Cover A full-length mirror in this Bud Studio apartment visually expands the foyer while a monolithic column separates the living space from the dining area without adding bulk
A full-length mirror in this Bud Studio apartment visually expands the foyer while a monolithic column separates the living space from the dining area without adding bulk
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Designed as a backdrop for meaningful rituals and treasured objects, this apartment by Bud Studio was made to evolve alongside its owners
Rather than chasing the illusion of more space, Bud Studio co-founder Justin Mok designed his own Tampines apartment around something less tangible: the quiet accumulation of life.
Completed in early 2025, the 990 sq ft flat Mok shares with his wife, Lorraine Wee, was conceived as a home that would continue to evolve as the couple grows, not as a finished picture. Every material, opening and carefully chosen object was intended to deepen with age, carrying the marks of daily rituals rather than resisting them.
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Above The corridor leading to the private spaces was retained
The corridor leading to the private spaces was retained
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The project began with an apparent constraint. While many renovations—especially with young owners—dramatically reconfigure the original layout, Mok chose to retain much of the apartment’s familiar organisation, with private rooms arranged along a corridor. Hence, the challenge was making the home’s compact footprint feel expansive without having to rely on complete openness.
Character, not convention
Above In lieu of conventional partitions and walls, strategic voids connect and demarcate distinct portions of the home
In lieu of conventional partitions and walls, strategic voids connect and demarcate distinct portions of the home
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Strategically carved voids replace conventional partitions, allowing glimpses between adjoining spaces and preserving their individual character while helping the compact apartment feel spacious. In the foyer, a full-length mirror visually expands the space and serves as the perfect spot for last-minute outfit checks before one leaves the house. A corridor opens towards the study, and carefully positioned apertures establish sightlines across the home. Fixed glazing connects the master bathroom and bedroom, while custom cabinetry was interrupted to create a sense of visual continuity between the walk-in wardrobe and the sleeping quarters.
Above Custom veneer-clad French doors lead from the study to the dining area
Custom veneer-clad French doors lead from the study to the dining area
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As a result, the abode feels connected and spacious, yet offers privacy aplenty. Family members remain visually aware of one another without encroaching upon personal bubbles. “Although the home may be small, we still wanted to avoid spaces that feel ‘lonely’,” Mok notes.
In case you missed it: Space Makers: Get to know Justin Mok and Bin Yeo, the creative interior designers behind Bud Studio
Above A cut-out in the French doors frames a peek into the study
A cut-out in the French doors frames a peek into the study
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This philosophy finds its clearest expression in the living and dining areas, where a sculptural monolithic wall partially breaks up sightlines without completely separating. Beyond it, custom veneer-clad French doors frame the study and peep like carefully composed artworks. Even the recessed pulls become an architectural gesture, doubling as another intentional viewpoint between rooms.
Ageing gracefully
Above A strategically placed void between the walk-in wardrobe and bedroom
Above The tactile materials used in this bedroom, such as natural veneer, stone and engineered timber, invite one to touch and interact constantly
A strategically placed void between the walk-in wardrobe and bedroom
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Above A block-like stone sink commands attention in this bathroom
A block-like stone sink commands attention in this bathroom
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Materiality proved equally important. Natural veneer, stone and engineered timber were selected both for their aesthetic qualities and for the way these materials respond to time. Surfaces are expected to soften, develop a patina and quietly document the lives unfolding around them. Rather than concealing wear, the design welcomes it, encouraging everyday interaction through tactile finishes that invite a hand to brush across timber, for instance, as one moves through the apartment.
Above A vignette of the dining area
Above The real owner of this apartment, the cat, lounges in the foyer
A vignette of the dining area
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The furniture, too, plays a central role in this narrative. To Mok, sourcing each piece became one of the most rewarding aspects of the project, allowing the interior to gradually acquire a personality beyond the existing architecture itself. “It was the most control I’ve ever had with regard to furniture, and will continue to be [so] as we slowly fill the space with more pieces in the future. It felt like the most meaningful part of the project because it was like we were breathing life into the space,” he explains.
Indeed, instead of furnishing the apartment all at once, the organic growth of the collection allows each addition to become another layer in the home’s evolving story.
Steady growth
Above The kitchen doubles as a cafe on weekends
The kitchen doubles as a cafe on weekends
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That sense of gentle evolution extends into daily life. Wee’s love of coffee transforms the kitchen and foyer into an intimate cafe on weekends, and there’s space carved out for her pottery passions. The couple own a cat, which effortlessly claims the elegant apartment and makes the space its own. It is clear that the home adapts to changing rituals rather than dictating them.
Bud Studio takes an approach that resists spectacle in favour of permanence. Here, good design is measured less by how pristine it appears upon completion, and more by how gracefully it accommodates the passing of time.
Bud Studio
Above Bud Studio co-founders Justin Mok (left) and Bin Yeo (right)
Bud Studio co-founders Justin Mok (left) and Bin Yeo (right)
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Founded in March 2020, Bud Studio is a boutique interior design firm based in Singapore. Located in Pearl’s Hill, the studio comprises a talented team of 10 professionals. Their design philosophy centres on a layered, user-centric and empathy-driven approach to spatial design, seamlessly integrating beauty and functionality.
Bud Studio, 154A Joo Chiat Road, budstudioco.com
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