MODERN INTERIOR DESIGN TIPS AND INSPIRATION FOR A REFRESHING HOME MAKEOVER
Whether you own a small Singapore HDB flat or a large, landed property, you would want your home to be comfortable as well as beautiful and pleasing to the eye. When designing or renovating your home, you can come across various interior design styles and themes such as modern mid-century style, rustic interior design, colonial interior design, balinese design style, and others. One design style that stands out and is quite in trend these days is the modern contemporary interior design.
Like all other styles, the modern interior design style is defined by specific features and styles that help to create that modern look while still maintaining harmony among all the elements. There is a kind of simplicity in this theme that features crisp and clean lines with earthly tones and geometrical shapes. Together, all the elements fuse to create everlasting relevance and beauty.
At Space Factor, we excel in exceeding clients’ satisfaction by creating exquisite homes for them based on their personal preferences and requirements. Discussed in detail below are some of our prominent modern interior design tips and inspirations that you can use to create a beautiful home in Singapore whether it is an HDB flat, condo, or landed property.
Tips To Create A Modern Contemporary Interior Design
In Singapore, most of the homes are HDBs and apartments that have relatively lesser space as compared to a landed property. In an HDB, one of the greatest challenges is to utilise the available space in the most efficient way to create an attractive and functional home. The following tips can allow you to give a modern makeover to your HDB.
Adopt a Neutral Colour Palette
White, off-white, grey, beige, and their shades look perfect in a modernist style. Keep the walls and colour palette neutral in a modern design which goes well with the other earthly tones in the room.
Use Simple Clean Lines
Modern style is all about simple clean lines. Whether it is the furniture or décor items, all echo strong vertical and horizontal lines. Geometrical shapes and figures are also definitive features which can be added in the form of furniture, wall art, or other decorative items. These lines and geometrical shapes create an environment where a lot of accessories or ornaments are not necessary.
Keep an Open Concept Plan
Another important characteristic of a modern interior design is an open and airy plan. The open architecture of the home helps in creating greater visual space that makes the area appear much larger. It also helps in creating a brighter and airy environment that is not constricted by unnecessary structures.
As an example, consider the following open floor plan of a beautiful modern home. You can find 9 amazing open-concept kitchen design ideas in our article.
Light Up The Place
Modern interior design also features a well-lit atmosphere that can be achieved either through natural light or different types of modern lighting. A well-lit home looks modern, spacious, and airy.
Take the following example of a living room interior design at The Rainforest. The large window helps brighten up the space to create a perfect contrast with the other earthly-toned elements.
Collectors of Scandinavian Chic @ The Rainforest
Use Iconic Furniture
Another way in which you can incorporate a modern design in your home is to use iconic furniture from the first half of the 20th century that showcases the typical modern styles and themes. Examples include Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair and the butterfly chair which have become iconic for any home that wishes to have a modern design.
Notice in the following image a beautiful modernist interior design project at a condominium at The Clement Canopy. The balcony features a variation of the butterfly chair and the living room sofa is kept simple and neutral to give a combined modernist effect. Check out more condominium interior design ideas in our blog post.
Modernist Design @ The Clement Canopy
Add Modern Artwork
Another important tip through which you can add modernism to your design is to add modern wall art or paintings. Such art can immediately create a modern and elegant outlook for any room. Although a modern theme features neutral colours and tones, you can add bright and bold wall art to balance the interior.
Gallery In My House @ Parc Olympia
Add Wood and Earthly Elements
Modern interior design features wooden and earthier elements that work together with other simple and neutral items to create the perfect harmony of elegance, beauty, and functionality. Such tones help create a soothing, relaxed, and softer environment which looks modern and trendy.
The modern theme also features natural materials such as wood, leather, steel, grass, or fur. Consider the following bedroom interior design of a house at Sophia Residence, Singapore. Notice how the wooden furniture and headboard of the bed combined with the wooden floor and brown curtains create the perfect balance.
Create Focal Points and Harmony Among Elements
Probably the last most important feature of a modern contemporary interior design is to place all elements so that they create balance. You want to create a complimenting blend of décor that gives you a feeling of tranquillity and happiness when you enter the house. Iconic elements as focal points in each room can be added that will define where everything else will go. Keep the main theme neutral and add just a few colours to add pop to break the monotony.
The following living room image of a house at Cantonment Road, Singapore is a perfect example of balance and elegance in a colourful and modern design.
Inspiration From Singapore HDB Modern Interior Design
Let’s go over some of our amazing modern interior design portfolios that can inspire you to create a unique modern home for yourself. A modern interior design when merged with another design theme opens up new avenues of elegance and style that can become a show stopper.
Modern Industrial Interior Design
The Industrial interior design is a popular choice in Singapore since it creates a unique and interesting ambience than the other regular interior design themes. However, this style may be a bit too raw and rugged for some people who would like to have some elements of the industrial theme in a more stylish and modern architecture. This is where the modern industrial interior design is able to shine.
One of our interesting design works at SCANDI FARMHOUSE @ UPPER BOON KENG shows how you can beautifully add the industrial theme to an HDB with a modern twist. Since the industrial style is characterised by exposed black pipes, this feature is added in the modern interior in the form of black metal borders and frames. As can be seen in the following image, the space has been planned with a modern touch with the use of hardwood flooring, simple and sleek furniture, and a neutral colour palette. The industrial atmosphere is added in the space by using black framed track lights and hanging lamps along with a black border for the glass partitions.
