For someone whose career revolves around aesthetics, it was only natural that Stanley Lui’s home would reflect his personal style. A digital content creative known for menswear, sneakers, home furnishing, and lifestyle content, Stanley approached his first home much like he approaches his work. With a clear visual identity.
His bachelor pad is a 1970s-built 3-room resale HDB in Clementi. Instead of opting for a typical modern minimalist renovation, Stanley leaned into mid-century modern design, blending vintage inspiration with contemporary touches.
A $65K 3-room resale flat with an enlarged master bedroom
At $65K, the renovation is relatively modest, but executed with thoughtful and tasteful design choices. The living room follows a mid-century modern theme, accented with subtle touches of Oriental-inspired furniture that nod to Stanley’s Chinese heritage.
Furniture and built-ins are kept intentionally minimal, allowing the room to feel open while ensuring the layout remains practical for everyday living. Retaining the original terrazzo flooring adds warmth and reinforces the flat’s retro character, giving the space a timeless charm.
Another eye-catching piece is the glass dining table supported by a sculptural base of three carved fish. The piece carries personal meaning for Stanley, who has long had an appreciation for fish and aquatic imagery, and wanted to weave a subtle Chinese influence into the home.
To complement the table, he paired it with transparent plastic dining chairs, whose curved silhouettes resemble fish fins when arranged around the table.
Their transparency also keeps the compact dining area visually light, ensuring that bulky furniture doesn’t distract from the statement piece beneath the glass.
One of the first things you’ll notice upon entering the flat is the glass block panel separating the kitchen from the bedroom.
This feature came about after Stanley had the original dividing wall hacked and repositioned to carve out more space for the master bedroom, allowing room for a larger wardrobe. To make this possible, a portion of the kitchen’s original footprint was sacrificed, slightly reducing its size.
Rather than rebuilding a conventional solid wall, Stanley chose to install a glass block feature partition. The blocks maintain a clear separation between the two spaces while still allowing light to filter through, preventing the flat from feeling enclosed.
Beyond its practical benefits, the material also complements the home’s mid-century modern aesthetic, turning what could have been an ordinary wall into a subtle yet striking design feature.
A modern & functional kitchen
The kitchen continues the home’s mid-century modern theme, anchored by a floor of terracotta tiles that add warmth and character to the space.
Although the kitchen was slightly downsized to make room for a larger bedroom, the glass block feature wall ensures the area still feels bright and open, allowing light to filter through and visually expanding the narrow layout.
Rather than leaving one side of the kitchen as a blank wall, Stanley installed a stainless steel industrial-style bar counter, paired with metal stools. The setup works well as a casual dining spot, but can also double up as a dry pantry or coffee bar, making clever use of what might otherwise have been dead space.
The rest of the kitchen is kept clean, minimal, and highly functional. Storage is neatly wrapped in wood vinyl cabinetry, while a stainless steel stovetop and countertop reinforce the industrial touches seen throughout the home.
A master bedroom with a large closet
Bedrooms in a typical 3-room resale flat are fairly standard in size, but since Stanley chose to keep both bedrooms intact, he made sure the master bedroom could still accommodate a sizeable wardrobe for his collection of clothes.
The sliding wooden wardrobe doors open to reveal a wardrobe backed by glass blocks, which can also be left open to create an open-concept wardrobe look.
While the master bedroom is kept simple overall, it also features a fluted glass door leading to the toilet, echoing the same design language used elsewhere in the flat, including the glass partition that separates the kitchen from the living area.
In the bathroom, the sink and mirror are positioned facing the glass blocks from the kitchen wall. This clever design allows natural light to filter into the space, brightening the bathroom and giving it a clean, boutique hotel–like aesthetic.
Stanley Lui’s $65K 3-room resale reno in Clementi
Stanley’s Clementi home shows that great design doesn’t necessarily require an oversized renovation budget. With most of the renovation budget going towards tiling, hacking, and building new partitions, Stanley focused on structural changes rather than excessive built-ins.
For homeowners working with smaller resale flats, Stanley’s renovation shows how a few bold design moves can completely reshape a space, both visually and functionally.
Still in renovation mode? Here’s more home inspirations:
- 12 best small kitchen storage solutions to help you make cooking great again
- 5 best HDB 3-room renovations that make the most of a rectangular layout
- 5 best open-concept 3-room HDB renovation ideas
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