Living in HDB flats may be normal for most, but not quite so for husband and wife duo Eitaro Ogawa and Tamae Iwasaki, who work under the art collective Keyakismos alongside their partner Tomohisa Miyauchi, a senior lecturer of architecture at NUS. For Ogawa and Iwasaki, who moved to Singapore 15 years ago, the city-state’s concept of public housing was something that blew their minds.
They were fascinated by the diversity of living styles that could exist in each flat. This led them to embark on a four-year-long photobook project entitled HDB: Homes of Singapore. The 681-page soft cover book, now available in bookstores like Basheer Graphics Books, Kinokuniya (Takashimaya), Supermama and BooksActually, features images of over 100 HDB homes in their usual states. Here are some of the photographs and the stories behind them.
Home of a designer and his family
The owner is fond of building things himself and he bought the massage chair for his mother.
Home of a Malay artist and his family
Iwasaki described this unit as a “very cheerful flat”, calling the blue paint “bright and refreshing”.
Home of a former fireman who is now an interior designer
Many of the items in the flat were made by the owner himself.
Home of a carpenter
“His passion for the house is beyond our imagination. This is really a life’s work,” commented Iwasaki. “You can get totally lost in his place.”
Home of a musician
This unit is located on the top floor of a new HDB block. Iwasaki remarked that the master bedroom looks like it’s floating in the sky.
Home of a conceptual artist
The artist treats this flat as a quiet sanctuary when he needs to create or write.
A HDB terrace house
Iwasaki said the house has an interesting security system and a retro atmosphere.
Home of a young couple who are both architects
The living room shares space with the children’s play area. The owners shared that there is still a kampung community nearby.
Home of an art teacher, who is also Iwasaki’s friend
This flat was the inspiration for the book.
Home of a printmaker and her family
Iwasaki shared that the family gets together a lot in this flat and you can tell from the connected working desks.
Home of an art collector
Beautiful art pieces fill up the walls of this home.
Home of a news editor
The owner loves to collect plastic toys, but because of her job, she is not home most of the time to see them.