Another view of this living room depicts the glass partitioned room with black metal borders and grilles. This small room creates a dedicated space within the living room that not only helps create a stylish interior but also improves functionality in the room. The monochromatic colour palette dominated by the use of black metallic accents and elements help achieve the unique and interesting modern industrial interior design.
Modern luxury interior design
When creating a modern interior design HDB, you can either design it in a simple way or go all in with a highly luxurious and glamorous appeal. A modern luxury interior design uses highly ornate and exquisite pieces with a touch of comfort and nature in the space. Plants, intricate rugs, high-end furniture pieces, and elegant upholstery combine to give such a space its distinctive appeal.
One of our interior design projects at COASTAL LIVING @ MENG SUAN is a testament to our designers unique thought process and creativity where they have created a modern luxury design that is comfortable and tranquil at the same time. The picture below shows the living room of this beautiful home which has been designed in a creative colour palette comprising whites and hues of blue. The rugs, cushions, lamps, and other decorative items are in shades of blue that complement beautifully the white sofas, walls, and floors. The addition of natural plants and the dark wood tables and consoles create an earthly feel in the space that elevates the overall luxurious ambience in the home.
If you have a landed property at your disposal, you have more space to get creative. One inspiration in which you can add modern luxury to your home is to design and decorate its balcony. As the image below shows, the same blue and white colour palette is continued in the balcony where carved, vintage furniture lights up the space in all its glory. The sofa cushions, rugs, and wall decor all complement each other in theme and colour. The nearby greenery helps create a lively ambience in the balcony while the other elements add a slight luxurious-modern vibe to the space.
Modern Japanese Interior Design
Another twist of the modern interior design that has gained traction over the years is its fusion with the Japanese design theme. The Japanese interior design style features simple living space with low-lying furniture, a cool colour palette, and comfortable furniture that all work together to create calm and soothing ambience. The use of natural materials and wood give the Japanese interior its serene and calm ambient. When you add a modern twist to all these Japanese-inspired elements, the resulting space can be a beautiful and stylish blend of east-meets-west.
Our design project MODERN FARMHOUSE @ BISHAN is a highlight of elegance and comfort with featured characteristics that create the perfect modern Japanese interior design. The wooden floors, cosy sofa, Japanese-inspired cupboards, and the soft, stylish rug create a breathtaking fusion of Japanese and modern interiors.
The use of wood and sliding doors are depictive of Japanese culture which is given a modern twist by creating stark contrast of the softer wooden elements with the darker cabinetry. Thus, the modern Japanese interior can make your Singapore HDB a humble and trendy abode.
Modern Rustic Interior Design
A modern and a rustic interior design may seem opposing with one having stylish design elements while the other focuses on rustic and vintage elements. However, if we combine the characteristics of both these design styles, the resulting modern rustic interior will have a unique ambience of its own.
Let us take inspiration from one of our interior design portfolios MODERN COUNTRY @ BUTTERWORTH. Inspired by country living, this home features barn-style sliding doors and wood-patterned tiled floors. The sunlight flowing through the large windows brighten up the room that is styled up by adding furniture and decor items that are in style. The rustic and stylish elements make this home an epitome of elegance and nostalgia.
The kitchen of this modern rustic HDB signifies rustic elements like the wood panelled wall and the rustic lamps hanging over the kitchen island. The muted colour palette and the rustic kitchen stools balance out the modern elements like marble countertops and an open-style kitchen. Get ready to embrace some nostalgic vibes in this modern rustic home.
Colonial Interior Design
Another interior design style that gives out nostalgic but classy vibes is the modern colonial interior design theme. Inspired by the British colonial cultures and traditions of the 17th and 18th centuries, this design theme focuses on intricate furniture, skillful craftsmanship seen in the cabinetries, and a touch of nature through green plants. When all these elements are combined with certain modern characteristics, the resulting space will take you to a modern colonial British era.
One of our interior design projects has been completed with this theme in mind. The MODERN BRITISH COLONIAL @ CLEMENTI projects a modern interior with touches of colonial culture. The pure white cabinets, white walls, and white ceiling fixtures give a colonial ambience while the dark hardwood floors, elegant comfortable sofas, and the modern artwork create a modernist environment in the space. The addition of natural plants and a few decorative elements bind the features of both the interior design themes.
Modern Vintage Interior Design
Finally, we discuss another interesting and unique HDB interior design style that combines the old with the new. A vintage interior design is all about class and elegance brought in a space through the use of vintage and worn-out pieces. On the other hand, a modern interior is all about elegant and stylish elements. The raw and rugged nature of old elements create a sharp contrast with the newer elements in a modern vintage interior design style. Such a style is unique, personalised, and creates a character of its own.
Let’s explore the VINTAGE VIBE @ GUAN CHUAN that has been designed by us. This home clearly shows how you can create a fun, eclectic atmosphere in your HDB by placing older items and further accentuating them through modern lighting and furniture. The living room shows old-style sofas with fun, lively patterned cushions. One of the back walls features a brick-wall architecture that creates a raw, traditional look while the adjacent modern, funky lighting adds a modern touch to it.
A comfortable seating environment has been created in another space of this home together with some traditional decorative elements which introduce a vintage ambience with balance in the space.
These modern interior design inspirational portfolios can give you many unique ideas of how you can revamp your Singapore HDB to give it a new makeover. For more inspiration and questions about HDB interior design, book a consultation with Space Factor today. View more of our HDB interior design ideas on our portfolio page today.
You can also find HDB BTO interior design ideas, 3-Room HDB design ideas, 4-Room HDB interior design styles and 5-Room HDB design styles on our blog pages.