With many of us staying home more often these days, we can’t help but think about how we can style up our homes to turn them into something trendy and cool. From arches to concealed doors, adding these unique features to your home will definitely give your guests something to talk about.
We’ve shortlisted a few trending designs and have even gotten some tips and advice from our designers on how you can incorporate these ideas into your dream home.
Arches
Arches – a unique new twist on your typical rectangular doors and windows. Having always been a strong architectural element throughout history, the recent popularity of this design is taking over homes almost everywhere thanks to many designers and homeowners appreciating the beauty of this simple yet standout feature
Project by Zak, Bedok Reservoir
“Arches help to frame up the walkway and tunnel the homeowner through the walking experience,” Designer Zak shared. “They can be used in the corridors as well to create this experience.”
Project by Serene, Cavenagh Gardens
“As a more modern take on the arch trend, there are a few ways to incorporate arches and curves around the home for different purposes,” Designer Serene shared. “Since we can’t hack away the structural beams around the houses, using arched corners will stand out and have a smoother transition between spaces.”
“Building arch niches outwards can also wonderfully create additional shelving spaces or nooks for displays and books. A cheap and easy way to create arches is through painting,” she continued. “It’s always best as a feature behind sofas, sideboard or bedhead. The easiest of all is that you can change colours as and when you like!”
Terrazzo
As one may recall, terrazzo tiles were a pretty popular type of flooring in the 1970s where almost every HDB home that you stepped into would have them. Following recent trends, this vintage design saw a re-emergence when it started being incorporated into kitchen backsplashes, tabletops and even bathroom walls.
Project by CY Woon, Compassvale Link
“The use of terrazzo, or other material, has to be considered within the overall palette of the design,” Designer CY Woon shared. “Avoid a one-off usage of terrazzo, and instead try to compose the material with references. For example in our Compassvale Link project, we used a terrazzo top for a custom-made dining table, and the same terrazzo gets repeated as the backsplash of the kitchen counter.”
“The off-white cementitious binder of the terrazzo was also approximated by an off-white wall tile selection that is slightly textured as if extending the binder’s colour and texture over the rest of the kitchen walls.”
Open Shelves
When done right, open shelvings can function as both a neat storage and display area for your knick-knacks. Not only does this come in handy when it comes to reaching for the specific item that you want, but it also opens up your home to make it appear brighter and expansive.
Project by Leon, Tanjong Pagar
“A typical impression of open shelves is ‘wah very dusty, very hard to maintain’,” Designer Leon laughed. “But that is just one downside that most people amplify more than its cool sides. It brings the soul into a space, serves as a talking point, and expresses the personality of the homeowners when done right.”
“Of course, one consideration is planning what to display,” Leon continued. “If there’s not much of a collection of things to display, you can consider a smaller proportion of shelves over the number of storage spaces. It may not be 100% functional to use, but it definitely breaks down monotony in a room.”
“Cluttering is a big no-no. When used tastefully and wisely, they can be used as a storage area for useful items like pretty crockery pieces, glassware and even bottles of liquor.”
“Lastly, I would suggest planning the shelf sizes in relation to the items that will be displayed as a decorative piece may look awkward if placed in a shelf space that is too small or too big.”
Concealed/Hidden Doors
With the rise of minimalism in home design, concealed doors are something that most homeowners are incorporating into their homes these days. These hidden features create clean lines and flow seamlessly with the rest of the home, thus enlarging the space and giving off sophisticated vibes.
Concealed doors are also a great way to hide a particular room of yours (be it your man cave or music studio) and keep it away from prying guests.
Project by Bing, Amber Gardens
Project by Jack, The Princeton
“Concealed doors are a great way to take away the disruptions they cause to a span of the wall,” Designer Jack shared. “From helping to balance the alignment of tv placements to extending wall span visually, hidden doors are great means to change the way one experiences the space.”
Indoor Plants
The Circuit Breaker period in 2020 was probably a time where many of us took up indoor gardening as a new hobby due to the restrictions. As a result of that, the interior of many homes is now decorated with these beautiful species of plants that boost the aesthetic appeal of one’s home.
Project by Raymond, Serangoon Maisonette
“When it comes to indoor plants, I would recommend having a balcony to place the plants in so that they get enough sunlight,” Designer Raymond shared. “Otherwise, the easiest type of plant to take care of indoors would be money plants as they are really hardy in nature and are beautiful.”
“You could also have a moveable plant holder to house them so that you have the flexibility to move them around and nearer to the windows.”
Project by Serene, Chai Chee Road
Rattan Furniture
Integrating natural elements such as rattan into your home is a great way to balance out textures, especially if you already have existing elements like marble and leather. These durable and versatile pieces can be placed in any area of your home to recreate island-like vibes and introduce the beauty of natural materials.
Project by Debbie, Woodlands Drive 14
Project by Edwin, Bidadari Park Drive
“With the increasing popularity of rattan furniture, sometimes the decision to get them may come after the home design has been set or even if you are looking to refresh and incorporate into your current home,” Designer Edwin shared. “Rattan, a natural material, can easily blend in with our living space as natural elements such as stone flooring and wood finishing doors are used very often.”
“Rattan itself has a natural wood tone colour, thus for contrast and to make the rattan weaving stand out, I would suggest choosing a frame or body in a darker shade or even contrasting fun colours,” he continued. “If you are afraid that it will not blend with your interior design, opting for a natural warm wood colour body will be the safest choice.”
For more design inspirations or to check out any of our specially curated designers’ projects, visit them at The Happitat today.
