Renovating
3 Flexible Design Approaches for 3-Room HDB Flats
Young homeowners buying 3-room resale flats are, together with their designers, exploring ways to 'change' their layouts
A 3-room HDB flat, especially one in mature estates or near the city, is hard to come by. Those who are lucky to get their hands on the two-bedroom units almost immediately want to strip it down to its bare, structural walls, hoping to carve out additional space. We found three that successfully did that.
2. Stylishly screened in Bishan
Home: 3-room flat in Sin Ming Drive
Designer: ERStudio Pte Ltd
Doors also replace a wall separating one room from the living and dining area. In this flat, the semi-transparent doors are made of vertical slats that form a screen. One door swings open, while the other slides into a pocket within the wall to reveal the study-guest room. When the doors are left open, this space becomes an extension of the living area, almost mirroring the sofa to create a larger social space.
Home: 3-room flat in Sin Ming Drive
Designer: ERStudio Pte Ltd
Doors also replace a wall separating one room from the living and dining area. In this flat, the semi-transparent doors are made of vertical slats that form a screen. One door swings open, while the other slides into a pocket within the wall to reveal the study-guest room. When the doors are left open, this space becomes an extension of the living area, almost mirroring the sofa to create a larger social space.
3. Mirror magic in Bukit Merah
Home: 3-room flat in Bukit Permei
Designer: asolidplan and Solid architects
Mirrors are cleverly used in this flat to disguise its odd layout – it has an angled wall that almost makes the plan triangle-shaped. The designers use the mirrors to create the optical illusion that the room is a proper box (shape). But the mirrors are also sliding doors that conceal and reveal the kitchen, the entertainment centre and storage.
Home: 3-room flat in Bukit Permei
Designer: asolidplan and Solid architects
Mirrors are cleverly used in this flat to disguise its odd layout – it has an angled wall that almost makes the plan triangle-shaped. The designers use the mirrors to create the optical illusion that the room is a proper box (shape). But the mirrors are also sliding doors that conceal and reveal the kitchen, the entertainment centre and storage.
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Space-Maximising Lessons from 5 3-Room HDB Flats
TELL US
Which of these designs do you prefer? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
MORE
Space-Maximising Lessons from 5 3-Room HDB Flats
Home: 3-room flat in Holland Ave
Designer: Free Space Intent
There may be a lot of elements in this flat – patterned tiles, industrial-style exposed electrical trunking, coloured cabinetry and black-framed doors – but they are thoughtfully put together.
The walls have been removed, without the rooms actually being reclaimed by the kitchen and dining area. Instead accordion doors separate them from the social spaces. Embossed glass and metal accordion doors enclose the living room from the kitchen and dining area, if the homeowners don’t want cooking smells to bother those enjoying that space. When these doors are open, a free-flow, open-plan-style living-dining-kitchen emerges – making the 3-room flat feel much bigger than it is.