Our 54sqm of cosy-ness.....3-STD flat in Tiong Bahru

We are back in sunny Singapore!! =)

For my readers in North America and other parts of the world, here's a peek into how the majority of the Singaporeans live - in public housing (we call them FLATS).

Just before we left for the United States, we had downsized to a itsy-bitsy 54sqm flat...which is approx 3 times smaller than our previous place.

When we first looked at the flat, it was very bare and with most of the original floorings and tiles. The whole place was quite dirty and smelt of pee. But for whatever strange reasons, RG and I both liked it a lot....and we were ready with an offer the very next day after our viewing.

Here are some photos of how the flat had looked like......

The bathroom was a nightmare. It was poorly designed - long, narrow and without any ventilation. The access to the bathroom was right at the end of the kitchen which we thought was kinda weird and gross too (imagine someone cooking and another pooping at the same time =P)

The entries to the rooms were also right off the tiny living room which provided very little privacy.

RG worked on the reconfiguration of the layout (mainly the room entries & bathroom access)....he is very good at that! With the new floorplan, we engaged a general contractor to oversee the entire renovation. It wasn't easy 'cos we were on a tight budget and had very little time as we were leaving for the states in a few weeks time.

Below, the doorways to the rooms were changed.....some parts of the old walls were taken down and some new walls were put up....

Based on RG's ideas, the contractor helped realised the new floorplan which involved the creation of a new access to the bathroom and a tiny foyer to provide more privacy to the rooms.

We wanted a light, bright and airy look......so we chose lighter colors for the wall/floor tiles as well as kitchen cabinets.

Old windows were replaced too.....

RG bought me a granite sink which I absolutely love!

We left Singapore before the renovations were completed......my parents, RG's sister and brother had helped oversee the renovation project till completion. We are so grateful to them!

And here's what we returned to.......

I love that the laundry and kitchen sink area is very bright and airy!

We kept several pieces of our old furniture and appliances.....they look kinda too big for our tiny flat but we tried to make the best out of what we have. According to my mom, the movers had brought over 45 big boxes of our stuffs and that's not including the chunky furniture etc. The movers had to make 2 trips despite the super big truck =P

So now, from the living room area, the entries to the rooms and bathroom are out of sight.

We had to sacrifice some space in the master to carve out this little foyer.

We couldn't do much about the length and narrowness of the bathroom, but we tried to make the bathroom brighter with the glass blocks, brighter lighting and most importantly - a ventilation fan! I really enjoy bathing with the rain shower.

Despite having to sacrifice some space in the master, we still managed to fit in our king size bed and TV. We don't have a wardrobe in the room right now 'cos we are using that corner as a small study. Our wardrobes and all our other stuffs are in the other room which we are using as temporary storage right now.

We are very happy with how the flat has turned out. It's small but very cosy for the 2 of us. The best things are the LOCATION (we are 5+min to Tiong Bahru MRT, 2min to Havelock food centre and 5min to Tiong Bahru market and plenty of buses to town area) and the pretty unblocked, greenery views.

There's a giant tree as tall as the flat (we are on the 8th floor, 9th is the top floor) that provides for a nice green view and much privacy (I can change in the room even though I haven't put up the curtains and I can see the open sky when I lie down in bed!).

We are very happy to be home.....it is a very comfortable place. We love it and we wouldn't change a thing about it. This is heartland living at its best!