HDB’s new white flats: How to make open-concept living work for you

SINGAPORE – Open-concept living is not a new trend in interior design. In fact, it has been around so long that Britain’s influential design magazine Homes & Gardens published a story at the end of 2023 asking: “Is open plan going out of style?”

In Singapore, public housing flats have been incorporating open-concept design into their layouts since at least 2012. That was when HDB began offering the option of open-concept kitchens to buyers of new Build-To-Order (BTO) flats.

In 2018, it was no longer an option. BTO flats, by default, came without any partition wall between the kitchen and living room.

And in late 2022, HDB launched a pilot of “beamless” BTO flats in Tengah to make it easier for owners to reconfigure their home’s layout without having to work around ceiling beams, while also providing more headroom.

Soon, some BTO home owners will be able to do away with most of the partitions in their home altogether, even before they have moved in.

These open-concept “white flats” will give owners a blank canvas to configure their flat according to their individual needs.

They will be piloted in a BTO project in Kallang-Whampoa that will be launched in October at a site near Lavender MRT station. Buyers can opt in for the white flat layout when they are invited to book their unit.

Those who do not opt for the layout will receive a standard unit with walls. HDB said the non-provision of internal partition walls will be factored into the pricing of the white flats, with more details to be unveiled in the future.

The move comes on the heels of feedback from young Singaporeans during the Forward Singapore exercise in June 2022, expressing the need for more flexibility to configure their home layout based on their needs at different life stages.

Ms Kelly Chin, director of design firm D’Phenomenal, says the move has been a long time coming.

“Open-concept design has always been a popular demand in interior design. Whether residents fully embrace it or use it as a canvas to reimagine their home’s layout depends on their personal preferences, lifestyle and specific needs,” she says.

For instance, she notes, someone wanting to maximise natural light might want to consider an open-concept layout that minimises walls in favour of glass doors, windows and partitions.

Mr Amoz Boon, assistant director at architectural practice Ekha Studio, highlights that pre-existing “cookie-cutter” layouts of a kitchen and bedrooms – with columns and beams within the interior spaces of the home – can be functionally and creatively limiting, especially since a household’s needs will evolve over different stages of life.

“When children are younger, parents might want them to spend more time interacting, studying and playing together. But when they grow older, privacy becomes an important factor. Some may even want to overhaul the preconceived notion of a bedroom, living room or study room into imagining a space that is something totally different,” he says.

“The flexibility that comes with a ‘blank-canvas’ layout means that flats with the same overall outline will be able to cater to any demographic – from a single occupant to a young couple with or without kids, or even a multi-generational household.

“It gives both home owners and home designers more space to create a unique space that is an extension of the occupants’ sensibilities and personalities,” he adds.

These white flats are also likely to be a positive step in reducing construction waste. Statistics published by the National Environment Agency showed that construction and demolition was the third-largest type of waste generated in Singapore in 2022.

“Demolition works are becoming more common. But with these white flats, unnecessary wastage can be greatly reduced during the renovation process, as there will be a reduced need to hack down newly built walls,” says Mr Boon.

Design consultants would not give firm estimates on potential cost savings. But one can hope it will knock off some 5 to 10 per cent of total renovation costs, depending on the scope and particulars of the overall work that is needed.

Installing partitions such as bifold or sliding glass doors will, of course, add to the costs – upwards of $3,000, depending on factors such as size, material, type and labour.

In comparison, the conversion of a flat with existing partitions to one with an open-concept floor plan will cost at least $100,000 for a 950 sq ft three-room flat and from $120,000 for a 1,500 sq ft five-room flat from the 1990s.

In his own five-room, 1,180 sq ft Choa Chu Kang flat, renovated in 2015, Mr Boon implemented an open-concept layout in separating the home into “public” and “private” zones.

For instance, he replaced a wall dividing the living room from the study with aluminium-framed glass panels. Removing the wall allowed both rooms to feel more airy and open, thanks to the additional natural light that can flow through.

Mr Boon says: “The black metal frames separate the two zones, allowing both to still have visual-spatial connectivity. Between the living-study threshold, translucent day curtains help mask the everyday mess in the study when we host friends and family in the living area, and create more privacy as required.”

