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5 Interior Styling Tips For Your TraditionalHome

Having a home renovation in Singapore can be a good idea to makeover your interior! Having a new atmosphere that is pleasing to the eyes can give a more positive disposition and a new outlook in life. Should you wish to start on a clean slate with a new condo, kitchen, HDB or BTO renovation, Project Guru is here to help. Home renovation is more than just filling the space with aesthetics. We provide small to large-scale home renovation ideas that go beyond beautiful, aiming to deliver renovations that are functional and can make staying at home a worthwhile experience.



Traditional interior design is precisely what it sounds like – a classic and timeless home décor style that is rooted in the traditions of the past without being specific to any single time period. These designs have proved to be hugely popular in the interior design scene in Singapore.


If you are someone who falls into the “I’m a fan” category, you are undoubtedly looking for a home that features such a design scheme. Should you manage to secure a resale flat featuring your dream interior design, congratulations are in order! However, even the most stylish design needs an update every once in a while so that it does not look too dated – and your traditional home is no different.


What’s more, your HDB resale renovation need not be expensive. With some tweaks here and there, your living space will be updated in no time flat. Read on for some innovative HDB renovation ideas to spruce up your living space and give it a modern uplift.


Tip #1: Get a fresh coat of paint

One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to refresh your interior space is through paint. While the timeless nature of the traditional design is why you fell in love with your new home in the first place, the house can certainly do with a makeover.


To maintain the delicate balance between modern and traditional stylings, you can consider painting the apartment in one colour. A fresh coat of paint will help disguise the imperfections that may occur over time in a resale flat. Feel free to be playful with your colour choices. But if you prefer to maintain a clean, crisp palette to complement the existing interior design, white may be the ideal choice for your traditional home.


Tip #2: Try transitional styling


Transitional styling is perfect for those looking for the best of traditional and modern interior designs. If you have a vintage rug you wish to keep, you can pair it with more contemporary furniture pieces and finishes. Conversely, furniture pieces with more traditional forms can be layered with a modern carpet beneath them.


However, there is an art to transitional styling, and haphazard placements can cause your living place to look like a hot mess. So if you are thinking about incorporating this HDB renovation idea, here are a few rules to follow: 


  1. Stick with a neutral colour palette and let your furniture be the focus of the room. 

  2. Pair classic and modern furniture together, such as placing a traditional chair next to a contemporary sofa, rather than separating them into two distinct zones.

  3. Opt for minimal accessories to allow the room’s interior design to speak for itself. 

  4. Avoid stuffing the room with too much of a particular style – modern or traditional – as it can create an imbalance.


Tip #3: Hang modern artworks


A piece of artwork plays as critical of a role as a piece of furniture in a modern interior design scheme. It can transform your interior and help personalise your living space. This makes contemporary art pieces an excellent accessory to juxtapose the traditional and modern interior design elements in your home.


Large-format contemporary artworks, in particular, are great at lifting an older interior. If you do not have such art pieces, you need not go out of your way to purchase them. Instead, a gallery wall of smaller works can replicate the same visual impact your space may need.


Lastly, it is vital to adhere to the rules of transitional styling. So when you are selecting the ideal artwork for your living space, ensure the chosen pieces complement your existing furniture and décor.


Tip #4: Bridge the divide with natural materials


Modern interior designs can feel very futuristic, featuring plenty of manufactured materials, like plastic, plywood, and tubular steel, which were born out of the Industrial Age. Conversely, a traditional design utilises more natural and hand-crafted materials such as leather and wood.


This can cause a huge contrast between the traditional and modern styles in your home. While you would want some distinction, a significant divide can throw everything off balance. To combat this effect, you can make use of woven natural materials to bridge the gap. Materials like seagrass, sisal, jute, or cane can add texture and create a neutral backdrop for traditional and modern pieces to coexist.


Tip #5: Choose your furniture wisely

Some modern furniture pieces work better in a transitional style home than others. So when you are shopping for your furniture, it is essential for you to be discerning in your choices. An effective way to blend classic and modern interior design styles is to source furniture pieces that utilise traditional materials in contemporary forms.


The inverse approach also holds true. Going with a more traditional and antique-inspired form, but providing them with an update by selecting more modern materials, like plastic or metal, is a fun way to contrast new and old within a single piece of furniture.

Updating a traditional home need not be a challenging affair. By incorporating these HDB renovation ideas we have shared, your house will receive the modern uplift it deserves without costing you a pretty penny. But if you remain unsure of what is best for your home, feel free to speak to our consultants.


At ProjectGuru, we are one of the leading interior design companies in Singapore. Our team possess years of experience in the industry, having worked with numerous clients to design their dream homes. Do not hesitate to contact us today to learn how we can spruce up your home.

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