Where Aesthetics Meets Practicality for DINKWAD Couple
7070
Virtual House Tour
- Japandi
- HDB (BTO)
- ~1,000 sqft
- 3 br
- Couple Living
Welcome to our virtual house tour! We are G & H of @ourkohsyhome, a DINKWAD couple working in tech/sales who finally got the keys to our first home in Tampines after a long-awaited 5 years. With the help of our amazing interior designer from @averyandarche, we have transformed what was once an empty and barren house into the warm and cosy abode we now call home. We took inspiration from wabi-sabi interior design, focusing on the use of warm earthy tones and textures to create a mindful yet cosy living space. The total renovation & electrical cost for our 4-room BTO exclusive of furnishings & appliances was ~$70k. We kept costs of furnishings low by mainly sourcing from Taobao & JB. 
Before we dive into our home tour, here's what our original floor plan looked like and some of the challenges we faced with this layout in achieving our desired home. • Suggested dining area was closed off and segregated from the living area. Not ideal for hosting larger groups as guests cannot socialise across the living/dining. Plus limited space to add on an extra table if needed. • Right side of the suggested dining is a structural wall that cannot be hacked away • Awkward box up of pipes right in the middle of the kitchen We also really wanted a dry pantry situated between the living and kitchen area to house our water dispenser & coffee machine. The final layout where our ID managed to work around the structural walls to come up with something that suits our lifestyle and fits our highly wishlisted dry pantry! As a result, we also had to shorten one of walls in bedroom 3 (BR 3) to ensure sufficient space for the walkway as our dining table protrudes out into the original walkway. This worked to our advantage since we wanted a larger living room space and did not require that large a space in BR3 which was allocated to be a study. To maintain spaciousness in the master bedroom while allowing for a large wardrobe, we hacked away the wall between the MBR and BR2 so that our wardrobe could utilise the space of BR2 instead. We have left BR2 empty for now so that we can maintain flexibility in terms of the room's function based on our lifestyle needs as our life progresses. 
Featuring the first view you'll see the moment you step in. As homebodies, we wanted our space to be cosy. We also wanted something that was timeless, yet practical. Hence our decision to adopt dark wood and neutral colors for our home as the natural texture of wood brings a warm and homely feel to the space, paired with warm beige tones which creates a cosy and inviting atmosphere that is timeless and welcoming. We kept to only 2 laminate colors for our carpentry to ensure consistency around the house. We also utilised curves and organic shapes around the house to soften the look and create a sense of fluidity. Backtracking a little to our foyer area. This was the original kitchen entrance which we concealed away to make into our foyer. The limewashed walls and ceiling creates visual separation of the foyer from the living area. Rather than excessive decoration, wabi-sabi favours uncluttered spaces that feel peaceful and serene. Each object has a purpose and is often chosen for its personal meaning or inherent beauty, creating a sense of mindful living. There is a huge focus on concealed storage in this area as it is where we store our shoes and our dog's stuff (collars, leashes, wet wipes etc.). This helps keep the entryway clutter-free. 
This is our living room, the place we (& our dog) spend the most amount of time in watching Netflix late into the night. We went a little heavier on the cream colours instead of dark wood as we wanted our living room to remain bright and airy. We also chose to go with loose furniture so that we have the option to change things up in the future easily. 
Absolutely no regrets getting the Samsung The Frame 65" TV as it really resolves the issue of reflection from the windows in the daytime. The Sonos soundbar was also something we never knew we needed until we tried it for ourselves. Movie nights hits different with better sound quality. The organic-shaped niches & decor that makes this house uniquely ours. Real frenchie is a paid actress here and was generously renumerated in treatos promptly after this shot 😂 We are on #teamdabao and don't do heavy cooking often so an open-concept kitchen worked for us as it allowed our home to remain visually spacious. The seamless integration between the open kitchen and island creates a smooth flow from living to kitchen, enhancing both functionality and practicality as the island tabletop also doubles up as extra prep space on the rare occasion when we cook. It also provides additional storage space to help keep the house clutter-free. 
Fulfilled our dry pantry dreams! This place is also our cafe by day and little bar by night. It made a lot of sense for us to have our dry pantry in between the living space and kitchen so we wouldn't need to walk all the way into the kitchen to get water from our dispenser. We can also remain connected with our guests while brewing them a cuppa or concocting a cocktail. A little peek into our master bedroom. We kept it simple with a loose-piece vanity and bedframe to keep costs wallet-friendly as built-in pieces for these can add up to thousands. Our master bedroom is pretty small so apart from our wardrobe, we wanted to minimise fixtures and carpentry in this room which can make the room feel smaller. 
Instead of a standard bedframe with headboard, we got our ID to come up with a reinforced partition which we limewashed and used as our bedhead. This allowed us to build in strip lighting in the headboard and bedside lights for a cozier vibe. In fact, we've been using these ambient lights much more often than the main lights in our master bedroom. With the partition headboard, we were also able to mount our bedside sockets nicely, just like how hotel rooms typically do it. Our 2.2m long wardrobe that utilises the space in the adjourning bedroom 2 so that we can still have decent walkway space in our master bedroom. And that is all for our home tour! Do keep a lookout for our future posts where we share in further detail about how the different spaces in our home were built for our lifestyle as well as home living & renovation tips.
- 8 October
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