I’ve always wanted to revamp my HDB bedroom for the longest time, but nothing really motivated me to do so, and not to mention the job was a herculean uphill task – when you see pictures of my room later, you’ll understand why.
Initial Consultation
The first step was meeting Don, the design consultant, at Absolook’s office and to discuss about what kind of look I wanted. They can easily pull out exact HDB room floor plans to make initial plannings so don’t worry about that. I mean, my home is like 20 years old so any floor plan given is probably non-existent anymore.
After a short stay in one beautifully refurbished boutique apartment a couple years back, I had an idea of what I wanted to replicate. I talked to Don on wanting a monochrome themed bedroom with a brick wall on one side, and he explained that this was a very Scandinavian-inspired concept.
We talked about the existing furniture and what would go where. I kept my existing super-single bed as well as a couple of other items that would still be able to blend in with the new design (these were a few newer purchases I added in recent years). Even some minor fengshui positioning was considered by the experienced interior design consultant on where to place my bed for good luck, bringing together superstition, design and functionality.
After settling the layout and furniture positions, we talked about materials for the finishing. Don made a couple recommendations and I just selected from his selection – I much rather the professionals do the recommending instead of me looking through an entire book of materials with no clue what to pick. We’re hiring them for their expertise anyway right, let them have their room for creativity.
Rounding up all the discussions, this is the draft 3D drawing the designer has come up with. My white brick wall is there, a full floor to ceiling wardrobe, a study table and also incorporating some old furniture like my bed and sofa.
A pretty good representation, this is not final though, and things will still have to be decided on the go after taking more precise measurements.
Site inspection and measurements
So this is the first glimpse of my old room. I painted it myself like 10 years ago in 2 tones of blue and some kind of jagged wall design. It looked cool in my mind back then, but now, not so much.
You can also see the amount of junk I have accumulated over the years, which makes me suspect I have some kind of hoarding disorder. You know what I’m talking about:
“‘Hmm this folder looks pretty nice, maybe I’ll use it in the future!”
And I add it to the 50 other plastic folders I have collected.
No, it’s time to get rid of it all. The new rule was if I haven’t used in the last 6 months, I’m throwing it away.
The bed and sofa are fairly new additions too which I will be bringing over to the new design.
And here is Don, taking more precise measurements of the room to make sure everything fits with the design plan.
Pictures are also taken for reference.
Later on, the carpenters also came to take measurements and started constructing the wardrobe and table much earlier so that the project can conclude fast (as I’ll was sleeping in the living room couch).
Tearing Down everything + Electrical Wiring
It took me an entire day to clear out the room and prepare it for renovating. The whole renovation would proceeded in a few phases while the furniture was concurrently being built by the carpenters.
Day 1 just consisted of moving out everything and turning the room into a blank canvas for work. It was advised to take out everything if not all the drilling and plastering would leave the things in the room very dusty and dirty.
The electricians also came to do basic wiring on day 1. The exact outlet points will only be finished up on the last couple days after the paint and wall is done.
Wall Painting + wall texture
The next day, after removing everything from the walls, the wall plastering people came to… well, obviously plaster the wall. My old wall had some uneven wall texture which wasn’t very nice, so we had to plaster and smoothen out the surface.
Another day passed and the painters came to paint the walls for the first coat. By then, the paint has dried and the carpenters are done with their work.
Oh yea, creating the 3D popping brick texture is one of the last few steps which only happened after the furnishing was installed. It’s quite a tedious process with the guy having to manually ‘paint’ the texture onto the wall.
Installing Carpentry and Lights
I really wanted more storage in the room and that was considered into the design (as you can see, I used to have a lot of junk and in all likelihood will start accumulating more again). The grey wall now had a little extra shelf with a more contemporary jagged design rather than a boring straight shelf.
The full wardrobe up to the ceiling was also installed. I wanted the main hanger area to be door-less partly for aesthetics, but mostly for convenience without having to open and close the door everyday. My old wardrobe door suffered this wear and tear, and the hinges started to come off.
A full length tinted mirror was also installed on as a wardrobe door as you can see on the right so that I have an idea what I look like while also not needing space for another mirror (I wanted it tinted as I thought a full reflective one would be slightly creepy in the middle of the night – wouldn’t want to scare myself to death if I wake up to pee and see another reflection in it.).
Dual functionality furniture is the best especially for small rooms where you have to be very creative with space planning.
Track lights were installed on the ceiling, which gave a more studio apartment look. The 6 individual lights could also be shifted and pointed at areas I wanted.
Installing the door + Finishing up
The new door was installed, and minor touchups were done like putting on a second coat of paint. I also started to shift in my furniture with the help of Don.
New HDB Bedroom
TADA! This is my newly refurbished bedroom, with new sheets and all. A simple Scandinavian-inspired studio room that is sleek and modern with a bit of rustic thrown in. Loving the white brick walls.
Oh and that’s a pull-up bar mounted to the ceiling you’re seeing. A guy’s gotta keep fit too.
The little work desk at the corner allows me to work in privacy and at my convenience. Since I’m a blogger, my bedroom is where I do the majority of my writing, so the desk is absolutely crucial to be wide enough and having the power points needed for charging my appliances.
The full length wardrobe is perfect for storing a lot of the messier memorabilia I have collected over the years, hidden and tucked away at the top. Having storage that goes up to the ceiling uses space more efficiently without cluttering the room.
If you noticed as mentioned earlier as well, a few elements from the old room remained; the super-single bed, the book shelf, the roller chair and the sofa. Since they fit in with the new modern design with their darker colors, I decided to keep and transfer them over (save money also la).
The ceiling fan and the venetian window blinds were paid out of my own pocket just so I could complete the whole look and have a fully functional bedroom.
I totally dig this new cleaner, modern bedroom of mine. Let’s see a comparison and the miracle that Absolook has created.
Comparison between old and new bedroom
From a hoarder’s paradise to a neatly kept room. The color scheme is also a lot more mature in this new room, reflecting a change in my personal experience and taste as well.
All in all, the whole bedroom renovation took about 9 days to finish (from the first day they came to remove everything), with the carpentry starting work earlier beforehand to accommodate this fast timeline. This is really fast in my opinion, saving a lot of discomfort and trouble.
Dealing with multiple 3rd party sub-contractors on a schedule, the small setback I noticed was in coordination, with some sub-cons seemingly missing the agreed timing. Don, who was coordinating the entire process, was quick to respond though and would call up any missing personnel to ensure the timeline proceeds as planned.
Absolook also went the extra mile of hiring an external party to come sweep up and clean the premise after all the work, but of course, it’s not as detailed and clean as doing it myself.
Fast and efficient as evidenced by my own results, if anyone is looking to renovate their room I’d recommend Absolook Design. My room works would cost about $8000 – $10000 SGD based on the items fixed, which is pretty affordable compared to other competitors.
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This bedroom renovation was sponsored by ABSOLOOK Design.
Looking to design and build a chic bedroom in Singapore? Check out ABSOLOOK Interior Design who have provided these beautiful bedroom designs as a sample of their portfolio, as well as sponsored this post.
ABSOLOOK specializes in interior design for residential and commercial properties. Based in Singapore, they have furnished clients with exquisite design services since 2010. Highly dedicated and experienced designers offer space planning and allocation, along with 3D perspectives for lavish homes and offices.
With years of extensive industry experience, whether it’s home remodeling, renovation, or simple upgrades, ABSOLOOK‘s interior design services can truly capture the allure and essence of any room.
Using cutting-edge techniques and quality design materials, turn your dreams into reality. ABSOLOOK handles each project as if it was our own, and monitors every aspect of the job from start to finish.
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