Space Planning Tips for my First Home

November 1, 2023

Do you ever dream of owning a beautiful yet stylish home even if you live in a compact BTO flat? Or what about designing a contemporary, or maybe a minimalist HDB home? There are endless ways to design your dream home, even if you're on a budget or face space constraints. No, you don’t always have to knock down walls to create a bigger space or renovate extensively. Read on to design your dream house with our BTO space planning tips, tailored to your room size! Of course, these pointers can be applied to any other compact living spaces as well.

5 Room

Featured: 3-seater and 1-seater Mitch sofa, Petra Sander’s “After the Storm” painting

One possible way of playing with the space to your advantage is by laying out your furniture in a square arrangement, consisting of a 3-Seater sofa paired with a 1-Seater sofa. What this does is to build a cosy and intimate mood as you and your family members gather around in front of the television and binge watch some Netflix shows. With its button tufting pattern, the Mitch sofa model provides the room with an air of tradition and elegance, evoking a mid century modern aesthetic look. The television acts as a focal point to help anchor the seating area and create an inviting ambience. You can even elevate the cosiness with a rug on the floor to define the seating area, producing a cohesive living room look.

Featured: Finley King Bed Frame

At the end of a long day, climbing into a comfortable bed and cozying up sounds like a great plan. I’m sure many of us would like to rest in our own private spaces and curl up in bed after a hard day at work. Place your furniture bed frame right in the centre of the room to let the furniture shine as the focal point. This not only creates two walkways for both parties but the bed frame also acts as a divide for personal space. Consider choosing a large or wide bed headboard to make a small bedroom look less barren. For example, the Finley’s tall and broad headboard imparts a grand and imposing look, while also creating a more balanced and visually appealing overall aesthetic. Thereafter, position two end tables on either side of the bed for easy access to your belongings.

4 Room/ 3 Room

Featured: Noah Sofa, Noah Ottoman, Kelly Ser’s “Renewal: Fearless” painting, Rugs.sg “Silver Fountain, A Modern Rug”

Moving on to the standard 4-room BTO flats that many of us might be more accustomed to, space optimisation is key. Flushing your modular sofa to the wall frees up space for a coffee table or an ottoman in the middle. If you’re concerned about the lack of seats, choosing a modular sofa with turnable armrests, such as the Noah Sofa, can create more seating space for you and your guests. Additionally, you can triple the functionality of your ottoman by using it as a footstool, a seat, or as a coffee table. Hang up some bright coloured wall paintings to further breath life and brighten up the space as well!

Featured: Emery Queen Bed Frame

An alternative to the 5-room master bedroom furniture arrangement would be to position your bed frame against the window. This will also increase privacy from the two openings, the window and the door to the walkway. Instead of having two end tables, maximise the Emery bed frame’s features. With its flat headboard, you can use it as a surface to place your belongings, such as glasses, phones, tablets or books. A plus point is that this bed frame is on a platform which reduces the effort needed to lift your heavy mattress when changing the bedsheets. This detail is often overlooked and especially important to avoid straining your lower back whenever you bend over. Simple yet functional, find a bed frame that hints both minimalism and contemporary to your room.

2 room flexi

Featured: Leone Recliner Lounge Chair, Prapti Dangwal’s “Black & White Singapore: Roses and Peonies” Painting

Small spaces can be big on comfort and style. If that sounds like an irony to you, let us tell you how and why. A sofa may not be as ideal for a smaller living room since it will crowd the space and make it look messy. If you break away from having a conventional sofa in your living room and opting for a single lounge chair instead, it opens up the space a little more. Having a stylish lounge chair next to the windows and placing a circular rug below it forms a private, cosy sitting area in the corner. Especially with light falling on this piece of leather comfort, your eyes are naturally drawn to the chair’s plump cushions, inviting you to rest on it.

If you’re not convinced by the lounge chair, click here to read more about its perks and functions.

Featured: Teri Queen Storage Bed Frame

Next up, the bedroom. Here we want to maximise storage solutions as much as possible. Besides having a wardrobe for clothes, why not get a storage bed as well? Utilising multifunctional furniture such as a storage bed frame kills two birds with one stone. You can keep your bedsheets, extra pillows and blankets in there without having to compromise space in the wardrobe while still having a style in the room. Bonus points, if you have pets, they can’t crawl underneath the bed to hide!

A home should be a comfortable and safe space for us to come back to. There are various ways to make a small space feel larger and more functional. Sometimes you might even find yourself looking to make a big space feel more filled. For that, you can decorate your house with wall arts and carpets to fill up the space. Try out and experiment with different furniture arrangements as well as storage solutions until you find what works for you. Create a moodboard of the possible styles you envision your interior to be and streamline it from there. Planning is never easy and may seem daunting at first especially with no professional help but it’s definitely possible and with the power of the Internet, we believe you can do it!

TLDR

Utilise storage solutions
Place a rug below the furniture to define the seating area and create a cosy look
Hang up wall arts/decorations to fill up the empty walls