Interior Design
Renovating
How to Decorate Around Your Bomb Shelter
This strong room designed to protect residents in an emergency calls for creative solutions to integrate into interiors
For those who grew up in apartments with bomb – or as some prefer to call them, ‘household’ – shelters, this uniquely Singaporean part of our home is a matter of fact. Per the Civil Defence Shelter Act, all homes, whether apartments or landed houses, built from 1998 have been required to have a household shelter.
Many foreigners, such as expats who’ve moved here or those looking at photos of our homes on the internet, question, and even laugh at, this seemingly kiasi (’afraid to die’) architectural feature. Locals think of it as a waste of space, and often consult with their architect or interior designer on ways to utilise as well as disguise it. But not only will our bomb shelters keep us safe should that hydrogen bomb threat happen, they’ve actually made us more creative in decorating, as these homes show.
Many foreigners, such as expats who’ve moved here or those looking at photos of our homes on the internet, question, and even laugh at, this seemingly kiasi (’afraid to die’) architectural feature. Locals think of it as a waste of space, and often consult with their architect or interior designer on ways to utilise as well as disguise it. But not only will our bomb shelters keep us safe should that hydrogen bomb threat happen, they’ve actually made us more creative in decorating, as these homes show.
A wall of wood panelled flush doors reveals shoe storage as well as the hidden household shelter of this apartment.
While layering a secondary wall a few centimetres from the actual bomb shelter wall eats into the space outside it, it actually allowed for the creation of much-needed shoe storage.
While layering a secondary wall a few centimetres from the actual bomb shelter wall eats into the space outside it, it actually allowed for the creation of much-needed shoe storage.
Wall panelling with classic trim was clad onto the walls of the household shelter in this Sengkang flat, designed by The Scientist. This not only disguises the utilitarian look of the bomb shelter door and ventilation, but it also adds sophisticated style to an otherwise minimally decorated space.
The bomb shelter in this flat by designers Ken Lee, Ben Teo and Kate Deng of Mr Shopper Studio is concealed in a similar way: by being boxed by false walls and another door, finished in a minty hue that contrasts softly with the concrete-finish main wall.
See more of this home
See more of this home
Bring it into the decor
The designers of this Parisian-Victorian-themed flat in Duxton opted for the opposite, by bringing attention to the door instead of concealing it. They painted the wall a contrasting colour that draws the eye, and then added decals that even partially frame the door.
The designers of this Parisian-Victorian-themed flat in Duxton opted for the opposite, by bringing attention to the door instead of concealing it. They painted the wall a contrasting colour that draws the eye, and then added decals that even partially frame the door.
Here, chalkboard paint was used over the bomb shelter door, with the walls around it dressed up in a bright and cheery contrasting yellow. The chalkboard paint allows the owners to switch up the message and graphics on the bomb shelter door whenever they feel like it.
Make your own chalkboard paint
Make your own chalkboard paint
Treat it like any other door
DISTINCTidENTITY‘s design team used laminate panelling to create black-framed barn door facades on the doors of the common bathroom and bomb shelter in this flat.
See more of this home
DISTINCTidENTITY‘s design team used laminate panelling to create black-framed barn door facades on the doors of the common bathroom and bomb shelter in this flat.
See more of this home
In this flat, Arjan Nijen Twilhaar, principal designer of Aiden T, cleverly disguised the bomb shelter door (left) as a regular door by putting trim identical to the classic bedroom doors. This minimised eating up precious floor area that a second layer of door or false wall would have required.
See more of this home
See more of this home
TELL US
How have you decorated around your bomb shelter? Share a photo in the Comments section.
How have you decorated around your bomb shelter? Share a photo in the Comments section.
Designer Vincent Neo of Versaform created a stylised wall of trees with multiple functions: storage cabinets, design statement, and a flush door that disguises that heavy metal bomb shelter door (it’s on the same plane as the light switch, perpendicular to the storage boxes).
See more of this home