Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Big Improvements in a Small 4-Room BTO Flat
A family of five didn't have to sacrifice living large thanks to unexpected storage solutions and room configurations
How do you outsmart the limitations of a small space? Chief creative producer Pan Yi Cheng from Produce has the answer: a fresh perspective on the storage solutions and room configurations for this modestly-sized Build-To-Order (BTO) four-room flat. Home to a multi-generational family of five, Pan could foresee that clutter would become a problem in time to come. Together with creative associate Chantal Tan, he set out to create a spacious and storage-friendly home; one that could easily maintain a neat and sleek appearance at all times.
To meet the homeowners’ frequent entertaining needs, the space between the kitchen and dining area went through quite an extensive overhaul. A serving counter now sits between the two rooms which did not connect previously – prompting free-flow interaction. For a more seamless take, the designers concealed the twin air-conditioners with white custom-built grilles.
A cosy padded bench with matching back support can accommodate more guests and fulfils the sleek and uniformed aesthetic of the dining space. Speaking of design cohesiveness, the dining and living areas share the same engineered maple timber flooring which creates an illusion of larger floor area.
After the boundary wall between the kitchen and dining zone was taken down and converted into a serving station, light and ventilation flow in the kitchen improved greatly. Moreover, there is additional countertop space, which definitely comes in handy when the homeowners entertain.
All of the rooms’ entrances have been altered and one with the biggest modification is the first common bedroom, which is shared by the two teenagers. The entrance was shifted from the corridor to the living area and the room houses loft beds with super single mattresses. Pan adds: “Both need their own study desks and in addition, a TV console for their own entertainment while the other family members use the TV outside. So, naturally, to increase the amount of usable floor space, the loft beds were implemented.”
In this home, the corridor is not just a walkway but a walk-in closet. Pan explains: “Our concern was that most of the rooms are too small to comfortably fit two occupants along with their wardrobe. Hence, we decided to make use of the otherwise under-utilised corridor space for their closets.”
Moving partitions of custom-built carpentry make up the long corridor, and the occupants can gain access to their designated wardrobes from there. The depth of the wardrobes eats into the common bedrooms where the boundary walls have been taken down.
With the boundary walls removed, the second bedroom’s entrance was moved and finished in the same laminate. When all the doors are closed, the concealed entrances and cabinetry exude a sleek and seamless look.
The master bedroom was scaled down to just the sleeping area with no access to the ensuite bathroom. By modifying the layout, the private bathroom has now become a communal one. With these bespoke design features, this space-savvy flat definitely allows the homeowners to live large even in limited square footage.
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What do you find most striking about this home? Let us know in the Comments section.
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Who lives here: A married couple, their mother and their two teenage children
Location: Four-room BTO flat unit in Fernvale
Size: 92 square metres (1,000 square feet)
“The family requested for lots of storage areas,” reveals Pan. “This way, all their clutter and items can be easily stowed away.” His team responded by giving them a generous flow of custom-built cabinetry. They line the full length of the living area where the designers have also worked in a large display unit as a decorative accent. Though the use of full-height cabinetry can diminish a space with its visual bulkiness, the designers opted for white laminates and a high-sheen tempered glass backing to counter this problem.