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Interiors · the whole home

Try on your flat before anyone hacks a wall.

Colour blocks, wallpaper, wraps, floors, furniture, layout and light, room by room. Find your look, see what HDB allows, then find who builds it.

I have an HDB 4-room flat, and I'd like to refresh the living room in a warm minimal mood.

Find my look in 9 tapsSee Warm minimal
Ben Wallpaper and spray painting need no HDB permit. Hacking or altering a wall does. 12
Belle Change one thing at a time. If the room gets better, keep it.
Try it on in See It Home

Ben and Belle are AI · lines written from our data

A drawing of a typical 4-room flat seen from above at an angle: living and dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.Illustration
A typical 4-room layout, drawn by us. Not your floor plan.
  • Free to use. Nothing to sign up for.
  • Rooms drawn by us: a preview, close, not exact.
  • Every firm in our directory comes from BCA's or HDB's public lists.

Seven things change a room

Same room, one change. See what each one does.

Each picture is the same living room with only one thing changed, so you can see what each change does on its own.

  • The same living room with a clay-coloured arch painted on the back wall behind the sofa.Illustration

    Colour blocks

    Feature walls, half walls, arches and whole rooms in one colour.

    No HDB permit for spray painting 1

    Try it
  • The same living room with a grasscloth-look wallpaper on the back wall.Illustration

    Wallpaper

    Prints and textures for one wall or the whole room.

    No HDB permit for wallpaper 1

    Try it

    See wallpaper in person at Monli Interior Hub Affiliate partner

  • The same living room with the low cabinet on the left wrapped in a sage green film.Illustration

    Wraps

    A printed film over cabinets, wardrobes and doors: new colour, same carpentry.

    Keep it away from heat and steam 7

    Try it
  • The same living room with a dark walnut-look floor, planks running across the room.Illustration

    Floors

    The seven floors on our floors page, in your room.

    Vinyl laid over: no HDB permit 1

    Choose a floorTry it
  • The same living room with a blue sofa, yellow cushions and a low square table.Illustration

    Furniture

    A set for each look. Keep the pieces you love and change the rest.

    Try it
  • A plan of the living room from above: sofa, round table, armchair, TV console and a table for four.Illustration

    Layout

    Move pieces on a plan and keep the walkways clear.

    Moving a wall needs a permit 2

    Try it
  • The same living room at night, lit warm by the pendant.Illustration

    Light

    Your window at 9am, 5pm and 9pm, and warm or cool bulbs.

    Try it
  • Belle Change one thing at a time. If the room gets better, keep it. If you can't tell, it wasn't worth paying for.

Style finder · 9 rooms

Which rooms make you stop scrolling?

We couldn't read those picks. Pick at least three rooms and try again.

0 of 9 rooms liked

Pick at least three. There are no wrong answers, and nothing is saved.

I know my style: show all twelve looks
Belle Pick with your gut, not your head. I'll read the pattern: light or dark, curved or straight, calm or bold.

Twelve looks

Twelve looks, in one HDB-style room.

  • A living room in warm minimal: warm white walls, a soft peach arch, a cream rounded sofa, a round oak table and pale oak floor.Illustration

    Warm minimal

    Fewer things, warmer whites, soft curves.

    • Rice paper
    • Oat
    • Clay pot
    See this look
  • A living room in Japandi: pale walls with a sand-coloured lower half, a low sofa, a square oak table, an open shelf and natural oak floor.Illustration

    Japandi

    Low, calm, natural wood and one dark line.

    • Sea salt
    • Teh peng
    • Black pepper
    See this look
  • A living room in Scandinavian style: white walls, a grey sofa with yellow and sea-glass cushions, a striped rug and pale oak floor.Illustration

    Scandinavian

    Light, bright, pale wood and soft greys.

    • Rice paper
    • Monsoon
    • Kaya
    See this look
  • A living room in mid-century modern: a shophouse-blue back wall, a mustard sofa with rust cushions, a round mirror and walnut floor.Illustration

    Mid-century modern

    Tapered legs, walnut and one bold colour.

    • Sea salt
    • Shophouse blue
    • Laterite
    See this look
  • A living room in organic modern: a terracotta arch, a cream sofa with sage cushions, a round oak table, a plant and honey oak floor.Illustration

    Organic modern

    Terracotta, sage and caramel, made to touch.

    • Frangipani
    • Pandan
    • Laterite
    See this look
  • A living room in wabi-sabi: a sand limewash-look wall, a low pale sofa, an open shelf with pots and a matte grey tile floor.Illustration

    Wabi-sabi

    Textured walls, quiet and a little imperfect.

