Neutrals are calming, classic and the obvious safe choice in a small space like an HDB flat. But if you are thinking of a home with personality, play around with colour.

Bonus: Colours don’t take up extra space! Get inspired by these HDB flats in Singapore that are bucking the trend of nondescript white walls with their saturated shades and vibrant hues.

1. Telok Blangah by Salt Studio

Reno Cost: $40K

This designer selected four shades of colours — blue, green, yellow and red — in varying tones to create a cheerful vibe for this apartment.

In the kitchen, a pale-yellow colour interplays with a blue-green hue, while green chevron striped tiled backsplash and floral-patterned flooring provide more textures to the cooking space.

Paint functions as a visual demarcation in the multipurpose living room, where half of the walls are painted pink and the other half teal to denote where the home office is.

2. Commonwealth Towers by The Scientist

Reno Cost: $35K

This petite open-plan two-room HDB flat doesn’t shy away from the use of colours despite its limited square footage.

Walls in the bedroom and the living room (which functions more as a study) are covered in pastel green, juxtaposing against the saturated cobalt blue, fire-engine red and forest green accents in the space.

You see lots of pink in this home as well, such as on the curtains in the living room, the kitchen cabinets and the bathroom tiles. The light, gentle hue forms the perfect backdrop for the more adventurous colours and terrazzo motifs.

3. Jalan Tiga by Linear Space Concepts

Reno Cost: $85K

Industrial style homes need not be bland or muted.

Here, set against the cement screed, grungy textures and raw surfaces, is a vibrant palette. In the living room, a corrugated metal sheet wall is splashed in a brilliant shade of yellow, the hue intentionally designed to “drip” across the floor to add a sense of quirkiness and an unfinished vibe.

Reds pop against the background in the dining area in the form of the custom settee and the en-suite bathroom door in the master bedroom.

And green is most predominant in the bathroom and the flooring in the dining area.

4. Holland Ave by Free Space Intent

Reno Cost: $65K

The first indication that this home is going to be a colourful one is seen through its front door, which is painted in a lovely shade of pink. Go inside and you will see a mix of pastel shades and bold hues.

The pink appears elsewhere: in the home décor and on the sewage pipes and walls in the bathroom, where they are complemented by pastel green hues. Navy blue is chosen for the bathroom and kitchen cabinets.

It is paired off with a darker green and orange, which are seen through the embossed glass panels on the room divider and on the floor tiles.

5. Punggol Drive by Mr Shopper Studio

Reno Cost: $150K

This home only uses two main colours: blue and powder pink, but use them it did.

The pink is mostly used for the communal spaces, covering the TV wall all through the dining area and the kitchen counters, while the understated blue is mostly seen in the private areas of the home.

Together with the gentle curves, elegant metallic elements and the sculptural quality of their furnishings, the home channels a cinematic, Wes Anderson-esque vibe.

6. Woodlands by Notion of W

Reno Cost: $80K

Unlike the rest of the HDB flats featured here, this apartment comes with a singular striking hue: a zany blue that covers a big part of the living room as well as the walkway into the bedrooms.

It creates a focal point for the open concept home. The other walls are plainer, but intentionally so to allow the rainbow-coloured accessories to pop.

The sofa in the living room is covered in a fabric decorated with the most outrageously colourful geometric print. In the bedroom, the multi-coloured clothes hanging from the open closet almost doubles as decor.

In the bathroom, mosaic hexagon wall tiles are similarly vibrantly hued.

7. Fernvale Lane by VOILÀ

Reno Cost: $26K

Besides nostalgia, colour also reigns supreme in this retro style HDB flat.

You are first greeted by a beautiful bright blue door gate and a yellow door. Inside, everything else is equally vivacious.

One of the most eye-catching features in this apartment is the kitchen window opening, which features old-school shutters painted in a striking red, matching the kitchen door whilst contrasting against the Peranakan style floral tiles decked on the wall below it.

The use of softer pastel hues in the dining area serves as a contrast.

8. Kembangan by Black N White Haus

Reno Cost: $134K

The bold colours and the lighter shades play off against each other beautifully here. In the living room for instance, the designer paired a light blue with a mustardy yellow.

A dark green peeks through slightly from the glass-encased study.

In the kitchen, you see a green and yellow pairing, with the blues coming through from the flooring. Iridescent hues — seen in the kitchen backsplash and the service yard cabinets — add sheen, texture and a subtle elegance, while the white spaces help to create a visual break.

This article was first published in Renonation.