Open-concept 5-room BTO home boasts stylish nautical theme

Clean lines, contemporary furniture and a mix of strong and subtle tones define this open-concept home.

W H O

A couple in their 30s

H O M E

Five-room HDB BTO flat in Sengkang

S I Z E

1,185sqf

The use of sea and sky shades, as well as a play on geometry, give this home a nautical-inspired look with a stylish modern twist.

Colour dramatically enhances a space, and in the home of Si Jian Wen and Sharon Teo, the calming cool shades of blues and greens define the interiors.

As Sharon’s favourite colour is mint, it was a starting point for the flat’s colour palette, the couple say. But apart from uplifting colours, designer Si Jian Xin also incorporated geometrical accents, in the form of furnishings and materials, to enhance the home’s clean, contemporary look.

“The idea was to have a nautical theme, but one that isn’t so literal,” he says, on the abstract way he translated and infused the elements of the theme into the spaces.

Apart from the colours that bring to mind the sky and sea, round wire-mesh glass windows — a modern interpretation of porthole windows — can be found on the bathroom doors, while the front gate features a graphical fish scale-inspired design.

Taking the use of geometric shapes further, there are also curved oblong mirrors, linear furniture and structures, and tessellated material surfaces such as hexagonal mosaic tiles laid in a chevron pattern.

A creative way of disguising the bomb shelter’s ventilation fragmentation plate was to turn what is usually regarded as an eyesore into an “art piece”.

Jian Xin had it painted a metallic bronze tone and, coupled with a black wall-mounted lamp with a minimalist linear design installed below it, the wall that backdrops the dining area is likened to an abstract geometric installation.

Customised loose furniture pieces also add to the home’s interiors.

Jian Xin designed a long sideboard, for the open living area, using panels of pegboard for the doors.

“Not only does it make the piece look interesting and unique, it allows for ventilation,” he explains.

Positioned near the entrance, it gives the space character and also serves as storage for shoes.

More storage space is integrated in the bay window seats that “outline” the living room, helping to zone the open layout.

For the $75,000 renovation, mostly humble materials of paint, laminates and tiles were used, but applied imaginatively and tastefully, they bring out a simple beauty.

This article was first published in Home & Decor.