At first glance, you would never guess this minimalist, Rick Owens-inspired home in Marine Parade started as a typical 50-year-old family HDB.
Celebrity fashion stylist Lirong, who has worked with local names such as singer JJ Lin and Mediacorp actress Jesseca Liu, designed her own renovation and transformed the entire 947sqft space into a sleek, boutique-like home, all on a $67,000 budget.
Renovating a 50-year-old 4-room HDB flat
The living room before renovation.
Image credit: Lirong
The 947sqft 4-room flat was slightly dated before the renovation, with its original structure intact and rooms painted in different colours to suit the previous family’s tastes. However, the fixtures and fittings were still in good condition.
Lirong purchased the resale flat just this year for around $670,000, embarking on a full overhaul for her new home renovation, which included hacking one bedroom and adding an ensuite bathroom to the master.
She took on the 2-3-month renovation solo, skipping an ID to save costs. She quipped, “In hindsight, that was probably my worst decision!” As a layperson, juggling three contractors while constantly worrying about missing crucial details was anxiety-inducing.
As a fashion stylist who works from home most of the time, Lirong wanted her flat to be a comfortable space for her and her clients. One bedroom is dedicated entirely to storing her clothes, shoes, and props for shoots, while features such as the oversized living room mirror were designed with fittings and client sessions in mind.
Minimalist living room with chrome accents
Lirong’s design direction was clear from the start: keep the home clean, comfortable and zero clutter. She stuck to a monochrome palette accented with chrome features to create what she terms a “minimalist brutalist” aesthetic home.
To open up the home, she knocked down one of the bedrooms to enlarge the living room, a move that cost her about $5,000 and was completed in a day. The now-spacious living area is anchored by seamless walls with concealed storage and flush doors, paired with soft cove lighting created using budget-friendly LED strips.
Low ceilings were another challenge, so she installed curved false ceilings to conceal electrical wiring, which was a last-minute addition that proved essential for a polished look.
$3k sofa purchased directly from Xiaohongshu
The centrepiece of her living room is a minimalist white sofa paired with a chrome coffee table. She sourced the sofa directly from a Xiaohongshu supplier for around $3,000, coordinating with the seller via WeChat and arranging a third-party shipper to bring it into Singapore.
Lirong even travelled to Foshan to shop for furniture, but didn’t buy anything due to high costs. After seeing the pieces firsthand, she found the same items on Taobao for about half the price, as a far more cost-effective option.
Concealed living room storage
One of the must-have features in Lirong’s renovation was the built-in storage cupboards in the living room. The curved cupboards are seamlessly integrated into the walls, providing a clean look while keeping all her essentials within easy reach.
Older HDBs often lack a dedicated storeroom, making hidden storage a must for a minimalist home. The curved design also doubles as a feature wall, creating a calm and polished backdrop.
Custom-made kitchen built-ins from China
The kitchen before renovation.
Image credit: Lirong
The kitchen after renovation.
The all-white minimalist theme continues into the kitchen, now redesigned with an open layout. The 2-metre dining table doubles as Lirong’s home office, making it a practical open space for work and meals.
Breaking away from conventional cabinetry, storage cabinets were integrated into a custom-made 5-metre sintered stone kitchen island from China, saving nearly half the cost compared to sourcing locally. Each compartment is perfectly tailored for her appliances, including an Instant Pot, coffee machine, and even the robot vacuum.
The kitchen also features a downdraft hood that retracts into the island when not in use, keeping the countertop looking clean and uncluttered. Imported from a Xiaohongshu supplier, the automatic hood costs around $4,000.
Open wardrobe system in the master bedroom
The bedroom before renovation.
Jumbo tiles run seamlessly throughout the home, including the master bedroom, creating a clean base for her furniture. This was one of the biggest ticket items of the renovation, with epoxy grouting adding the final touch for smooth and seamless floors.
Against the calm backdrop of the master bedroom, the vibrant open wardrobe from IKEA adds a practical and playful pop of colour. It’s designed to be both lively and functional, letting Lirong see all her clothes at a glance while easily concealed like the living room cupboards for a clean look.
The top shelf even showcases hobbies like her boxing gloves and candle collection, with dedicated space for luggage, keeping the room effortlessly organised.
Even with its minimalist design, the home is full of little surprises that reveal her character. Her perfume collection greets visitors at the main entrance, while a line of Bearbricks along the master bedroom door frame adds a playful touch, proving that minimalism doesn’t have to feel cold or boring.
$67k self-designed Marine Parade HDB
Though self-managing a renovation was fulfilling, Lirong admits she would hire an ID if she were to do it again: “My biggest tip is to invest in a reputable interior designer whose aesthetic aligns with your own. Managing the project yourself is just not worth the anxiety.”
She also advises keeping built-in carpentry to a minimum, as these pieces can’t be moved: “Instead, invest in beautiful, standalone furniture. It makes your space more dynamic and interesting, and you can always rearrange it or take it with you down the road. That’s a pretty cost-effective approach in the long run.”
For more featured homes:
- This 5-room resale flat looks like a Muji showroom with wood-clad ceilings & a Japanese entryway
- 6 things to love about Bioskin’s founder Mathilda Koh’s $14m Sentosa Cove “super” penthouse
- 7 most impressive collectors’ homes in Singapore that’ll enable you to start your own
Photography by: Shermaine Low
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