“Home” means something different to everyone, and it shows━across all the houses and interior design concepts that we’ve seen here at Uchify. This time, we peek into the Toa Payoh BTO flat of Jasmine and Darren, a couple who decided to go minimalist and raw with a modern brutalist design, headlined by dark wood, steel and concrete.
@uchify.sg This modern brutalist 4-room BTO strikes the perfect balance between raw, industrial vibes and refined comfort—utilitarian, yet effortlessly chic. Follow us on Telegram via the link in bio for more content like this! sghome hometour brutalisthome modernbrutalist
4 rooms to 3 rooms = an enlarged living area
Image adapted from: @90x4o
As we’ve seen in so many flats we’ve featured on our site, the couple decided to expand the narrow living and dining area of their BTO by knocking down one of the bedrooms.
Image credit: @90x4o
This created an enlarged common area, allowing them to have a large dining table and reception area, blending into the open concept kitchen.
Statement kitchen island as an extended space for hosting
Image credit: @90x4o
“Huge but practical,” is how Jasmine describes their kitchen island━a secondary area where they can host visiting family and friends, and a generously sized countertop space for cooking and prep.
What this island has also accomplished is to create more of a demarcation between the entryway of the home, and the kitchen, extending out from an existing wall in the flat, which has been laid over with a full-length mirror━great for fit checks before leaving home, and creating the illusion of more space.
Clad uniformly in dark, almost-black wood, the kitchen and island connect seamlessly into the rest of the home, with clean lines and smooth finishes that add to the harmonious minimalism of the space.
Bomb shelter hidden behind subtle carpentry details
Image credit: @90x4o
With no choice but to work around the requisite bomb shelter, the designers at 90x4o decided to hide it behind panels of fluted wood, providing subtle texture without compromising on the industrial chic minimalism of the flat.
Image credit: @90x4o
You’d even be forgiven for brushing it off as a feature wall, paired with the Tadao Ando-style concrete slabs adjacent to it, as well as the large-format sandstone tiles that line the home.
A matching concrete wall behind the dining table gives a pleasing symmetry to the living area.
Image credit: @90x4o
Organically concealed doors lend cohesiveness to the home
Strategically placed lighting adds softness to the raw edges of the home when turned on.
Image adapted from: @90x4o
The bomb shelter isn’t the only hidden feature in this home━without the lights on, you might not not notice the flat extends beyond the kitchen and dining area. Illuminated, what looks like a dead end actually leads to the master and guest bedrooms, as well as a guest bathroom.
A concealed door leads into the guest bathroom with its pedestal sink and pebble-shaped mirror.
Image credit: @90x4o
Sleek, dark bedroom with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it wardrobes
Image credit: @90x4o
The theme of dark wood, concrete and similarly sleek lines carries on into the bedroom, where the wardrobes have all been done up in the same laminates as outside. Here, unlike the lighter grey concrete of the living room, is a feature wall behind the bed of dark grey, distressed large-format tiles that add to the brooding, moody vibe of the bedroom.
Image credit: @90x4o
They’ve foregone the use of handles on their wardrobes, opting instead for subtle recessed grooves which add to the clean, organic lines of the home. A swing glass door leads to the master bathroom, lit with warm golden lighting solutions to add cosiness to the otherwise dark room.
$90k modern brutalist 4-room BTO renovation
Going the modern brutalist route doesn’t mean your house will look cold and un-homey, as this 4-room BTO renovation has demonstrated. There are ways to add warmth and softness, such as the day curtains in this living room, or the lighting solutions that have been employed, proving that you don’t have to shy away from black and concrete in your home too.
For more HDB reno ideas:
- HDB flat with a bouldering wall
- Maisonette that looks like an upper-class ryokan
- Sneakerhead’s maisonette with a walk-in shoe vault
Cover image adapted from: @90x4o
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