In need of some reno inspiration? Here are four amazing projects with unique solutions to tackle a standard or challenging HDB flat layout.
5 January 2023
Text by Janice Seow
Cheung Yu Ting of Local Architecture Research + Design (LAR+D) decided to take a rather unconventional route with his HDB flat layout. While the usual practice would be to close off the kitchen from the common areas or do the opposite and make it an open one, the kitchen and dining area have instead been designed as a single large ‘unit’. This unit can be separated from the living area by large sliding doors, which can also be kept open to maintain a breezy, free-flowing plan. Yu Ting explains: “I wanted to explore the idea of a specific space for specific purpose and merging spaces with related purpose.”
In other highlights, the unusual triangular corner has been visually squared off with floor, walls and ceiling wrapped in blue. There is also no master bathroom. Instead, the designer has intentionally converted it into a shared bathroom that the family of four can use. He says: “It goes along with the philosophy that the family shares the spaces.”
Design by LAR+D
The owners of this five-room flat needed more than three bedrooms. Besides the master bedroom, they required a study, a nursery for their newborn, and a guest room for the husband’s parents when they visit from India. On the wish list too, was a dedicated room for the helper so that she could enjoy her own personal space. The end goal therefore, was to create five rooms in a standard 1,237-square-foot, five-room unit.
The solution? The yard has been converted into the helper’s room, with the laundry space now relocated to the kitchen. The bedrooms in this standard HDB flat layout have also been reworked for more efficient use. The master bedroom has been enlarged (to accommodate a walk-in wardrobe) by absorbing part of bedroom three, which in turn was converted into a study that required less floor area.
The reduction to bedroom three has elongated the passageway, allowing bedroom two to be split into two spaces with their own independent entryways. Bi-fold doors offer the flexibility to open up this room to create a larger nursery or be closed off to create an additional guest room. And with lattice glass panels replacing the dining room facing wall in bedroom two, natural light floods the common area that would otherwise have been devoid of it.
Design by The Interior Lab
The owners of this four-room flat had been living here for awhile with their two kids. The three rooms had previously been converted into two larger bedrooms, but with their children growing up and needing their own space, the family soon realised that their home’s layout could no longer fit their needs.
Rather than moving out, they called on their designer to help them revert the two-bedder back into a three-bedder. This has been achieved, but with a twist that maintains a sense of openness and family connection, while giving them the privacy they need.
The redesign of this HDB flat layout sees a full-height window between the master suite and the living/dining area that improves cross ventilation. The parents can also keep an eye on the kids while they work in the newly formed work space by the window, or slide the panels close when they need privacy. The actual bedroom entrance it tucked away beside the kitchen and with some distance from the main common area.
Design by Anomaly
Balconies are a pretty rare feature in public housing units and most HDB flat layouts do not offer them, especially ones as spacious as what you’ll find in this old resale four-room flat. The couple living here wanted a total overhaul of the standard plan. They also desired to have some space to enjoy their gardening hobby.
With that in mind, the designer has created a balcony space by setting back the walls of the living room and adjacent study. The latter has internal windows that overlook this tranquil corner, encouraging contemplation while at work. The newly formed balcony also serves as a quiet spot for the homeowners to relax and take in the enviable view of Reflections at Keppel Bay, which this unit faces.
Design by MONOCOT
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