The owners of this four-room HDB apartment, Benny Lim and his wife Goh Lee Suan had very down-to-earth requests. They wanted a simple, bright and cosy home. What had been very basic requirements worked for the couple and their two kids, for Canly Seet of Design Headlines was able to design an uncluttered home allowing the infiltration of natural light. Suggestions for a neutral colour scheme was also well received. The result? An inviting home despite the rather restricted space.

This new HDB apartment is somewhat small in space. Enter from the main door and a cosy space greets you before the corridor leading into the bedrooms. It is thus not advisable for Seet to break this area down any further. As a result, she demarcates them with a sandblasted glass panel that also shields the display panel and television cabinet from the dining area. That way, the two different zones are well separated.

The maple-hued kitchen door is fitted with sandblasted and clear glass panels to allow natural light to emit from the kitchen into the living and dining rooms. Although the home adheres to a neutral colour scheme, the kitchen spots a creamy yellow shade for a slight, but not overwhelming accentuation.

In some houses, the kitchen can even be given a completely different treatment, like bright blue while the rest of the house is neutral. That is fine provided the kitchen is kept snugly behind closed doors. In this case, however, the glass panels decree that the kitchen adopts a similar colour scheme.