    • Teh peng
    • Oat
    • Kopi-o
    See this look
  • A living room in tropical resort style: a sea-glass back wall, a cream sofa with green cushions, a sand rug, a plant and warm oak floor.Illustration

    Tropical resort

    Plants, rattan and air, resort at home.

    • Sea glass
    • Teh peng
    • Pandan
    See this look
  • A living room in modern luxe: a fluted back wall, a long pale sofa with plum cushions, a dark low table, a round mirror and dark wood floor.Illustration

    Modern luxe

    Stone looks, fluted panels and a little brass.

    • Oat
    • Black pepper
    • Mangosteen
    See this look
  • A living room in modern Peranakan: a patterned tile-print wallpaper on the back wall, a cream sofa with pink and green cushions and terrazzo floor.Illustration

    Modern Peranakan

    Tile prints and jewel colours, kept modern.

    • Rice paper
    • Sea glass
    • Mangosteen
    See this look
  • A living room painted all over in Tiong Bahru sage, with a laterite sofa, yellow cushions and an oak floor.Illustration

    Colour-confident

    Colour back on the walls: one family, all in.

    • Tiong Bahru sage
    • Pandan
    • Laterite
    See this look
  • A living room in neo-retro: a striped wall in kaya yellow, a blue sofa with rust and mustard cushions and a warm wood plank floor.Illustration

    Neo-retro

    Seventies curves, stripes and warm wood.

    • Kaya
    • Shophouse blue
    • Laterite
    See this look
  • A living room in monochrome minimal: pale grey walls, a charcoal square sofa, a black low table and a floor of large grey tiles.Illustration

    Monochrome minimal

    Black, white and grey, nothing extra.

    • Rice paper
    • Monsoon
    • Black pepper
    See this look
Belle Pick what you'll still like in year five. Trends move faster than a renovation loan.

Where the twelve come from

Refresh, renovate or rebuild

How far do you want to go?

Most of what changes how a room feels needs no hacking. Pick a level and see what HDB asks of each.

Ben Start with Refresh. You can always go further. You can't un-hack a wall.

  1. 1 · Refresh

    New skin, same flat.

    What it covers

    • Paint and colour blocks
    • Wallpaper
    • Wraps on cabinets and doors
    • New loose furniture and rugs
    • Vinyl laid over the old floor

    In an HDB flat

    None for spray painting, wallpaper, or vinyl laid over the old floor. 1

    One published cost

    Published full-unit packages to paint a 4-room HDB flat with walls in reasonable condition: S$680 to S$699 basic, S$1,088 to S$1,180 washable, plus 9% GST where the firm charges it. Many leave out sealing older walls: S$150 to S$350 for a whole flat at two painting firms, and more at Nippon's own service.

    TheMoneyBees, Painting services in Singapore, re-priced 14 Oct 2026, checked 14 Oct 2026 13

    Living with it

    Little dust: nothing is hacked.

  2. 2 · Renovate

    New built-ins and finishes.

    What it covers

    • Everything in Refresh
    • Carpentry: TV console, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets
    • A new kitchen worktop
    • Floors replaced
    • A false ceiling and new lighting points

    In an HDB flat

    Replacing a floor finish needs one. A false ceiling needs none, and must leave 2.4 m of clear height outside toilets and bathrooms. 1

    One published cost

    A TV console in a laminate finish: S$170 to S$320 a foot run.

    SmartCalculator, Carpentry cost in Singapore 2026, 16 Jul 2026 14

    Living with it

    Removing old floor finishes keeps HDB's restricted hours: weekdays, 9am to 5pm. 15

  3. 3 · Rebuild

    Walls, wet areas, layout.

    What it covers

    • Everything in Renovate
    • Hacking walls to open a room
    • Enlarging a bathroom a little, after the block's first 3 years
    • New wall and floor tiles in wet areas

    In an HDB flat

    Hacking or altering a wall needs a permit, and the flat's concrete structure can't be touched. Shelter walls must not be hacked. Toilet finishes from HDB stay for 3 years from the block's completion. 2115

    One published cost

    Renovating a 4-room resale flat: S$70,000 to S$81,600, projected from 2025 medians of 449 resale renovation projects. What the work covered isn't stated.

