Recreating the cafe experience in an HDB flat

Text by Disa Tan

A striking smorgasbord of both rustic and contemporary textures and finishes defines this family home for four, and it echoes the homeowners’ openness to bold design ideas. Ryan Ho, the Dots N Tots Interior designer who was engaged for this renovation says: “They requested for a cafe-inspired style to evoke a romantic and relaxed ambience.” To complete the picture, Ryan also weaved in modern country style accents such as barnyard doors into the home.

With the cafe-inspired style, it’s easy to go overboard and not stick to the initial plan. But Ryan approached the design scheme with a clear vision. The communal zones are now imbued with dark hues and woody textures. The main wall and ceiling have been painted a moody grey and this dark backdrop complements the rich wood textures and leather furnishings. The designer also chose vinyl flooring that sports an eye-catching herringbone pattern to up the textural appeal.

In order to replicate the cafe experience complete with a mural wall of sorts, hexagon-shaped wall tiles with bold graphic designs backdrop the dining space beautifully. By not filling up the entire wall with tiles, the feature wall conjures a three-dimensional effect that is sure to be a conversation starter.

Awash in blue and white, the kitchen evokes a nautical style which showcases the designer’s versatility in marrying different styles into a single home. For visual harmony, Ryan worked in hexagonal-shaped tiles for the backsplash and this mirrors the wall coverings in the dining space. The backsplash is paired with cement screeded walls, creating a neutral backdrop that allows the striking blue and white colour scheme and Spanish-patterned floor tiles to take centrestage.

Bearing a modern country appeal, the master bedroom is as characterful as the communal zones. Drawing inspiration from farmhouses, the custom carpentry works, such as the wardrobe, are clad in a rustic-looking finish of laminates. This distressed wood-effect texture bestows a cosy cottage feel to the room.

The rustic barnyard-inspired door leads to a similar treatment of distressed wood texture in the master bathroom. Laid with wood-look tiles, the walls evoke the feeling of luxuriating in a log cabin. The powder coated mild steel toiletries rack and towel bar in black bring a sleek contrast to the space. For flooring, the designer chose black and white tiles that match the sleek metal fixtures.

For the children’s bedroom, Ryan put together an interesting industrial-like aesthetic with exposed conduit piping. Hooking it up to the bedside lamps, this design treatment is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Form also follows function for the custom-designed wardrobe that sports distressed wood texture. This laminate finish furthers the rustic cottage design language evident in the bedrooms.

A blue-and-white colour scheme fills the common bathroom with a serene-like quality. It follows the same colour palette in the cookspace and Spanish-patterned tiles also make an appearance on the floor. By matching these colours and textures with careful precision and planning, the Dots N Tots Interior designer have managed to conceive a visual-loaded, cafe-inspired home; one that clearly sets this home apart from the rest.

Dots N Tots Interior
www.dotsntots.com.sg