February 17, 2021
Having the right storage solutions in a small home can make a big difference.
Shrinking condominium sizes as well as shoebox units aren’t new in land-scarce Singapore. So when interior designers Jax and Cecil were roped in to renovate this compact one-bedder condo unit last year, their goal was to provide its owners – a young couple in their late 20s – with a home that would be big on functionality despite its innately small size.
View this project by The Makers Design Studio
“The main challenge was definitely the size (of the unit),” says Jax. “But it wasn’t that big of a constraint because we work on plenty of two-room HDB flats, and we were able to apply most of the lessons that we’ve learnt to this project. They’re essentially the same type of home, just with different layouts.”
The home's floor plan
Naturally, multipurpose storage solutions were the keys to unlocking the full potential of the 60 sqm space, with several of such fixtures being built in the foyer, living room as well as the home’s sole bedroom to provide extra stashaway spaces for belongings and accessories that aren’t frequently used.
A pull-out ironing board was installed within the foyer’s cabinets as a nifty space-saving solution.
At the foyer, a new row of floor-to-ceiling cabinets were built for storage as well as display purposes, with more than half of the structure’s space dedicated to built-in shelving for storing shoes and cleaning appliances. “The other half functions as a key drop as well as a display area,” says Cecil, “Also, you don’t really notice it because it’s hidden behind a photo frame, but the intercom unit is also concealed there.”
A sliding mirror door keeps the master bedroom and the bathroom’s entrance concealed.
A slatted partition beside the dining area forms a visual break between the living room and original kitchen, which the owners chose to retain along with its light wood cabinetry.
Likewise, extra functionality was eked out in the confines of the home’s communal spaces with the help of multipurpose features; the dining table was designed for meals as well as office work (thanks to in-built cable management solutions) whereas a swivel feature wall allows the TV to be used in both the living area and master bedroom.
“There was also a cost-friendly aspect to both designs. For example, laminates were used for the tabletop instead of quartz, which would have cost more. And having the swivel mount meant that the owners didn’t have to fork out for an additional TV,” Jax explains.
A rotating mount allows a single TV to be shared between the living room and the master bedroom
On the inside of the master bedroom, a two-step platform bed as well as a standing dresser were built to meet the homeowners’ request for practical, space-saving features.
“Storing bulkier items, like luggage bags and travel wear, was definitely a big concern for the homeowners because this condo unit doesn’t come with a storeroom. That’s why we created this platform bed for them,” says Cecil. “The two-step design allows us to incorporate more storage compartments, seven of them in fact, yet ensure that it remains at a comfortable height.”
The bedroom’s standing dresser, which is a surprisingly popular fixture according to Jax (“Some homeowners I’ve met saw photos of this dresser and they immediately asked if they could have something similar.”), was created as an answer to the lack of space in the master bedroom.
“It’s just the right size for that corner of the room,” says Jax. “The dresser is around 70cm wide and 20cm deep, so it’s not bulky at all. And there’s even a power socket inside for a hairdryer.”
For budgetary reasons, the bathroom’s original design was kept mostly intact, save for the addition of brand-new LED cove lights and a rainshower fixture.
While the main features of the apartment are undoubtedly its nifty storage solutions and functional fixtures, the cost-effectiveness of its makeover is worth highlighting too.
“The cost of the makeover is approximately $28,000 and with that budget we were able to fulfil all of the homeowners’ requirements and also find practical workarounds for constraints in every room,” says Jax. “So in that sense, we’d consider this renovation a success.”
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