Singapore Designer Creates Experimental Home with Custom Furniture and Raw Materials.

When Ascend Design’s Jasper Goh decided to transform his own 83-square-metre Tiong Bahru walk-up apartment, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to push creative boundaries. Converting the original three-room HDB flat into an open studio, this project became both home and experimental playground for the young designer.

“I saw it as an opportunity to experiment, to be a bit bolder and more personal than I usually would with a client project,” Jasper explains. “It became a space where I could explore ideas I’ve always wanted to try—both creatively and emotionally.”

The transformation draws inspiration from an unlikely source: Further Hotel in Bali. “That space really stayed with me. It was relaxed but curated, raw but refined. I wanted to bring some of that energy into The Bahru House,” he reflects.

Cheerful and Generous: Moving House in Singapore by Spark Architects.

Bright and punchy, Spark Architects' Moving House is a cramped and dull apartment no more. Embracing open spaces, colour blocking and Le Corbusier's New Spirit principles, this abode becomes a generous canvas changing to match the personality of a home akin to a gallery.

Working within the constraints of the existing HDB structure proved challenging, particularly with the bathroom layout and structural beams. Rather than concealing these elements, Jasper embraced them.

“Instead of trying to hide them, I decided to work with them. The bathroom now acts as a bridge between the bedroom and living space, and I kept the beams exposed as part of the design — they now add texture and history rather than feeling like obstacles.”

The material palette centres on tactility and imperfection. Handmade yellow tiles from Thai artisans Loqa anchor the kitchen with their perfectly imperfect character, while a dramatic green marble shower creates what Jasper describes as “a little sanctuary.” The corkboard wall in the living room serves both function and form, displaying ongoing sketches and creative ideas.

Paris Apartment Restoration Brings Le Corbusier's 1930s Heritage Back from Architectural Limbo.

Located in the same building where Le Corbusier lived and worked until his death in 1965, this apartment now reflects the master architect's innovative free plan concept with modern functionality.

Custom furniture by Ascend Design maintains spatial cohesion while reflecting Jasper’s personal living patterns. Clean Meir fittings provide timeless functionality, while a gifted artwork from a close friend adds personal narrative to the bedroom.

One particularly clever design move sees the bedroom ceiling painted deep green. “It’s subtle, but it really shifts the mood of the space,” Jasper notes, explaining how this visual trick lowers the ceiling to create a cocooning effect.

The resulting home balances a high-octane personality with spatial clarity.”It’s not trying too hard to be trendy or polished. It’s lived-in, layered, and honest,” Jasper says of the outcome. “Every decision was intentional, and I think that really comes through when you spend time in the space.”

Compact Apartment in Singapore by Open Studio.

Designed for a young couple with two dogs, the 65sqm interior was given a minimal but punchy makeover with a strategic reflective insertion that combats the space's claustrophobic nature.

[Images courtesy of Ascend Design. Photography by Studio Stacked.]