SINGAPORE – When executive assistant Catherine was hunting for a new home, an important criterion was that it must be near her mother’s place.
Catherine – who is in her 50s, works in finance and did not give her full name – viewed only three flats before finding the one she wanted.
“This is not my first home, but it will be my last,” she says of the 904 sq ft HDB flat in Hougang.
Her brief to senior interior designer Johnson Ng from Happe Design Atelier included future-proofing the flat, should mobility become an issue in her later years.
“We levelled all the floors for a seamless flow and to minimise tripping hazards,” says Mr Ng.
The four-room flat’s semi-open concept gives Catherine – who describes herself as a “lazy minimalist” – space for everything she needs for her favourite hobbies: her erhu (Chinese stringed instrument), vinyl collection and automatic mahjong table.
Windows by the foyer give the space a bright, welcoming feel.
PHOTO: WONG WEILIANG
The main entrance was repositioned to enclose the former access balcony and create a foyer, with a new wall added nearby to conceal the distribution board box. Windows on one side give the foyer a bright, welcoming feel. Beneath these is a simple low cabinet for her shoes.
