals on topics ranging from renovation challenges to timeless design classics, and we’re always pleasantly surprised at how wholesome and friendly this home community can be.

In fact, we once gushed over another homeowner’s super rare Finn Juhl “Japan” sofa via their DMs, and what started as an exchange of our mutual appreciation for vintage Danish furniture eventually led to an invitation to their beautiful home in Joo Chiat. We’ve also returned the favour, hosting them for dinner and wine at OBF a couple of times, and we have remained friends ever since!

What’s the story behind your home? How did you come to select the flat and choose to live in this area (Bishan)?

We stumbled upon this flat by chance—we were growing weary after weeks of sporadic viewings and were considering taking a break, but decided to give it one last try when its listing appeared on a Saturday.