Lifestyle

10 Hacks to Make Your Flat Bigger ‘Coz HDB BTO is As Small As a Pigeon Hole

2019-02-17 , 10:00 am

Last Updated on 2023-03-19 , 8:45 am

The day you step into your BTO flat is a special moment in life—a milestone that some millennials have yet to reach, including myself.

But it is no secret that houses are getting smaller and smaller.

I mean it is not worse as Hong Kong’s Coffin Houses, but at this rate, we might as well be prepared for it, in the next 50 years or so.

Chances are, you are already stuck with the flat. Instead of frowning and moping, why not create the illusion that your house is much bigger than it actually is?

Lighter colors

Stick to light pale colours like white or beige for the walls and floors. Dark tones have the tendency to make things seem small and they also absorb heat which is not what we need in muggy Singapore. It’s the same logic as clothes: go dark and you look smaller (slimmer). Go light and you look bigger.

Vertical stripes

You know the saying, wear vertical stripes to look taller and slimmer as opposed to horizontal stripes.

Same rules apply here as well again. If you pick a carpet with vertical stripes as it creates the illusion that the room is bigger.

Dark ceilings

It is all about contrast. Complement your light-coloured walls and floors with a darker shade for your ceiling.

It creates depth and illusion to the room—“lifting” the ceiling higher. Idea hor?

Mirrors

The mirror is a great investment, apart from checking yourself out, it helps reflect light as well.

Placing it directly opposite a window would make the room seem bigger as the light will reflect from the mirror and into the room.

Statement piece

Less is more. If you have too many pieces of furniture in one room, it makes the place look messy and small.

Having one large sofa or a painting on the wall would do the trick.

Lights

Forget about having one large light fixture as it pulls all the light to one space.

Instead, opt for a few lamps as it spreads the light throughout the room. More lights = more (make-believe) space!

Monochrome is your friend

If you find white or beige walls are too boring for your personality, then monochrome is your best bet.

Different shades of one colour will enlarge a room subtly as your eyes won’t know where the walls end and begin.

Leave space betwixt your furniture and walls

Creating small spaces in between your sofa and the wall expands the room.

And you don’t have to fork out a single cent!

But if you do have spare cash, invest in a sofa with legs. It creates small spaces

Keep windows open

This one is really FOC! Light is your friend, so open the windows. It will “open” up your room so much more.

Use Multifunctional Furniture

Kill two birds with one stone. It could be a table with built-in drawers or a sofa that can be turned into a bed.

You save space and you also get the most use out of your furniture. The logic is that the less furniture you have, the more empty space you’ll have, and with empty spaces, your 4-room flat will look like a 5-room flat.