Living In A Cosy 3-room Flat with Minimal Housekeeping

136

Virtual House Tour

Minimalist
HDB (BTO)
~800 sqft
2 br
Couple Living

Welcome to our cosy 3-room Flat with minimal housekeeping, keep reading to find out how we do it!
Hello! I am a first-time homeowner who moved into a 3-room flat with my husband 2 years ago. We wanted our house to be easy to maintain and cosy to live in, and so we have been making tiny adjustments to our home and lifestyle over the years. We still consider our home to be a work-in-progress, but we wanted to share our journey so far.
Having our home at a good location was important to us, and given the stiff competition among other homeowners, we decided on a 3-room flat, since it is less popular. Everything worked out eventually and we managed to get a flat at a good location under the Sale-of-Balance-Flats scheme. We were really happy with our choice :). We didn’t want to spend too much on renovations then and kept to a simple white, wood and grey palette for a timeless look. With little fixed carpentry installed throughout our house, we have the liberty to change up our interiors easily with loose furniture. We also got to explore different styles to find the one that we like the most.
Our interior designer suggested for us to have a small nook near our entryway to hold essentials such as keys and masks. We keep all our shoes hidden behind the grey doors, to keep the entryway dust-free and neat-looking.
As it is a small flat, we can see our living room and dining area easily once we enter our house.
Since my husband and I like to lounge, we wanted a big sofa to relax on in the evenings and during weekends. It was difficult to style the living room since I like a combination of minimalist designs, beach-home vibes, and colourful bohemian styles. I ended up keeping my interior choices to a consistent colour palette so our home can still look cohesive instead of crazy.
This photo encapsulates the colour scheme of our home well!
Watching movies and shows together on our sofa is a small kind of happiness for us.
Since our living area is easily seen from other parts of the house, we wall-mounted our shelves and TV to create a light and airy look. It also makes it easy for us to clean our home as well since we don’t have to shift any heavy furniture around.
When I first moved in, I always envisioned our home to be a minimalist house. But in reality, I have been slowly filling the house with things I like. I have a recent obsession with candles.
Our kitchen came with walls, and we knocked down a large section to create a more open space.
Our kitchen cabinets are handy for hiding our junk food and kitchen tools well, so we can keep our countertop clean and tidy.
When we first moved in, there was a partition door that separated the service yard from the rest of the kitchen. It took up space and would be an extra thing to clean, so we got it removed as well during our renovations.
I like to use artificial plants to style our home since they require no maintenance. There is a special graveyard above my washer for the extra plants which have no place to go (or for regretful plant purchases).
I like looking at Muji-inspired homes, but was afraid that it can look too “brown” if the entire home is filled with wooden furniture. Keeping the Muji theme to just the dining area works well for us.
The pandemic happened shortly after we moved in, and we didn’t realize how much time we would be spending in the study room. We are in the midst of a revamp to change our tables so the both of us can work easily in the same room.
We also store a portion of our books and hobbies-related paraphernalia in the room.
Our master bedroom is on the smaller side, and we didn’t have space for much furniture after adding in our bed. We kept everything plain so it can hopefully(?) create a more restful place for sleep.
The gap between the bed and wardrobe is only big enough to fit a simple bedside table. It looks cute and serves its purpose of holding our phones and Wi-Fi point.
Our home comes with 2 bathrooms, but we stopped using the one in the master bathroom after we realized that one bathroom is enough for the two of us. It saves us time on cleaning as well. Right now, it’s reserved for emergency use only :D
The shower nooks now hold plants and random decor items.
When we first moved in 2 years ago, I always strived to make our home look perfect, but after coming across the Japanese philosophy of “Wabi-Sabi”, a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection, I’m re-adjusting the way I think about our home, and other parts of my life as well. Creating a comfortable place to feel safe and at ease can be both a fulfilling and frustrating process, but I have come to enjoy every part of it.