Month: February 2024

5 Tips for Space Saving in Singapore5 Tips for Space Saving in Singapore

Due to the increasingly limited space in many HDB flats, Singaporeans struggle to find storage in their homes. Here are 6 ways to maximise your home space while keeping them organised and tidy.

1. Built-in furniture

Opt for built-in shelves, cabinets and wardrobes to better utilise the limited space available for better storage. Built-in seating (Examples: bench, sofa etc) can also be installed. Below features a built-in seating for the owners of this home to put on their shoes while also having some storage for their belongings.

Hence, some built-in furniture can also serve as a storage space. An example would be a platform bed on top of pull out drawers, which can store items you want out of sight. (shown below) Another can be a sofa with storage space below or at the ends, which can be a shelving alternative to store books and toys. These are great alternatives with better practicality, while also saving more space for other furniture.

2. Sliding doors

Installing a sliding door for your kitchen, study room or even wardrobes can help save more space in smaller rooms, as compared to a swinging door. As a swinging door opens outwards, it may not be practical in a tighter space. Moreover, when sliding doors are retracted out fully, they help create a broader space between the 2 rooms connected, allowing your home to appear bigger. Example is in the photo below.

3. Pull-out furniture

A great example is a pull-out dining table, which can be paired with portable and stackable chairs. It can be very versatile with its usage and be hidden away when not in use, giving you ample space for your home. This is especially useful for smaller households who rarely use the dining table.

4. Ceiling Space

Don’t forget that you can also make use of the ceiling space in your homes! A suspended shelf or cabinet adds a unique spin to an interior design as well as allows for more room in the house. Not to mention, you can store or display while making them accessible.

5. Two-tiered drawers

Are there instances when your drawers are filled up but there is still space due to the depth of the drawers? To maximise the drawer space, you can install a smaller drawer within the outer drawer! These drawers allow you to fill up the extra space left above all of your already stored items.

How to better plan out your spaceHow to better plan out your space

Space planning includes mapping out the room, knowing the intended purpose and the actual interior design of your rooms. Without effective space planning, your room, and possibly even the whole home can lack a sense of unity, not feeling complete.

Hence, while making your home beautiful is most ideal, the functional design aspect is equally as important for it to be livable.

Things to take note:

When planning your room/ whole house, these are some things to consider to help you plan easier.

• Take into account how each room is used and who will be using it

In order to best accommodate your needs, take into account how each room will be used. Those needs will eventually affect the layout and design. For example, a bedroom’s intended use as a place of relaxation and comfort; therefore this will impact the placement of your bedroom furniture, the type of lighting as well as what storage requirements are needed

• Scale your furniture to your space

Consider the size of your room and plan how much furniture to fit into your space. Make sure the room does not get too cluttered

• Consider focal points

Is there something (e.g a tall window) that can stand out in the room? Working around the focal point of each room can guide your planning better

• Create zones

Plan out your space into zones of usage. Example: due to space constraints, many homes combine their living and dining into 1 room, so the dining area is in the living room. This is when you can consider where the dining and living areas are in your space and differentiate them within these zones, sometimes with furniture or carpet

• Natural lighting

How much natural light is entering the room? Is there enough? Where are the areas requiring more lighting? Take these questions into consideration while planning your lights!

The most important tip is to have fun! Planning your space may be difficult at times but it will feel rewarding to design your dream home!