Zen out with shoji screens in this couple’s Japanese-inspired 4-room HDB flat
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Zen out with shoji screens in this couple's Japanese-inspired 4-room HDB apartment
CNA Lifestyle's Making Room series returns to look at small homes with big transformations. This calendar week, Zen out in a 4-room HDB resale apartment with a artistic take on a traditional Japanese design element.
From colour tones to the use of shoji screens, this Japanese-themed HDB flat is the perfect identify to unwind. (Photo: The Moving Visuals Co)
05 Jun 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 05 Jun 2022 06:28AM)
Even though Kwang Wei Long and Yong Si Yun consider Nippon to be their favourite holiday spot, the recently-married pair have never really holidayed in that location together earlier.
"I have always liked Japanese civilisation and I also studied the language when I was in school," said Si Yun, who works in marketing.
"We were planning to keep our honeymoon, but didn't manage to because of the pandemic," explained Wei Long, who works as an IT sales executive.
Then when the couple purchased a ane,249 sq ft four-room resale HDB flat in Bishan, they decided to bring Japan into their home instead.
READ: Transforming a 990 sq ft HDB apartment into a 'piddling Nihon' – consummate with an onsen
"The idea was that our home should be a quiet space for united states of america to unwind after a long day," Si Yun said. Her cursory to interior design house Chalk Architects was to proceed in listen "the Zen-ness of the spaces you find (in Nihon), for case, the little quiet courtyard or garden in a temple area, and how the Japanese juxtapose the modern and the celebrated together".
While they loved the dusty-pinkish tones of the original cleaved marble floor the flat came with and decided to preserve it, they felt the apartment'due south layout left much to be desired.
"It was very odd, with a balcony in forepart, as well as an L-shaped living room setup," Wei Long recalled. "The previous owner had boxed upward function of the living room to create an additional chamber for their family unit, and it made the whole environment very dim."
To bring a sense of calorie-free and airiness into the space, the former study room was sacrificed to create a larger living room. A raised blond forest platform was built well-nigh the entrance of the flat, with a matching built-in study desk facing the window.
Aside from providing a infinite to work from dwelling house, the area, which as well features a wall-to-ceiling mirrored wall, doubles upwards as a home yoga studio.
The walls that separated the dining room from the kitchen on one side, and the 3rd bedroom on the other side, were removed. So was the wall that separated the master bedroom from the bordering bedroom.
READ: A couple's stylish i,000 sq ft BTO flat with a DIY whisky bar and teak wood touches
These alterations allowed the couple to incorporate a key design element, shoji screens, throughout their habitation – non only considering they liked the await of the traditional Japanese latticed wooden screen doors, but also considering they offer lots of ease and flexibility in the way indoor spaces are opened up, or segregated.
As traditional shoji screens feature panels covered in white paper, Wei Long and Si Yun were understandably concerned that the material would not exist able to withstand Singapore'southward boiling climate.
To go around that event, their interior designer used glass-panelled lattice sliding doors between the dining, kitchen and third bedroom to segregate the 3 spaces while assuasive lite in. When these doors are slid open, the three areas become a generously-proportioned living/dining area.
The wooden sliding doors separating the principal bedroom and the adjoining bedroom, equally well equally the master bedroom's wardrobe doors, are likewise designed to resemble shoji screens, except that white wood is used in place of white paper.
"In one case you close it up from the wardrobe perspective, information technology's a very quiet and meditative space, which can as well double upwards equally an boosted surface area for working, noted Wei Long. "And information technology gives a very overnice backdrop when you appear on Zoom," he quipped.
"The tracks for the shoji screen doors are on superlative as we didn't want to risk damaging the floor in the process of building the sliding tracks," added Si Yun.
READ: Transforming a 775 sq ft HDB flat into a garden paradise – in the balcony and bathroom
Even the accent wall of the living room is done up to resemble a series of shoji screen panels. During the twenty-four hours, natural sunlight filters through the sheer gauze curtains. Afterward dark, a mix of cove lighting and recessed spotlights and pendant lamps make the place glow invitingly.
The subdued color palette used throughout the apartment – the blond woods-and-white tones of the furniture and congenital-in cabinetry, the pale grey of soft furnishings such as the bedlinens and upholstery of the L-shaped sofa – create a soothing, calm environs, while the dusty-pink hues of the floor add a impact of modernity and softness.
Each item Wei Long and Si Yun selected for their home exudes the minimalist sensibilities of the Japandi (Japanese-meets-Scandinavian) aesthetic, from a spare Japanese-inspired artwork of the sun over a mountain range placed in a corner of their habitation, to the rustic stone-hued Japanese-style earthenware plates and cups they eat from, to the rounded curves and muted tones of the Fifty-shaped sofa, coffee table and rug in the living room.
"Nosotros bought the items from many different places, when we saw something that we liked and needed and was affordable," explained Wei Long.
"The artwork was bought from an artist on Etsy, who sent us the digital copy that nosotros then got printed. We like that it gives that corner a sense of Zen and tranquillity, and the reminder that every mean solar day is a new day, and that brings a renewed sense of hope. For the larger pieces of furniture, we would send pictures of the items forth with the dimensions to our ID and seek their input on whether it would fit the overall aesthetic, and whether the size suited the space."
READ: A geeky couple's one,001 sq ft BTO flat with a gaming room and toys on brandish
To keep the infinite looking clean and uncluttered, the pair opted for furniture pieces such as a queen-sized platform bed in their principal bedroom, a flip-top desk in the written report, and an L-shaped sofa in the living room, that offer hidden storage.
The couple also loves entertaining at dwelling house, and wanted to be able to conform large or pocket-size gatherings.
When they have more guests come over, their large white rectangular kitchen isle, which is fitted with castors, and which usually sits right smack in the center of their kitchen, can be wheeled out and placed right beside their dining table.
This creates an extra-long dining tabular array and effectively doubles the seating capacity from 5 to 10.
"It's the whole concept of having everybody in 1 place," said Wei Long.
While the couple are still eager for travel channels to open upwardly and so they tin finally visit Japan together, "it'south been pretty nice having our own infinite to work and alive in."
Wei Long added: "Our friends and family say they like the infinite, and the design. Visitors we've managed to have over enjoy the clean, warm and bright aesthetics of our home. Another comment we oft receive is on the amount of storage space that we have catered for, and they will take some of these in consideration when planning spaces for their homes in hereafter."
READ: How grandma's Peranakan dresser inspired a 731 sq ft BTO flat that's also a smart home
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/singapore-home-renovation-tips-hdb-bto-shoji-screen-248616
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