A Singaporean couple in their 30s has created a vibrant and welcoming home through a $50,700 renovation of their 4-room public housing flat in Eunos. Keshav and Priya deliberately moved away from the monotonous beige aesthetic commonly seen on social media, instead embracing an eclectic design that reflects their colorful personalities. The couple's 93-square-meter HDB Build-to-Order Sale of Balance flat strikes visitors immediately as both spacious and full of character.

Keshav, a travel manager, and Priya, a therapist who works five days a week at the hospital, completed their renovation in September 2023 and have been living in the space for nearly two years. They aimed for an eclectic interior design featuring earthy tones including greens, oranges, yellows, and natural wood elements. "I think one of the themes that we stuck with was a pop of color," the couple explains. "We didn't want it to be like an overwhelming kaleidoscope when you enter the house."

The couple made the bold decision to knock down the third bedroom to create a more spacious living and dining area, as they thoroughly enjoy hosting family and friends. Their current lifestyle as a DINK (dual income, no kids) couple prioritizes entertaining and traveling, though they do plan to have children eventually. "I think that use of that space made more sense for us at this time than having that spare room that we wouldn't really have done anything with right now," they explain. The flat's location proves highly convenient, being central to both their workplaces and their parents' homes, with less than a 10-minute walk to Eunos MRT station.

The spacious living room is flooded with natural light and covered in heritage-themed decor that pays tribute to their combined backgrounds. As Keshav is half Indian and half Chinese, visitors will find a mix of precious and inherited items from their parents and grandparents throughout the house. This includes oriental vases, a mother-of-pearl cabinet, telephone tables, and elephant tables that effectively blend their Indian and Chinese heritage into their living space. The home features minimal built-ins aside from the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom carpentry, as the couple preferred to acquire or inherit furniture from their families.

Priya particularly loves the entryway bar area for its compact design and striking colorful Peranakan tiles that separate it from the rest of the house. The tiles fit perfectly with their desired theme of colorful and eclectic decor. Keshav also enjoys the bar area for its warm and inviting atmosphere, and he highlights the dining area, which features mismatched chairs and a wooden dining table with grains that remind him of "a moving river." The dining area's Philips Hue lighting system allows them to adjust the ambiance for different occasions, with brighter settings for parents and dimmer, cozier lighting for friends.

In the kitchen, Keshav and Priya spent considerable time choosing their tiles, especially the colorful ones. They were particularly fond of the Bali tiles along the kitchen counter, drawn to their natural look, cool colors, and floral patterns. Keshav, described as the wilder and more daring one, often suggested boundary-pushing ideas that Priya and their interior designer sometimes had to rein in. Their interior designer, formerly of Voila Design Pte Ltd, was meticulous in mapping out the placement of each tile, using a grid system to ensure proper arrangement.

The second bedroom currently serves as a study, which the couple admits is the least attractive room as it also functions as storage space for items that don't yet have a designated place. The master bathroom shares the same tiles as the home bar's feature wall, chosen for their nature-inspired, relaxing qualities and pop of color, contributing to the home's cohesive interior design theme. The patterned bathroom tiles create a calming yet fun ambiance that's repeated throughout the home.

Looking back at their two years in the renovated space, the couple notes that their experience has been smooth overall. While they encountered usual minor issues like unreliable air conditioning vendors and neighbor renovation disruptions, these weren't significant problems. As for future plans, Priya reveals, "There's a next chapter to this house. The next chapter looks like paintings in the house. That's something I really want to work on - I really want to do more, and put more art on the wall." The home stands as a testament to how personal heritage and bold design choices can transform a standard public housing unit into a unique and welcoming space.