Transform 1 home to 2

Design Brief

Transform the 2-Bedroom Apartment into 2 separate living units, one for the home owner and the other for a new tenant on a minimum budget to achieve the following –

• Total transformation of each unit for independent living with 2 separate kitchens, dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms
• Enhance existing interior with new colour scheme, lighting design, furniture and appliances

Client Testimony

“The renovation was started and completed during the 2 months when I was hospitalised for my leg injury. I was very surprised to see the entire home transformed after I was discharged. Even though my space is now smaller, I am able to enjoy new furniture and appliances. After living in the flat for more than 20 years alone, I am very happy to have found a tenant who has now become a neighbour and a friend.”

– Mr Alan Lee

Design Concept

With independence being the end-goal of the client, our architect Winston was tasked to innovate a solution to balance between budget and spatial constraints for a unique situation despite the 70 sqm apartment size.

The aim of separating a single home into two – for two individual occupants with distinct lifestyles – seemed quite a challenge at first. Despite the unconventional approach required for the project to succeed, he thought out of the box and achieved the insurmountable by spearheading a design methodology that is currently rare for older flats in Singapore.

Firstly, the original layout of the entire apartment had to reconfigured and rearranged to fit two homes – apartments A & B – into one without any compromise on each occupant’s privacy. To tackle this, the original kitchen of the first apartment had to be shifted nearer to the living room and transformed into a more efficient design with an “L-shaped” counter, and then mirrored for the second apartment. One of bedrooms were also redesigned to take the place of the original kitchen to allow for privacy and natural sunlight into the space.

Secondly, a partition wall to separate the two newly distinct spaces also had to be applied strategically, as each unit now has its own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen space – all carved out from a 2-bedroom apartment unit. In addition to spatial innovations, emphasis was also placed on the color palette and material selection to craft a cozy, welcoming home.

Despite the subdivision of the space, the thoughtful selection of bright and jovial colors coupled with carefully curated furniture, selected with pure functionality and budget constraints in mind, worked together to provide the space a spirit of exuberance which can be thoroughly felt upon entrance.

This strategy enabled the 2 apartments to function independently without compromising on the functions and comfort of each separate unit, a distinction from  the conventional design of corridor-facing flats.  The outcome was a melodious pairing of 2 homes in 1, strategically separated and only made possible by innovative design.

Budget: $49,000

Timeline: 2 months