Tight on Space? Walk-In Wardrobes for Your HDB Flat, NO Hacking Needed

Making the most out of your space for function, aesthetics, and budget.

Limited by square footage, it’s no wonder that many decide to hack a wall or two in their home for a bigger space they can play with.

Still, hacking isn’t an option for everyone; say you have a big family, or you and your spouse are planning for children in the future, you’re better off keeping the rooms your home originally came with.

That doesn’t mean giving up on that walk-in wardrobe you’ve been dreaming of, though! There are plenty of creative ways to fit one in your room and make it impressive, as you’ll soon see.

Galley-style walk-in wardrobe

Perhaps the most classic and recognisable arrangement, a galley-style layout involves having two wardrobes on either side of a space, with an aisle in the middle.

With wardrobes on either side of the walk-in space, you can get creative with the dressing table carpentry.

In this 5-room flat, the vanity is built into the end of the wardrobe, with a seat that can be neatly tucked under the table when not in use.

Having two wardrobes does take up considerable space in the room though, so you’d probably have to settle for a Queen-sized bed at best.

You could even give your hard-earned luxury bags a prominent spot in your galley-style wardrobe. Not only does that make it easier to pick your companion for your fit, but you also get to show them off (or admire them).

To amp up the luxurious vibes and (literally) put them in the limelight, add LED light strips.

Explore: 6 Creative Carpentry Ideas to Flaunt Your Luxury Bag Collection

In this home, a vanity completely takes up one side – an idea you can consider if you don’t need so much closet space. It has a sliding door instead of a swing door too, to save on swing space.

What stands out is the reeded panel and column dividers, with the gaps between the columns creating a sense of airiness and balancing out the visual weight of the panel.

One-sided walk-in wardrobe

As the name implies, this layout includes a single wardrobe installed close to the bed, effectively acting as a partition and walk-in wardrobe.

Depending on how creative you get, the wardrobe can serve more purposes than just storage for your clothes.

A TV-mounted ‘feature wall’ on one side, a walk-in wardrobe on the other! (Remember we said a walk-in wardrobe can do more than storage?)

And that’s not all for the surprises this walk-in wardrobe has in store: if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that there’s a sliding mirror at the end to pull out whenever needed.

With the wardrobe installed only on one side, the owner of this 4-room resale flat could comfortably fit a floating dressing table while ensuring there’s ample space in the aisle. Not only that, the wardrobe doubles as a headboard since it’s backing up the bed.

The vanity is strategically positioned next to the windows too, for natural light in the mornings to get ready.

To up the cosy vibes, you can add curved designs and choose furniture with soft edges like in this home.

Instead of going for a solid finish, the owner of this 3-room flat chose translucent reeded panels for the walk-in wardrobe that balance privacy while still letting light in.

What’s more, the upper section of the wardrobe has an exposed hanging rod instead of closed-off doors, to maintain the ‘open’ look.

L-shaped walk-in wardrobe

Unlike a galley-style design, an L-shaped walk-in wardrobe is made up of adjacent closets joined at a right angle – perfect for if you want more walking room and a breezier space.

It’s also better suited for compact rooms, since there’s not much space to spare.

Even if you can’t make your wardrobe space physically bigger, try a trick of the eye.

The owners of this 4-room flat used a full-length mirror along the edge of the walk-in wardrobe to create an illusion that the space is bigger than it really is, and it’s certainly working its magic!

(Of course, this is besides the practical purpose the mirror serves when you’re getting ready.)

If you don’t have a window to let natural light into your walk-in wardrobe area, make sure there's a source of ambient light for the whole space, and accent lighting at the vanity – like in the home above – for getting ready.

In a similar fashion to the home you saw earlier, this bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe with a TV mounted on the opposite side – just that it’s L-shaped instead.

What’s particularly fun about it is the pocket door that can be used to close off the walk-in wardrobe when needed, since it’s connected directly to the master ensuite.

Glass-enclosed walk-in wardrobe

On the topic of closing off a walk-in wardrobe, you could box it up completely – but remember that a solid finish might make you feel claustrophobic.

If privacy isn’t a huge concern, consider this solution for an ‘open-concept’ walk-in wardrobe that’s still enclosed: using see-through glass panels like in this 4-room flat.

To frame the space, the owners of this home used clean black lines and organised their clothes in open storage compartments.

Bonus idea: a half-height wardrobe with a platform

Alright, so this technically doesn’t count as a walk-in wardrobe, since it’s not a full-height fixture. Still, a half-partition setup connected to a platform is worth exploring for a space that doesn’t feel too packed.

Just look at this home: it’d be pretty difficult to tell at first glance that this is a 3-room flat.

The half-height wardrobe ensures that natural light isn’t blocked for a bright and spacious room, while the vertical lines of the floor-to-ceiling wardrobe make the space look much taller.

There’s also the platform bed connected to the wardrobe at a lower-than-usual height, which adds to the illusion of a taller space.

One last detail: the partition works as a ‘bedside table’ too, since there’s no other space for one in this layout.

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