Transforming a 990 sq ft HDB flat into a ‘little Japan’ – complete with an onsen
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Transforming a 990 sq ft HDB flat into a 'picayune Nihon' – complete with an onsen
CNA Lifestyle'southward Making Room series looks at pocket-sized homes with large transformations. This week, we visit a unique home with "sights" of Mount Fuji, a tatami room and a version of a Japanese bathhouse.
Amalyasa MK's Japan-inspired home was a DIY project that cost S$15,000. (Photograph: Amalyasa MK)
15 Aug 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 11 Jul 2022 12:59AM)
Inspired by his frequent holidays in the State of the Rise Sun, healthcare professional Amalyasa MK decided to transform his 990 sq ft HDB flat in Sengkang into his very ain "little Japan".
He envisioned a modernistic Japanese-inspired home that would cater to his needs and interests by way of an entertainment room, a home gym, and an "onsen". Aye, you read that right.
But at the same time, he was constrained past a "very depression budget (of) but S$15,000".
That didn't deter Amal, who decided to design information technology all by himself and do his abode renovations DIY-fashion.
"The whole procedure of designing Nippon House took place in eight phases," he shared. "I saturday at various corners of the apartment and tried to visualise: What will I desire to see here? What kind of Japanese elements do I want to bring in?"
To keep costs depression, Amal ordered all of his furniture and decor items from Chinese e-commerce behemothic Taobao, which wasn't an easy task considering he doesn't read Standard mandarin and thus had to rely heavily on Google Translate.
Some of the items he ordered were so big that they could not fit into the elevator, and so he had to telephone call on friends to assistance acquit these – upwards 14 flights of stairs!
The very commencement thing you observe about Amal's home is the front end door, which is covered in wallpaper featuring a traditional blue-and-white Japanese geometric wave pattern chosen seigaiha.
The pattern of layered concentric circles creates arches, symbolic of waves or h2o and represents surges of proficient luck, while signifying power and resilience. "It gives the feeling that this home is dissimilar from every other abode," said Amal.
READ: How a nostalgic couple brought 'former Singapore' into their new 700 sq ft BTO flat
The front door opens onto a shoji screen, which provides privacy without obstructing natural light. "It gives the apartment an air of mystery, and serves as a barrier, a segmentation, so people outside cannot see into the apartment," he explained.
Upon inbound, the kickoff thing that catches visitors' eyes, is a big calligraphy painting mounted above a Japanese altar tabular array displaying decor items such as a samurai sword, a straw-covered miniature sakedaru (sake barrel), a folding fan, and a row of daruma, which are hollow, round, Japanese traditional dolls modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen tradition of Buddhism.
"Elements of Japanese culture I adopted and put inside Nihon Business firm include a katana sword relating to the samurai, and large calligraphy pieces typically seen in ryokan and traditional Japanese homes," he said.
There are as well noren (door defunction) on every door, which is a quintessential Japanese decor element that's been in employ since the Heian flow to keep houses cool in summer, or to retain oestrus during colder weather. The ones Amal chose feature the iconic wave motifs from 19th century woodblock prints of famed Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai.
READ: Transforming a 517 sq ft condo into a colourful, cosy home fit for a busy available
To create a visual flow throughout, Amal installed fabric panels featuring a watercolour scene of misty mountain ranges every bit window treatments.
"Nihon has such a fabulous view of nature. Since we don't have that in Singapore, I recreated information technology by using these blinds," he explained.
At the same time, every single room in Nippon House features a unlike design.
The dining expanse channels Kyoto, with an entire wall bearing a big wall-to-ceiling photo-realistic mural featuring Arashiyama'southward famed bamboo wood.
"I wanted to create a space where y'all feel like yous are dining outdoors in nature," explained Amal, referencing the Japanese analogousness for shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing.
A rattan dining set, a jute carpeting, and a bonsai-inspired water characteristic help create an aura of serenity and meditative calm. A "chandelier" of Japanese paper lanterns featuring sakura and bamboo motifs sway gently overhead. "It really brings a whole feeling that this is a Zen room," he said.
READ: How a family of film buffs ready a mini-movie theater inside a 990 sq ft BTO apartment
Side by side to it is an ascetic tatami room. Built onto a raised wooden platform, it offers hidden storage below and conceals a surprise: The heart tatami mat raises up to go a horigatsu, a table with a recessed floor underneath for your legs, a common feature in traditional Japanese restaurants.
The entertainment room sees an entire wall covered with a photo-realistic landscape of Mount Fuji. "It creates the feeling that I am nevertheless in Nihon," he quipped.
Meanwhile, the focal point in his master bedroom is six art panels featuring a dusk scene with sakura blossoms.
"I phone call it the Kawaguchi Room. Kawaguchi has a very sentimental significant for me because it's the very first place I visited on my get-go trip to Japan." Instead of a bedframe, he opted for a mattress atop a wooden storage platform.
Finally, a Japanese-style home wouldn't be consummate without a traditional bathhouse, and then Amal created his own onsen by installing an ofuru – a cedarwood bathtub – and wooden flooring.
"This space is very special to me," he said. "I spend my time soaking, or fifty-fifty having a steam … it definitely helps me relax. After a hard day'due south work, challenges faced, coming back here and the feeling of being in Japan helps me recover and calms my listen down."
READ: How a couple fabricated room in their 990 sq ft HDB flat for a lot of art and a yoga studio
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/singapore-hdb-renovation-tips-japan-onsen-259126
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