26K Cozy Rustic Home with Swing and Study Corridor
379
Virtual House Tour
- Rustic Chic
- HDB (BTO)
- ~900 sqft
- 3 br
- Couple Living with Kids
Welcome to the Chewy Cozy Home, situated in a 13 years old BTO HDB flat. We will be giving our first ever virtual tour in this post. Kick-starting the post is the meeting place of the family- the dining corner. This has been a central place in our home where conversations flow and we catch up on the happenings in one another's lives. Mismatched coloured chairs are a deliberate attempt to add colours to the otherwise neutral canvas of the rustic nordic theme. The central piece in our living space is a wooden swing overlooking the lush green field across the road. Working with an independent interior designer, we made our dream of owning a swing a reality. The customized bookshelf in the living space complements the whole idea of book lovers in a garden oasis. The new addition of the trampoline signifies the need for balance in our home with the addition of 2 active boys in our family. To soften the look of the wooden swing, Muji mini cushions and a throw blanket are added to the set up. Routers and extension plugs are also cleverly hidden within a house theme organizer at the corner of the dining area. Beyond the giant door that separates the dining corner and living area from the room corridor is a secret space that we carved out from scratch. We call it the study area. Having a dedicated common working space is one of the non-negotiable things when we renovate the flat. This area has seen major transformation over the years with the growth of our family. 
This is our original floor plan of our 4-room flat. We did major hacking of walls to widen the room corridor and to combine the 2 bedrooms into 1. 
Working with an independent interior designer together with a separate contractor made usual impossible ideas impossible. Foldable door was installed in between the original bedrooms to be division of spaces possible when the need arises. 
This was the study area 13 years ago. This is the study area now. 3 different chairs for 3 different individuals who use the space. Clutters are kept in check with house theme organizers and pen holders. A house within a house is an obsession for me. So no surprise that the kiddos' bed frames need to be in the shape of houses. Each boy has a decent sized house box to store his knick-knacks at the bedside. 
The walls are filled with photos, drawings as well as achievement certificates. Small carpet below the mini arm chairs helps to prevent scratches on the parquet flooring as well as add on the cozy vibe in the space. This is our common bathroom in which minimum carpentry was done to keep our renovation costs down. We kept the original tiles and sink and worked around the constraints to make the space uniform with the rest of our home. This is our master bedroom with the only coloured wall in the house. Ratten box containers are a great option to hide the clutter while keeping to the overall decor of the home. Using a step stool as a side table works well in our MBR. Flowers made from Lego bricks is a low maintenance way to add some whimsical sparks in the otherwise neutral canvas. 
Having a south-west facing bedroom means having the sunlight streaming in at the later parts of the year. Never one to miss out on opportunities to grow more plants, a plant haven was born. You know you have entered the home of bookworms when the home library is smuck-right-in-your-face obvious. 
Ending the tour with a recap of the soul of our home, the kitchen. It is important for me to work in a chirpy place when cooking and the orange and green carpentry is a perfect match. The mirrored surface of the fridge is a double-edged sword. I am now a slave to wiping off smudges on the surfaces with 2 active boys. It is the prettiest and does wonders in opening up the space. Beauty has its price. Cooking together as a family means the counter top needs to be cleared with spaces reserved only for essential appliances that are used daily. The sink area is kept simple with tools to facilitate cleaning up with kids in mind. Mirrors above the sink helps to track activities in the living area when the boys are younger and roaming. The help-yourself corner is our way of encouraging the boys to be self-sufficient from a young age. They are able to pour water for themselves as well as to charge their smart watches at this cozy corner. This concludes our virtual house tour. Do follow us as we continue to dive in depth into the different areas of our rustic cozy home in subsequent posts.
- 19 October
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