5 Practical & Stylish HDB Layout Ideas for DINKs Planning to Have Kids

Versatile homes that grow with your family.

If you’re a DINK couple without kids yet – which effectively makes you a DINKY – you’re probably planning to expand your family at some point in the coming years. That calls for future-proofing when you’re planning your home renovation, or you’ll be in for some tough and costly regrets.

Imagine having to build a room back up for a nursery, or hacking existing built-ins for extra space!

That’s why we’ve curated these practical and stylish design ideas that give you the flexibility to adapt your space for a growing family in the future.

1. Hack a junior bedroom for an open-concept communal space…

Drawing inspiration from a mix of interior styles, this soothing and earthy 5-room flat boasts a spacious open-concept living and dining area decked out in limewash walls.

While 5-room flats come with a suggested study area that is big enough to fit a dining setup, you can take it a step further by hacking one of your junior bedrooms to combine with the already spacious communal area.

This allows you to fit your WFH/gaming setup right in the living room while still preserving one junior bedroom for a kid’s room in the future.

2. …or a semi-open communal area with an enclosable study

If you want more flexibility or need your study to have some privacy, you can consider using sliding doors to enclose the space when needed.

In this 5-room BTO flat in Tampines, the homeowners also added a platform that doubles as a reading nook and as seating during gatherings.

Additional storage drawers at the bottom can also be used to keep documents, reading materials, or even cushions/pillows for comfort.

Similar to the previous example, the second junior bedroom was also kept intact and can be used for a future kid’s room.

What we like about this setup is that aside from the second junior bedroom, the study can be potentially converted into a kid’s bedroom if necessary.

3. Merge a junior and master bedroom to create a large suite with a walk-in wardrobe

For most DINKs, having a walk-in wardrobe is the dream. And planning to start a family in the future shouldn’t put a damper on that.

In this 5-room BTO flat in Tengah, the homeowners merged two bedrooms to create a dreamy and spacious master suite, complete with a dresser for their daily skincare routines.

This setup is large enough to fit a baby cot for when the time comes, especially for deep-sleepers who prefer to have their baby near them rather than in a separate nursery.

4. Or, create a walk-through wardrobe (without hacking) to preserve junior bedrooms for future kids

Contrary to popular belief, you can have a walk-in wardrobe without hacking down a room. Take this 5-room BTO flat in Mount Vernon for example.

The homeowners lined their carpentry right next to the door so it doubles as a ‘partition’ for the sleeping area and creates the effect of a walk-through wardrobe. You can also customise the carpentry accordingly, replacing the vanity with additional wardrobe panels if you need more space.

In the same vein, you can also carve out a study corner in the living room without hacking the junior bedroom.

5. Reduce the junior bedroom size slightly for a bigger master bedroom

Dressed in soft neutrals and wood accents, this 3-room flat in Bidadari is all cosy vibes. It sports a stylish breeze block partition at the entrance, which might also provide much-needed privacy if your unit is close to the lift, or has a direct view into the living room.

The uncluttered communal space encourages both relaxation and play, which is perfect if you’re planning for kids.

On the other side of the breeze block, you’ll find a slim profile shoe cabinet by the entrance to make it easy to take off/put on shoes.

This is one of many carpentry ideas you can consider for both aesthetic and function.

The most interesting idea to steal from this home, though, is the way the master bedroom ‘eats’ into part of the junior bedroom for a slightly larger master bedroom.

This gives you allowance for recessed wardrobes with a clean and flat look (especially if you can’t stand protruding carpentry) – without having to sacrifice the junior bedroom that you’d need for kids.

Future-proof for a home that grows with your family

At the end of the day, a little creativity and an open discussion with your ID can go a long way in helping you to understand how to future-proof your home for new additions to the family (while sticking to your budget)!

Need help finding said ID? Get in touch with us: we can help you shortlist suitable firms within one working day for free when you tell us your renovation needs below.

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