5-room HDB Resale Before-After: From Monotone to Light and Airy
460
- Modern Farmhouse
- HDB (Resale)
- ~1,100 sqft
- 3 br
- Couple Living
Welcome to our humble nest! We are a couple living with our cat, Daikon, who's sure to make an appearance in some of our posts. Keep an eye out — you never know when she'll pop up in the background! As we open our home and showcase the little treasures within, we hope you feel the warmth and love that fills our heart. After all, our handle is @hellokokoro, where "kokoro" means heart! *** Today, we're excited to share some before-after photos of our home transformation! We did extensive hacking in the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. Check out our home tour post for floor plans and additional photos. One major update was replacing the original floor tiles with wood-looking tiles. We absolutely love them — they're cool underfoot, low-maintenance compared to vinyl, and they beautifully enhance our modern farmhouse theme. The wood grain adds warmth and a natural touch that really ties the space together. In this photo you'll also see how we removed the partition wall that once held the TV console. This change really opens up our living area, creating a much more spacious feel. Removing the partition wall also lets natural light flower deeper into the house, brightening up the space. We also rethought our lighting layout. Rather than a uniform row of downlights, our ID (olivercreekstudio.com) collaborated with lighting experts to thoughtfully place fixtures that highlight different areas. This approach adds dimension to the entire space, creating a more refined and welcoming atmosphere. 
Here's another angle looking toward the dining space and kitchen entrance in the background. Instead of a partition wall, we chose a curved sofa to naturally define the living area — it creates a softer, more inviting boundary, enhancing the sense of openness while guiding the layout in a way that feels effortless. Now let's take a look at our entryway— another area where we removed a partition. In the "before" photo, there was a built-in shoe cabinet facing the main gate, along with the door to the bomb shelter. To complement our modern farmhouse theme, we concealed the bomb shelter with a sliding barn door, adding charm and character to the space. We also opted for an off-shelf shoe cabinet that keeps the area more open and flexible — for more details, check out our entryway/foyer post! In this photo, you can see the original look of the other side of the grey partition wall. We reconfigured this area to create our new TV wall and console setup. Here's a peek into our kitchen! We refreshed the space with new tiles and revamped the cabinetry, opting for classic shaker-style panels and a light color palette that brightens up the space. Our kitchen has a triangular layout, and this rework has really opened it up, making it feel more spacious and inviting. Plus, we managed to fit in a dishwasher! While we kept the placement of the bathroom fixtures the same, everything else went through a major overhaul. For the updated look, we chose matt mink subway tiles paired with gold fittings, giving the space a cute and modern aesthetic. 
And here's a glimpse of our master bathroom! We did away with the bathtub which wasn't suitable for our lifestyle, and added a door to prevent the air conditioning flow from entering the bathroom. Our ID cleverly installed a pocket door that slides neatly behind the wardrobe, maximising space and creating a clean look. We'll be sharing a dedicated post on our bathrooms, so stay tuned! This is what you'll see when you step into our master bedroom. We revamped the layout by removing the table and reconfiguring the wardrobe, which is now positioned straight against one wall instead of an L-shape. We decided to keep the parquet flooring in both bedrooms and simply polish it to maintain its warmth and charm. Additionally, we sealed up the cove lighting which we didn't prefer, and replaced it with a new design that better suits our style! Most of the walls, except for the one facing our bed, are painted in a textured finish that resembles limewash. This adds an intriguing element to the room and creates a soothing element for our resting space. 
To the left of our bedroom is where our bed is located. We sealed off the niche on the wall and replaced the pendant light with a ceiling fan that includes a light for added functionality. We also updated the curtains to a lighter color palette, which brightens the room. This is the final photo in our post! We hope you've enjoyed seeing the before-after transformations. These images serve as a reminder of how our dream home has come to fruition, thanks to the wonderful people we've crossed paths with. We are immensely grateful for God's blessings throughout this journey.
- 2 November
Report Post