Actor Thomas Ong moves into a 38 sqm HDB flat and says it's 'the happiest thing' this year

The 57-year-old actor jokes that his bedroom, kitchen and toilet are each only a few steps away – and says he can now clean his entire home in under 30 minutes.

Thomas Ong moved from a 3-room HDB flat to a 2-room flexi flat. (Photo: Instagram/@thomasong17)

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Looks like Thomas Ong's wish for a two-room Flexi flat came true.

The actor, who previously lived in a three-room HDB flat, recently revealed on Facebook that he has downsized to a 38 sqm two-room Flexi unit, and has already been living there for more than a month.

Back in 2024, Ong, 57, shared that he planned to apply for a two-room Flexi flat.

After waiting a year and a half and trying twice, he finally secured a Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) unit this year.

He called it “the happiest thing” to happen to him this year.

“It’s the smallest type, but it’s just right,” he wrote, joking that for someone who is “too lazy to clean”, a tiny flat actually suits him better.

The living room is decked in dark wood cabinetry. (Photo: Instagram/@thomasong17)

Over the past few months, Ong had been sharing snippets of his new home on social media.

An earlier pic of his bedroom showed dark green wall panelling, dark bedding and warm lighting, while a shot of his kitchen featured dark wood cabinetry and a dramatic marble-look backsplash and countertop.

And judging from the latest pic of his living room, the moody aesthetic continues throughout the home.

Decked out in dark wood, warm lighting and built-in cabinetry, the space has an almost hotel-like feel – quite a departure from his previous flat, which featured lots of white and lighter wood tones.

He has also made clever use of the limited space, with a cushioned bench by the windows providing extra seating.

His bedroom showed dark green wall panelling, dark bedding and warm lighting. (Photo: Instagram/@thomasong17)

A large TV is mounted against the wood-panelled wall, while books, ceramics and other knick-knacks add character to the space.

According to Ong, who refers to himself as “Lao Wang” on social media, 38 sqm (409 sqft) – almost half the size of a typical three-room flat – really is as compact as it sounds.

“The moment I step through the door, two steps and I’m in the bedroom; another two steps and I’m in the kitchen; another two steps and I’ve reached the toilet,” he said.

“There really isn’t much space at home to move around.”

Ong, however, sees that as a good thing.

He said having less space “forces” him to get out more. When he’s hungry, he heads to a nearby mall for food, though he occasionally cooks simple meals at home. When he wants some exercise, he goes for a workout or a walk.

His home, he said, has become simply “a place to return to, rest, relax and quieten down”.

His kitchen comes with a marble-look backsplash and countertop. (Photo: Instagram/@thomasong17)

There’s another major perk to living in a small flat: Cleaning is a breeze.

Vacuuming? Done in no time. Mopping? Less than 10 minutes.

With a quick wipe here and there, Ong reckons he can get his entire home neat and clean in under half an hour. Not bad at all.

Ong also reflected on how moving into bigger homes is often seen as a sign of success.

“All I can say is, Lao Wang is naturally lazy and doesn’t have what it takes,” he quipped.

Ironically, while his smaller home was supposed to encourage him to get out more, Ong may have made it a little too comfortable.

“After experiencing it for more than a month, it turns out I renovated the place to suit myself too well, he wrote. “Now, whenever I get home, I don’t feel like going out at all.”

Ong has filmed a video about his renovation and is currently editing it, so we'll have to wait for the full house tour.

This story was originally published in 8Days.

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这位 57 岁的演员开玩笑说，他的卧室、厨房和厕所都只有几步之遥——他还说，他现在可以在 30 分钟内打扫完整个家。

Thomas Ong从三房式组屋搬到了两房式灵活组屋。（照片：Instagram/@thomasong17）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

看来 Thomas Ong 想要一套两房式灵活组屋的愿望实现了。

这位演员之前住在三房式组屋里，最近在 Facebook 上透露，他已经搬到了 38 平方米的两房式灵活单位，并且已经在那里住了超过一个月。

2024年，57岁的翁先生曾表示，他计划申请一套两房式灵活组屋。

经过一年半的等待和两次尝试，他今年终于买到了一套剩余组屋（SBF）单位。

他称这是他今年遇到的“最幸福的事”。

“这是最小的户型，但刚刚好，”他写道，并开玩笑说，对于一个“懒得打扫卫生”的人来说，小公寓其实更适合他。

客厅里摆放着深色木质橱柜。（图片来源：Instagram/@thomasong17）

过去几个月，翁一直在社交媒体上分享他新家的点点滴滴。

早前他卧室的照片显示，墙面是深绿色的，床上用品是深色的，灯光是暖色调的；而他厨房的照片则显示，厨房里有深色的木质橱柜，以及引人注目的大理石纹理防溅板和台面。

从他客厅的最新照片来看，这种忧郁的美学风格贯穿了整个住宅。

整个空间以深色木材、暖色调灯光和嵌入式橱柜装饰，给人一种酒店般的感觉——这与他之前的公寓截然不同，之前的公寓以白色和浅木色调为主。

他还巧妙地利用了有限的空间，在窗边放置了带软垫的长凳，提供了额外的座位。

他的卧室墙面是深绿色的护墙板，床品颜色也比较深，灯光是暖色调的。（图片来源：Instagram/@thomasong17）

一台大电视机安装在木板墙上，书籍、陶瓷和其他小摆设为空间增添了特色。

据在社交媒体上自称“老王”的翁先生说，38 平方米（409 平方英尺）——几乎是典型三房式组屋的一半大小——确实像听起来那么紧凑。

他说：“我一踏进门，两步就到卧室了；再走两步就到厨房了；再走两步就到厕所了。”

“家里空间真的太小了，没什么活动空间。”

然而，翁却认为这是件好事。

他说，居住空间缩小“迫使”他更多地出门。饿了的时候，他会去附近的商场吃饭，不过偶尔也会在家做些简单的饭菜。想锻炼的时候，他会去健身房或散步。

他说，他的家已经变成了一个“可以回去休息、放松和安静下来的地方”。

他的厨房配有仿大理石纹理的防溅板和台面。（图片：Instagram/@thomasong17）

住在小公寓还有另一个主要好处：打扫卫生非常轻松。

吸尘？很快就能搞定。拖地？不到10分钟。

Ong估计，只要这里擦擦那里擦擦，不到半小时就能把整个家收拾得干干净净。还真不错。

Ong还反思了搬进更大的房子通常被视为成功的标志。

“我只能说，老王天性懒惰，缺乏必要的素质，”他打趣道。

具有讽刺意味的是，虽然他较小的房子本应鼓励他多外出走走，但翁可能反而让他的生活变得有点太舒适了。

“住了超过一个月后，我发现我把房子装修得太符合自己的心意了，”他写道。“现在，每次回家，我都不想出门。”

Ong 已经拍摄了一段关于他房屋装修的视频，目前正在剪辑，所以我们还得等等才能看到完整的房屋参观视频。

本文最初发表于《8Days》杂志。

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