Story Of Small Space Success

Making great strides in its layout restructure and overall aesthetics, this tiny condominium unit tells a story of small space success.

- Disa Tan

The Brief

As with most new condominiums, this brand new unit came almost fully renovated and outfitted with existing fittings and kitchen appliances. It didn’t quite feel like home to the main homeowner, a professional executive who was moving here with her parents and aunt. Engaging Design Principal Derrick Lim from D’Marvel Scale to oversee the renovation, she specified for more storage as well additional room amenities for her bedroom.

Having stayed in a much larger HDB flat unit before moving over to this petite unit spanning less than 900 square feet, the homeowner’s need for more storage became a crucial part of the design brief. “We took a uniformed style approach in matching the developer’s custom carpentry with new additions—mainly improvements that would maximise the limited square area of the home,” reveals Derrick. While factoring in more built-ins to increase the functionality of the living space, he had to carefully consider how to work them in without impinging on the already space-starved home.

With design ingenuity and a wealth of experience, he overcame all the space challenges to propose an enhanced layout which facilitates the flow of light and space. Though a darker colour palette had to be introduced due to the moody tones of the existing carpentry works, the veteran designer still managed to draw out a spacious appeal despite all the odds stacked against this home.

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Communal Areas

By introducing a light enhancing divider for the combined living and dining zones, this allows for the fluidity of daylight and without the invasion of privacy; even with the front door opened. An extendable 1.4-metre table from OM Home adds to the space savvy attributes of the dining area and when fully extended, it can open up to 1.7 metres to accommodate extra guests.

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