Tradition dictates that black is inauspicious, and Feng Shui principles advise caution with dark colours in one’s home. Yet in this Tampines BTO, black is the colour du jour, wielded in a dark modern theme that the homeowners specifically requested to go against the grain.
@uchify.sg From bland to grand: A $70K BTO transformation in Tampines that’s dark, daring, and delightfully modern 🔗link in bio for the full article🔗 #sghome #sghdb #hometour #blackhome #darkmodernluxe #BTO
Dark & cosy, yet spacious
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
Rather than coming across as oppressive and dim, the end result after $70K of renovation works is a cosy, yet spacious-looking interior. Encompassing 5 rooms, or approximately 1,216sqft, the homeowner couple emphasised a need for their sanctuary to feel homey yet sophisticated, with an abundance of space.
Spot lighting highlights Bear Bricks collection
Image adapted from: Le Interior Affairs
With such a dark finish throughout the house, lighting becomes all the more essential to balance it out. Voli downlights from Sol Luminaire were the weapon of choice━their texturised, black spheres could be rotated to direct light in any chosen direction.
In the case of this dark modern BTO, the homeowners’ collection of Bear Bricks was spotlighted. The Voli down lights also come with a dim-to-warm function so the lighting can be adjusted to suit any mood.
Image adapted from: Le Interior Affairs
Thanks to the strategic placement of warm-toned lights—including recessed cove lighting—the home is bathed in a serene, elegant glow that elevates the textures and colours used.
Textured laminate instead of 3D rock feature wall
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
One way of going about the dark, grunge look is to add a 3D rock feature wall, however they were too costly for the intended budget in this dark modern BTO. Their workaround: using a textured laminate on the feature wall, providing a striking backdrop for the collection of Bear Bricks, especially coupled with the spotlights.
Blended living room & open concept kitchen
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
Chalking up one of the biggest tickets in this renovation was the tiles. This flat takes its open concept kitchen a step beyond the usual do-ups by bringing it level with the living room, and using the same tile throughout.
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
Stepping into the home, you’re greeted with what looks like a vast amount of space. Because there is no visual indication that you’ve crossed into the kitchen, except for a standalone island in the same dark finish, it is essentially a part of the entire living room.
Furthermore, the homeowners decided to knock down the walls of their 3rd bedroom, closing it up with half-height glass to create a study. This feature also doubles up as another display of their smaller Bear Bricks.
On one hand, the glass windows allow extra natural light into the home by day and give the impression of a bigger space. On the other, reflections of light off these windows add extra brightness to balance out the dark colours.
Visually arresting, seamless kitchen countertop & backsplash
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
In the same way that we saw this 4-room Yishun resale done up in a single colour to create the illusion of space, this dark modern BTO also went down the same route, albeit in a completely opposite colourway.
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
Here, besides the single tile that runs from the living through to the kitchen, they also employed the use of the same EDL Compact in a dark stone finish on all the countertops and backsplash so that at a glance, it’s all seamlessly and sleekly uniform.
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
Even the kitchen island features the same European-made material that’s heat, moisture, stain and scratch resistant. It’s a standalone counter that provides a perfect alternative space for hosting, which the couple loves to do.
Shower area in bathrooms are demarcated with differentiated tiles
Image credit: Le Interior Affairs
Peep into the toilets in this home, and you’ll find a slightly different treatment of tiles. Here, the shower area is clearly demarcated. Wood lookalike tiles which are laid on both the tiles and wall mark out the shower, while the dry area of each bathroom is delineated in dark stone.
This split creates a warmer, cosier shower area for rest and relaxation, while not veering too far away from the dark modern aesthetic of the home.
Dark modern $70K Tampines BTO renovation
There’s dark, edgy and grunge, and there’s dark, sleek and modern. This $70K Tampines BTO renovation falls into the latter category, but you decide which aesthetic you’d like to go for in your home. Whichever you choose, the results are bound to be just as stunning.
Get more dark-themed inspo here:
- Another dark modern $70K HDB flat
- Raw brutalist bachelor’s pad HDB
- Modern Regency BTO transformation with dark green walls
Cover image adapted from: Le Interior Affairs
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