Architect Amoz Boon uses day curtains and aluminium-framed glass doors, instead of a wall, to separate his living room from his study. PHOTO: AMOZ BOON

For home owners contemplating an open-concept layout, Mr Boon advises careful consideration of one’s needs and preferences – and how these weigh up against practical constraints such as budget and time.

“I would also suggest home owners keep future-proofing and spatial flexibility in mind, as we don’t usually have the luxury of space in Singapore. But perhaps most importantly, consider what best represents you, rather than adopting the latest trend, whether in layout or theme. After all, your home is an extension of yourself,” he says.

The Straits Times looks at how designers have incorporated open-concept style into their clients’ HDB homes.

Ekha Studio: Holland Drive

Sliding or folding doors can be used in place of walls to make for mobile partitions within a home, so that a room can be made bigger or smaller as needed. PHOTOS: EKHA STUDIO

In space-sparse Singapore, not everyone can afford to set aside one bedroom as a permanent guest room. And while one might have a spare bedroom now, life circumstances can change and give rise to another use for that room – for instance, if a couple have another child.

These were the considerations of the couple who own this five-room, 1,200 sq ft flat in Holland Drive.

They needed a space that could accommodate their two young kids growing up together, says Mr Amoz Boon. He is head of the interior department at Ekha Studio, the design firm engaged to oversee the renovation project in September 2018.

“Future provision and flexibility of spaces were two important requirements for the client, especially for the two middle bedrooms, which were separated in the existing original layout,” he adds.

Ekha Studio’s redesign proposed an open concept for the two middle rooms by replacing the wall between them with a foldable partition.

“The plan merged the children’s bedroom with the study room, which also doubles as a guest room. The partition can be folded up during the day for a larger play or study area. But it can also be used if a more permanent separation is needed, such as when there are guests staying over, or in a few years if the two children need their own private bedrooms,” says Mr Boon.

The flat was around threeyears old at the time, as the previous owners had purchased it under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme.

“Although it was a fairly new unit, we had to knock down quite a number of walls and relocate door positions to achieve the new design,” Mr Boon adds.

Sujonohun Concept & Design: Sumang Walk

Sliding doors enhance the flexibility of creating an open or closed space, depending on the situation. PHOTO: FABIAN ONG

In this five-room BTO in Sumang Walk, Punggol, light wood tones and fluted glass doors come together to form a space that looks and feels breezy and meditative.

The home owners, a married couple in their late 30s, engaged Mr Sujono Lim of Sujonohun Concept & Design to turn the blank canvas of their first home into a space that suited their needs. They got their keys and renovated the flat in 2018.

“The clients required a big open space, including a dry kitchen area where they could sit down and enjoy a cup of tea. They were also looking to convert one of the bedrooms into a study room, with the possibility of turning it into a home-based pottery workshop for the wife,” says Mr Lim.

Mr Lim proposed the addition of two sets of sliding fluted glass doors – one between the study and dry kitchen, and another between the dry kitchen and wet kitchen – to filter light into the spaces while maintaining privacy.

Only one wall, between the study and dry kitchen area, was knocked down. The couple had chosen an open-concept kitchen during their BTO selection, so that space already came without a wall.

Fluted glass doors help to filter light into this Sumang Walk home, while maintaining privacy for the user. PHOTO: FABIAN ONG

“From the beginning, we knew we wanted the unit without the HDB tiles and doors, providing us with more flexibility in our eventual design,” says the husband, who declined to be named.

“We love how the space has been configured to make the house feel large and spacious. The sliding doors enhance the flexibility of creating an open or closed space, depending on the situation.”

Mr Lim says so-called “white flats” are a positive step in a society where every household has its unique lifestyle and needs.

“In the case of this project, the home owners knew they needed a space where the borders between the living, dining and kitchen areas are flexible,” he says.

Liid Studio: Dawson

Some home owners have converted additional bedrooms into walk-in wardrobe areas for additional storage. PHOTO: CAPTURE A LIFE STUDIO

With most new HDB homes in Singapore now smaller than their counterparts – be it three-, four- or five-room units – some 10 to 20 years ago, many home owners are going for flats with more bedrooms and repurposing some of them.

One young newlywed couple, who received the keys to their four-room, 900 sq ft BTO flat in Dawson in 2020, did away with two bedrooms in their $98,000 renovation.