    Qanvast, Expected renovation costs for HDB flats in 2026, 12 Feb 2026 16

    Living with it

    Neighbours within two units get written notice at least five days before work starts. 15

Work hours in HDB flats. In an HDB flat, hacking, removing floor finishes and cutting tiles run 9am to 5pm on weekdays only, never on public holidays or the eves of New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas. 15

Sources

Who builds it

Find who builds it, then compare like with like.

Every firm in our directory comes from BCA's or HDB's public lists.

2,708 of them are on HDB's renovation list. HDB asks flat owners to hire only firms on that list. 1517

Find a firmYour interior passport
Ben Ask three firms to price the same list. A line one leaves out is either included or forgotten. Ask which.

Sources

  1. 1HDB, Building works guidelines, checked 30 Sep 2026Wallpaper, spray painting and plastering need no HDB permit.Laying vinyl finishes, carpet or linoleum needs no HDB permit.Replacing floor finishes (ceramic, homogeneous, terrazzo, marble, parquet or timber, other tiles) needs an HDB permit.Installing a false ceiling needs no HDB permit, and it must leave at least 2.4 m of clear height, except in toilets and bathrooms.The flat's existing reinforced-concrete structure must not be tampered with.After the block's first 3 years, a bathroom or toilet can be enlarged with an HDB permit, by no more than 600 mm and 0.6 m², and the added space can be used only as a dry area.
  2. 2MyNiceHome (HDB), How to renovate your HDB flat, updated 24 Jun 2026Before you hack down or alter any wall in an HDB flat, you need a permit from HDB.The walls of a household shelter must not be hacked.
  3. 3Hello Circus (a wallpaper maker), Wallpaper ideas and guide for Singapore homes, 21 Jul 2025A wallpaper maker advises heavy-duty vinyl wallpaper for kitchens and bathrooms, never inside a shower, and fixing leaks before papering.
  4. 4Hello Circus (a wallpaper maker), Price of wallpapers in Singapore, 13 May 2022
  5. 53M, DI-NOC architectural finishes technical data sheet (ANZ), May 2020, checked 6 Oct 20263M states an expected life of about 12 years for its DI-NOC film indoors on vertical surfaces, and does not recommend it where condensation keeps forming.
  6. 6HDB, Home care guide: gate and door, undated, checked 6 Oct 2026The closer on a fire-rated HDB main door must not be removed.
  7. 7Ideal Home, How long does vinyl wrap last in a kitchen?, 28 Mar 2024Heat and moisture wear vinyl wrap down over time, and a poorly installed wrap can bubble and peel.
  8. 8Home & Decor, 12 home tours you loved in 2025, Dec 2025One Singapore magazine's round-up of 2025's home tours names warm minimalism, Japandi, curved walls and arches, and earthy colours.Of the twelve 2025 home tours that magazine's readers loved, one was a mid-century renovation and another mixed in mid-century modern.
  9. 9Qanvast, Designers share the biggest interior design trends of 2026, 22 Jan 2026Writing for 2026, one Singapore site expects minimalist homes to stay, pops of earthy colour, and retro and mid-century homes to gain ground.
  10. 10Qanvast, 8 Singapore interior design trends to watch out for in 2025, 2 Jan 2025Textured walls, such as limewash, were expected to stay in trend in 2025.
  11. 11Home & Decor, Goodbye sad beige and hello colour, Jul 2026Colour is coming back after years of beige.
  12. 12LittleBigRedDot, HDB renovation trends 2026, 15 Apr 2026Warm minimalism and curved designs lead one 2026 list of HDB renovation trends.
  13. 13TheMoneyBees, Painting services in Singapore, re-priced 14 Oct 2026, checked 14 Oct 2026
  14. 14SmartCalculator, Carpentry cost in Singapore 2026, 16 Jul 2026
  15. 15HDB, Renovation: important information, checked 30 Sep 2026In an HDB flat, hacking, removing floor finishes and cutting tiles run 9am to 5pm on weekdays only, never on public holidays or the eves of New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas.Toilet floor and wall finishes provided by HDB or the developer must not be replaced for 3 years from the completion date of the block.Neighbours within two units get written notice at least five days before renovation work starts.Engage only contractors from HDB's Directory of Renovation Contractors, including for works that don't need HDB's approval.
  16. 16Qanvast, Expected renovation costs for HDB flats in 2026, 12 Feb 2026
  17. 17SGFloorFinder, the firms in our directory on HDB's renovation list, counted when the page is built2,708 of the firms in our directory are on HDB's renovation list.
  18. 18BCA, What to know as a condo owner, updated 26 Jan 2026Condo owners should check with the developer or MCST and their Sale and Purchase Agreement about renovation restrictions.