Interior Design Ideas To Make Your HDB Apartment Look Spacious And Classy
Everybody wants to live in a big house that is decorated beautifully and which serves as a calm and comfortable abode. The fact of the matter is that not everyone can live in such big and spacious houses owing to many reasons and limitations. However, there is nothing to worry about. Even if you live in a small HDB apartment, it does not mean you will have to give up on your dream of having a beautiful and spacious house.
There are several tips, tricks, and ideas that you can utilise during renovation to make your HDB apartment look spacious and big yet still being classy and comfortable. Here we will describe some of these interior design ideas and tips in detail so you can incorporate them into your HDB apartment.
Use Glass Walls And Dividers
Using glass walls instead of traditional ones automatically give the perception of added space. In an HDB apartment, the rooms are already small and with every corner of the flat blocked off with walls and doors, the area looks overly cramped and congested.
If, on the other hand, you install glass walls and dividers, all the rooms will give the perception of one large room and hence, will appear less cramped. The area will be visually opened to create an open-concept space. You can install blinds for these glass walls and dividers, so if you want privacy at any time, you can achieve it by drawing the shades.
Install Ceiling to Floor Shelves And Cupboards
You must have heard and experienced that wearing vertical stripes makes you look thinner. The same concept applies to areas as well. If you install floor-to-ceiling cupboards and shelves, it will automatically open up the remaining space and make it appear spacious. Having large closets also means that they will provide more area for storage which, in turn, means less clutter. The more decluttered space is, the more it will appear to be spacious and big.
The following is a 4-room HDB BTO interior design project done by us, how the floor-to-ceiling cupboard and shelves have been installed. This gives them a lot of storage area while still making the room appear spacious and airy.
A Room’s view at BLK 438A BUKIT Batok Ave 8, 4-Room HDB BTO
Hidden Storage and Multi-Purpose Furniture
One of the best ways in which you can make your HDB apartment appear spacious is to remove all the clutter and stow it away in storage. But the problem is that you might not have enough storage area to declutter your apartment entirely.
This is where hidden storage comes into play. Design your essential furniture and other items in such a way so that they also serve as a covered storage area. This could be in the form of a sofa that has hidden storage compartments. You could have platform beds with storage drawers underneath.
You could use a sitting counter for the dining area, which has hidden storage compartments. Hence, there could be several options of how you can incorporate hidden storage in various elements of the apartment. Adding hidden storage when renovating your kitchen is a great idea as well.
Use A Light Coloured Theme
A white-coloured theme or any light, pastel shade theme is bound to make any area appear spacious and airy. A contemporary theme of light colours offers simplicity which gives a personality on its own to any interior. In fact, when very light shades are combined with very dark shades, the contrast creates an illusion of depth which helps you in perceiving it as ample space.
A white or off white colour theme does not necessarily have to contain all light-coloured elements. You can add a few dark-coloured features here and there in the design. This will not create monotony and will help to make the area appear spacious as well as exciting.
This is what has been happening precisely in the following HDB interior design project done by us. Notice how the light grey and white walls and furniture are balanced out by adding the gold and brown accents on the wall to create a perfect visual space.
Living Room at BLK 443B West Ridges Bukit Batok 4 Room HDB BTO
Use Large Wall Hangings Instead Of Smaller Ones
This concept is again synonymous with using full-length mirrors or floor to ceiling cupboards and shelves. If you use small wall hangings on a wall, it will give the perception of a cramped and congested area as compared to when a large wall hanging is placed on the same wall.
Alternatively, you can also use significant art elements and decor items instead of using small ones to create more visual space. Smaller decor items add clutter to the overall outlook, which makes the room appear cramped and congested. So keep things minimal and straightforward by choosing few and large decor items instead of more small items.
Use Mirrors In Excess
Mirrors can be considered a timeless solution to make any space appear more prominent. Since in a mirror, you can see almost the entire area of the room again in its reflection, it automatically makes your mind perceive the place as much bigger than it already is. You can invest in mirrors of different sizes, shapes, and lengths.
Round mirrors will not only make the room appear spacious but trendy as well. Large full-length mirrors give the added perception of space owing to the reflection and its large size. Alternatively, you can even choose one large mirror for the complete wall or use smaller sized mirrors to cover the entire area of a wall to give that trendy and modern look.
In the following image of an HDB living room designed by us, notice how multiple mirrors have been installed on different walls of the living room and hallway to make it appear spacious and less congested.
Read more: 3-Room HDB Interior Design Ideas to Make Your Home Look Spacious
Living Room At BLK 303A Punggol Central HDB
Use Small Rugs
Another trick with which you can increase the visual space of your HDB apartment is by using small rugs on the floor. These small rugs can help define areas such as your living room or study room, and your mind will perceive it as a spacious room with well-defined and finished areas.
The perceived square footage of the room also increases when small rugs are used as compared to the situation where the floor is kept empty. These rugs can be of any colour or pattern but getting too bold and bright rugs can do the counter effect of making the room look cramped. So always opt for neutral rugs that complement the overall interior design without making it appear too congested and loud.
Use Furniture With More Of Its Legs Showing
Another trick with which you can make your HDB apartment appear spacious is to use compact furniture and that furniture which has more of its legs showing. This offers the perception of greater visual space since you can see past the legs of the furniture. Whether it is the couches, centre tables, dining chairs, beds, or other types of furniture, if more of their legs are showing, the room will automatically appear bigger and spacious. This interior design in Singapore also helps in making the apartment more elegant and classy.
This phenomenon can also be observed in the following image of an HDB BTO renovation project designed by us where the dining chairs, centre table, side table, and the sofa all have their legs visible which helps the apartment appear bigger and spacious as well as classy.
A Living Room View at BLK 460A Bukit Batok West Quarry, 4 Room HDB BTO
Swiss Interior provides renovation services, HDB interior design, and condo interior design services for homeowners in Singapore. We are also one of the most recommended interior designers in Singapore. Contact and schedule an appointment with us today!
About Swiss Interior
Swiss Interior is a leading interior design company in Singapore since 2012. Led by founders Jason and Ronnie, the Swiss team serves customers from all walks of life, delivering bespoke and dream interior design and renovation services to all homeowners in Singapore.
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- Singapore outstanding enterprise award (2013)
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