Zakka may be less well-known compared to other Japanese interior design styles like Japandi or wabi-sabi, but if this 3-bedroom Zakka HDB reno has anything to prove, it’s that this style has just as much to offer aesthetically as its counterparts.
@uchify.sg Inside a $55K self-designed Japanese Zakka 3-room HDB flat where every nook is brimming with lush greens, woodsy warmth, and a dash of izakaya charm 🎋🍥🎏 🔗link in bio for the full feature🔗 Follow us on Telegram for more homes like this! #japanesezakka #homeinspo
The home of Herman Yap, a former graphic designer-turned lecturer, this home is equal parts his vibrant personality and green thumb. Readers who are into getting an abode that feels uniquely you, this one’s a great reference point.
A rustic living room with custom wood laminates as beams
The living room is where most of the decor and visual details are, as this is where Herman spends the most time. The simple white walls and chestnut wood laminate panels form the backdrop of the home, providing the perfect canvas for all of his plants and accessories.
The panelling in the house was put in at $120 a pop, which quickly adds up considering how much of it there is, making it the biggest ticket item in this renovation. Complementing this is the furniture here, almost all of which is made of wood in a chestnut shade similar to the wood laminate on the beams.
Herman sees the home as an evolving space, one that grows according to the tastes and lifestyle of its homeowner. One change he’s keen on, for example, would be to change the wood laminate for the slimmer beams on the ceiling as he feels the current ones lack the lustre of real wood.
Decorating the living room are a whole slew of Japanese prints, decor, figurines and of course lots of plants. Herman is deeply enamoured by Japanese culture, and the seemingly wild, eclectic nature of his home is actually inspired by what he saw in the multi-label shops he’s visited on his many trips to Japan.
One big aspect of this renovation is its minimal and simplistic nature with minimal built-ins. This is so that Herman can have free reign to move furniture and rearrange the layout of the home as he sees fit.
Amongst the various pieces of decor is a lantern by Beams, one of the multi-label stores in Japan that inspired the way these items are arranged in this home.
There is a mish-mash quality in this home, consisting of things picked up along the way that add to the quirkiness and lived-in feel of the place. It manifests in a tall bar-height table, situated behind the sofa, that’s perfectly set up to watch TV during solo mealtimes.
Herman jokingly mentioned how it’s also one of the many locations in his home for hosting Zoom meetings, since the backgrounds are aesthetically pleasing. It probably was also chosen for its skeletal frame, allowing it to showcase the various design reference books that Herman keeps.
Hanging above it are branches that form an almost miniature nature diorama, complete with plants and bird figurines.
The dining area is reminiscent of a cafe, with its wood furniture and chequered tablecloth. Presiding over it is a poster print by Hiroshi Nagai, a graphic designer known for making city pop album covers. You see plenty more little trinkets adorning the surrounding area, including prints, bags, and greenery.
The text on the mint green wall, which reads “Make yourself at home”, used to be the centrepiece of the living room, greeting guests with a sense of laid-back homeliness. Herman reconfiguring the layout of his living spaces and shifting the dining area here means the painted text is now covered by the poster print.
On the right of the dining area is a chalk sign that Herman personally made to imbue this place with a bit of that cafe vibe.
An indoor garden of a home
Whilst greenery is indeed scattered all around the home, Herman has also dedicated a space by the bay window specifically for the nurturing of his plant babies.
A close-up of some of the plants on display in Herman’s home garden.
This Zakka HDB Reno flat itself is bright, meaning that there is little need for artificial light. Herman also consequently makes use of all of the real estate here to give his plants their dose of sunlight. In fact, even the plants further inside the home are sometimes brought out to the shelf so that they too can thrive under the sun.
Of note here is a calming visage of staghorn ferns hung on a wall-mounted frame. With the planks framing the planters, this visual feature bears the fun semblance of a photo collage.
The fish tank is a new addition, as part of Herman’s foray into aquatic plants. Whilst still a new feature, it does provide a lively quality to the garden, especially with the movement of the fish.
Cosy izakaya-esque corner with Japanese vinyl records
Herman has utilised the empty space between the dining table and the kitchen to create a vinyl hobby area. The wall rack is actually a DIY project, and created so that the former graphic designer can display some of his favourite Japanese records.
The area itself is quintessentially Zakka, with almost every inch of free shelf or countertop space filled with trinkets and baubles, collected from his travels, showcasing Herman’s personal aesthetic and taste.
You can also see another of his custom works on the glass kitchen splash guard, in the form of a white Japanese Asanoha pattern print framing a roundel of a resting figure bearing his own likeness.
Filled to the brim with decor, this vinyl area is a visual treat.
Cosy, lived-in kitchen with custom noren curtain
Now, the kitchen is arguably one of the most prominent parts of the home, easily commanding attention with the amount of decor here as well as a distinct custom noren curtain that sits atop the kitchen entrance.
Inside, you’ll find the left wall covered almost from floor to ceiling in past articles that he had been featured in, prints and other personal decorative pieces. Even the fridge is not left bare, with the entirety of its surface covered in miniature photos and a smattering of fun stickers.
The kitchen itself was deliberately left minimal and basic. This was because Herman does not dabble too much into cooking, so something user-friendly and basic was more appropriate for his lifestyle.
A close up of some of the many little baubles that fill the kitchen.
Restful bedroom space behind shoji-inspired doors
With fluted wall panels, a sliding door with white recesses emulating the look of shoji doors and even a noren curtain overhead, it is obvious that the bedroom entrance leans heavily into Herman’s appreciation for all things Japanese.
Inside, the bedroom is more organised and less visually busy, fitting as a place for rest. That said, it is no less filled with personality, with open shelving showing off Herman’s fashion drip, a two-tone wall in white and mint green keeping up with the colours outside, and a few more choice prints.
The open shelves are partly due to Herman shunning built-in wardrobes in favour of being able to rearrange the layout of the home whenever he wishes to. It also has the neat advantage of being able to easily keep inventory of his clothes.
By the window is a shelf that is repurposed out of a wooden ladder. With shoes placed on every step being evocative of its original purpose, it is both a neat storage solution and a fun, tongue-in-cheek visual feature.
Quirky doors & a pebble-topped toilet
At the back of the kitchen is an extra bedroom, with the shower and bathroom area separated into individual rooms. They come with visually aesthetic panelled doors. On the frosted glass panels are cute prints indicating the purpose of each room. Their typography is inspired by the signs and posters that Herman saw during his time in Japan.
Inside one of these doors is an eco-friendly toilet that comes with its own integrated hand basin. With pebbles lining the basin, it almost looks like a miniature rock garden.
The rest of the bathroom is suitably Zakka in style, filled with plants, wood-looking tiles and even a small rack of a few choice magazines to browse through when on the porcelain throne.
A graphic designer’s $55K Zakka 3-room HDB reno
A home defined by plenty of colour, detail and textures, this Zakka HDB reno is a wonderful example of a style that allows you to inject plenty of personality into your home. If you too would love to have an abode that is equal parts plants and personality, perhaps you’d do well to pin a couple of these pictures onto your inspo boards.
Check out our other articles here:
- Inside YES 933 DJ Qijia’s fashionable modern French BTO
- Faux skylight in 3-room HDB BTO
- A $73K 4-room HDB BTO renovation with plenty of Taobao products
Cover image adapted from: Ally Siew
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