One bedroom wall was removed so the space would be an open-plan study adjoining the living room, while another bedroom had a wall replaced with a sliding frosted glass partition, so the space functions as a walk-in closet.

Ms Ng Hwee Li, founder and principal of Liid Studio, was the designer engaged to deliver this couple’s dream matrimonial home.

Frosted glass can cordon off a space without reducing the amount of natural light flowing into the room. PHOTO: CAPTURE A LIFE STUDIO

Removing the wall between the living room and study room made both spacious – even while the two areas remain separate and discrete in how they are used daily. PHOTO: CAPTURE A LIFE STUDIO

“We began the design process early in the Covid-19 pandemic, so a work-from-home space was a major requirement. The clients also wanted a walk-in wardrobe for increasing storage,” says Ms Ng, who is the honorary secretary of the Society of Interior Designers Singapore (Sids).

Removing the wall between the living room and study room, she says, made both appear spacious. This was even while the two areas remain separate in how the couple use them on a day-to-day basis.

“The entire BTO was without floor tiles in the living room, dining room and bedrooms. We were hence able to use an overlay of tiles throughout the home that provided a uniform and consistent feel, which also made it feel more roomy,” she adds.

Liid Studio: Pasir Ris

In this flat, the wall between one bedroom and the living room was replaced with an aluminium-framed glass door to create an entertainment room. PHOTO: K STUDIO

This home in Pasir Ris – originally a five-room flat – is a take on the open-concept home with industrial flair. The renovation took place in February 2016, when the home owners were a newlywed couple in their 20s with plans to start a family.

Their designer, Ms Ng of Liid Studio, says the home owners wanted “a clean, open home with an overall spacious feel”.

She redesigned the layout of the 1,500 sq ft home by removing several walls, including the one between a bedroom and the living room. It was replaced with an aluminium-framed glass door. The bedroom is now an entertainment room.

The wall between the main bedroom and another bedroom was removed to create a spacious master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe area. A glass divider and vinyl flooring in the wardrobe area – as opposed to concrete in the rest of the master bedroom – separate the functionality of the two spaces while keeping them airy and spacious.

A glass divider and the use of contrasting vinyl flooring separate the walk-in wardrobe from the master bedroom in this Pasir Ris home. PHOTO: K STUDIO

As this was an older resale HDB flat built in the mid-1990s, the kitchen came with walls, which the redesign did away with, to allow for an open-concept kitchen and living area. As with the master bedroom, different patterns and textures were used to keep the spaces distinct, even within the open-concept living room.

A beam running through both the dry kitchen and dining area was used as a focal point for the space.

For the owners of this Pasir Ris flat, who forked out around $100,000 back in 2016, the results are well worth the price tag.

“They tell me that they love the openness of the space and say that removing the various walls was the right thing to do, as it has not only created a more visually pleasing space, but also a better ventilated home,” Ms Ng says.

D’Phenomenal: Kim Cheng Street

A pillar in the living room of this home had to be left in place for structural purposes, but it now acts as a simple, non-obstructive way of portioning off part of the living area into a small study space.  PHOTO: D’PHENOMENAL

A retirement home has different requirements from a matrimonial one.

For this 950 sq ft, three-room Tiong Bahru flat, the owners – a childless middle-aged couple – wanted a complete revamp that would see them through their twilight years.

Dsign firm D’Phenomenal worked with the couple to design a beautiful and functional home.

“They like to host close friends for dinner and needed only one bedroom. The walls of one bedroom, the balconies and kitchen were hacked away to create a bigger space,” says Ms Kelly Chin, director of D’Phenomenal and an accredited designer with Sids.

It took some three months in mid-2022 to complete renovations and styling on the 51-year-old walk-up flat.

“The whole layout was reconfigured, which, in turn, required not just hacking but redoing all the flooring, carpentry, wiring and so on,” says Ms Chin.

A pillar in the living room had to be left in place for structural purposes, but now helps to portion off part of the living area into a small study space.

Other home owners considering a similar scale of renovation can expect to spend anywhere between $100,000 and $150,000, adds Ms Chin.

“The owners are happy with the results, which has given them a large living space that flows seamlessly.

“It works well for when they host friends and family at their place. They also love it as a beautiful and peaceful place to enjoy their retirement,” she says.