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.

Hack a junior bedroom for an open-concept communal space

Drawing inspiration from a mix of interior styles for a soothing and earthy palette that includes limewash walls, this 4-room flat in Kallang boasts a spacious open-concept living and dining area.

The trick? Converting one of the junior bedrooms into a dedicated dining space. Not only do you get more space for guests to mingle (if you enjoy hosting), but it will also serve as a more spacious play area for your kids in future.

You can also try extending a peninsula from the kitchen for extra countertop space, where you can prepare food and drinks while chatting with your friends/family at the dining area.

By now, you’ve probably noticed all the curves winding around the home; besides adding a much-loved aesthetic to the space, they also make the space much safer for kids if they bump into carpentry while running about.

Leaving the second junior bedroom untouched, the owners did up a stretch of wardrobes along the master bedroom wall that camouflage the bathroom entrance.

With a vanity that extends from the open storage shelves, the space is great for both winding down and prepping for the day.

Turn your master bedroom into a (temporary) extra-large master suite

All work and no play makes us – and our homes – rather dull, so it might be worth giving your space a lively change with a hobby/entertainment space.

For the owners of this home, that meant converting one of the junior bedrooms to the living space that partially connects with the new dining room.

Another impressive change is how the remaining bedrooms are closed off with glass doors, creating a space that resembles an extra-large master suite.

Despite this arrangement, the junior bedroom was not converted to a walk-in wardrobe; instead, the owners leveraged the corner of the master bedroom for an L-shaped wardrobe that’s almost like a walk-in wardrobe, without any hacking required.

That effectively makes the junior bedroom a flexible mixed-use space with no built-ins, so you can easily convert it to a kid’s room in the future.

Or, hack to get an upgraded ‘master suite’ with a walk-in wardrobe and study space

This home is unconventional in many ways, from its angular layout to the choice of deep colours and furniture that give it a distinct mid-century modern look.

But if we had to pick out one of the most interesting parts of this home, we’d point you to the master bedroom, which was combined with the junior bedroom next to it for a walk-in wardrobe that also doubles as a study area (not pictured).

The sleeping area was shifted to the former junior bedroom and there’s a vanity neatly slotted into the awkward corner of the room so you can get ready in style.

With this arrangement, you can keep the second junior bedroom empty to convert to a nursery/kid’s bedroom in future.

In a similar vein, here’s another home with a ‘master suite’ that’s got a walk-in-wardrobe that doubles as a study, leaving one of the junior bedrooms untouched.

Before we head to the bedrooms though, take a moment to appreciate its bright and uncluttered living area with a breakfast bar and a dry bar/pantry.

Hosting enthusiasts, take note: it’s even fitted with a wine cooler and a backlit drinks display!

Keep the junior bedrooms intact and furnish with loose furniture

With how space-strapped we are, it’s no surprise that lots of homeowners love a spacious open-concept plan for their homes.

This one’s no different: after hacking away the kitchen walls, it’s now got a really wide peninsula with enough storage to make any ‘neat freak’ rejoice.

Plus, it’s good for keeping an eye on the communal space while cooking, especially if you have kids in the future.

Owing to the minimalist theme, which embraces clean lines and soft neutrals, the home looks extra spacious too.

When it comes to choosing materials for all your carpentry and masonry, keep an eye out for durable and easy-to-maintain ones that can withstand wear and tear.

As for the junior bedrooms (not pictured), both were left intact, with one converted to a simple study with loose furniture, and the other with a built-in cabinet.

When you do have kids, this’ll make it easy to change up in the future – as told by homeowners who’ve spoken to us about how they realised they need a helper after having kids.

This way, they could turn one junior room to a nursery, and keep the other aside for their helper (whom they only decided to engage after having kids).

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 only junior bedroom in the home that you’d need for kids.

Build a common study for the whole family

This colourful 5-room resale flat in Jurong West underwent quite the overhaul: now, it has a roomy communal space with a bedroom-turned-study and a lovely peninsula for dining.

Done up almost completely with glass, the study is a light-filled space that would certainly get your motivation up for the daily grind, especially if you spend a lot of hours working from home.

Not only that, it also makes for a common study when your kid(s) start schooling so you can keep an eye on them and help them out too.

With this arrangement, you’ve still got a junior bedroom to keep as a guest room (and a future bedroom for your kids).

If you’re getting a 5-room BTO flat, you can get the same kind of setup (albeit smaller) with the suggested study space, saving you the use of a full room.

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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