In this series of blogposts, we feature six real-life spaces which underwent an extreme makeover as part of Mediacorp Channel 8’s new home makeover show House Everything. TAK, the parent company of Lamitak, proudly sponsored the laminates featured in these stunning transformations.

From one big space cluttered with many items, Rex from Starry Homestead created several functional zones linked visually by materials and colours. (Photo courtesy of Starry Homestead)

Saving damaged or unwanted items for repair and upcycling might seem like a good idea, but sometimes things get out of hand, like it did for Mr Ng. After 20 years of living in the same five-room HDB flat in Woodlands which he shares with his 16 year-old-daughter, the overwhelming number of items he ‘saved’ over the years was affecting their quality of life. For example, the father and daughter didn’t have dedicated spaces for working and studying respectively, and very little useable space in the living room. So when Mediacorp Channel 8 called for entries for their new makeover programme House Everything, Mr Ng took the opportunity to enter his home for consideration.

Before the renovation (Photo courtesy of Starry Homestead)

Mr Ng works from home and his favourite spot in the living room is his working area, which now has plenty of storage for the things he needs for work, as well as household items.

Starry Homestead senior design consultant Rex Neo was called on to conceptualise the new space based on the requirements of father and daughter. “What I understand is that the father likes to tinker with gadgets and had a lot of small technical items. The daughter is still studying so she needs her own space as well. The home was lacking in storage spaces too,” recalls Rex. My design has created personal zones for each of them that are “not side by side or back to back,” says Rex.

The removal of the living room’s built-in balcony allowed Rex to maximise the space and lets more daylight in. The designer located Mr Ng’s working space by the front door so he has a view of the whole room. Now dad has the luxury of using a large tabletop to carry out his ‘experiments’, with lots of storage cabinets at the side and back for larger items.

Rex chose grey tones for the laminates in Mr Ng’s work space, such as Silver Grey for the tall cabinets on the right, Faux Denim for the table, and the stone-look Dario Ramblas for the wall behind the mesh as well as at the side of the table. The other laminate used at the side is Frost, and the wood-look laminate used for the top-hanging cabinets is Luna Tivoli Elm.

For the space’s modern industrial look, Rex selected a palette of grey tones for the laminates such as Silver Grey (CES 9502S), Faux Denim (DXO 4310X), Dario Ramblas (DXP 1329C), and Frost (SCX 1155D) for the table and surrounding cabinets. “The laminates I chose from Lamitak suited the theme I had in mind. The fabric texture of Faux Denim softens the edge of the industrial style, while the woodgrain laminate of Luna Tivoli Elm (WY 1269D) is rustic but not too heavy,” explains Rex.

The same Faux Denim and Luna Tivoli Elm laminates used in Mr Ng’s working area is also here in his daughter’s study corner, tying the two spaces together.

For the daughter’s study area near the windows, Rex designed a desk she can swivel out when needed, and keep when not in use so the space becomes multi-functional. To inject a youthful vibe to the space, the designer customised a pegboard in the shape of a whale. This modular system allows the teenager to add shelves and personalise her space with toys and mementoes.

This swivelling desk makes the area multi-functional.

Located in a triangle-shaped zone, the sitting area in the middle bridges the front and back spaces of the living room. The wall behind has a stucco texture and is designed to look like off form concrete blocks. (Photo courtesy of Starry Homestead)

A sitting area for father and daughter to relax and chat bridges their personal spaces. Rex has also thoughtfully upgraded their former laminated world map poster with a laser cut version on the wall. Mr Ng and his daughter had used the map to mark out places they have travelled to. Mr Ng’s DIY CPU stools also have a place in this makeover. Given new upholstery, these creative furniture pieces contribute to the cosy cluster of seats, surrounding a coffee table made from the legs of an existing vintage table, which was handed down by Mr Ng’s father, a carpenter.

Rex made clever use of limited space by creating booth seating in the dining area which can be used to store items as well, by raising the flap of the seat. (Photo courtesy of Starry Homestead)

The makeover extended to the dining room, which was also similarly cluttered. The family’s round table has been replaced with customised booth seating which performs double duty as storage spaces. Choosing a light-coloured wood-look laminate such as Luna Tivoli Elm (WY 1269D) lightens the visual bulk of the structure and goes well with the light wood-look vinyl flooring too. On the other side of the booth are shoe cabinets which keep the entranceway of the home clean and clutter-free.

An appreciative Mr Ng with Starry Homestead designer Rex. (Photo courtesy of Starry Homestead)

Mr Ng is truly impressed with the amazing makeover of his living space. He says, “I really appreciate what the designer has done, and my favourite part of the home is my work space. I never would have been able to give him the idea to create this outcome.” 

House Everything (家简尘除) airs on Mediacorp Channel 8 every Thursday at 8pm. Watch the episode here!

Read the other articles in the House Everything blogpost series here.

Follow Starry Homestead’s Facebook and Instagram to get regular updates about House Everything.

See the Lamitak laminates featured in this post at the Lamitak Studio at 114 Lavender Street, CT Hub 2 #01-61, Singapore 338729. For more information, contact the studio at 6592-5200 and studio@lamitak.com; or drop by during the opening hours below:

Monday to Thursday: 10.30am–6.30pm
Friday: 11.30am–6.30pm
Saturday: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Sunday and Public Holidays: 12.30pm – 4.30pm
Click here for directions!

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