Before you even start renovation, it is important to firmly know what you want to do with the space.
No matter how huge or petite your living space is, being well-planned has its' advantages. You do not want to complete your renovations only to realize that you forgot about something minute yet impactful. The smallest of issues can have great repercussion in your everyday life. Below are 5 main areas to think about when planning your spaces.
Living room
The measurement on your floor plans may differ from the actual space. It is best to head down to the actual site to make sure the dimensions are correct. Once dimensions are accurate, you can determine whether your ideal furniture can fit well into your space.
Direction of the sun is vital, especially in hot and humid Singapore. This information can help you to decide the placement of your furniture. Your choice determines your comfort.
Map out where the major pieces are to be placed. Eg, sofa, coffee table, floor lamp, carpet, TV set. Is there enough space for a coffee table? Will the TV's screen have reflections from the sun? What is the perfect sofa size?
Proportion plays an important role for comforting eyes. An oversized sofa will look out of place in a small living room, a small TV will not complement a spacious living room.
Pre-plan the location of your wall sockets to prevent unsightly wires all around the floor.
Pre-plan your lighting points. There are alot of options when comes to lighting fixture. Depending of your choice, the number of lighting points varies. Spotlights, downlights require more lighting points whereas tracklights or pendant lamps require minimum lighting points.
Dining room
Check the size of your space before deciding on the size of your dream dining table.
Choose whether a round or rectangle dining table will suit your living space better.
Check if you have sufficient room for multiple individual dining chairs, otherwise space-saving benches might be a better option.
Pre-plan the lighting points. Home-owners who have a bigger than average dining space prefer multiple pendant lights to light up the entire dining table. Multiple pendant lamps may indicate multiple points.
Remember to add wall sockets near your dining table for BBQ, steamboat activities.
Kitchen
Plan the kitchen so that the fridge, stove and kitchen sink are within close proximity of one another.
Make sure your have sufficient space for the fridge and nothing blocks your way when opening it.
Check if you have sufficient electrical points for all your appliances. It will be unsightly to have extension cords all over the place and it may cause some safely hazards with wires lying around cooking station.
Pre-plan your kitchen storage space. Pans, pots and bulky cooking equipment require some storage space.
Consider a sliding door to close off the kitchen from the rest of the room. This prevent cooking smells from permeating the entire house.
Bathroom
A shower stall with glass doors keeps the rest of the area dry. For smaller bathrooms, consider using fixed glass panel to eliminate unnecessary space used.
Consider adding some storage space in your bathroom, it will be useful to keep fresh towels and toilet rolls. And it is also neater to keep your daily essential out of sight.
If you have elderly staying with you, install handle bars on bathroom walls for security.
Consider putting LED strips around mirror or underneath the carpentry to create a effortless look. LED strips have a softer effort, ideal to use as a night light.
Install a pendant lamp next to the mirror to elevate design.
Make sure your lighting fixture are suitable for bathroom usage, avoid using wood, concrete and bad quality metal inside bathroom. Look out for powder-coated aluminium, as this is an ideal material used for humid spaces.
Bedroom
Decide which bedroom will be assigned to which family member before buying furniture.
Plan where the beds are going to be placed, and work the rest of the furniture around it.
Make sure you have enough space, the bigger the bed, the lesser usable space left. Make sure you can open the wardrobe doors after placing the bed, alternatively look for closets with sliding door.
Apart from bed and wardrobe, other bedroom essential must not be neglected too. Depending on the lifestyle, age and gender of the family member, the essential varies from a study desk, gaming desk or vanity table.
Electrical points are important especially if you have habit of charging your phone while you sleep.
Decide on what kind of lighting mood you want for your bedroom. Are you leaning towards ambiance lighting or general lighting? For ambiance lighting, there are multiple choices for you to choose from. Pendant lamps can be placed on bedside to increase illumination and add as a design to the bedroom. LED strips can be used as ambiance light if you have carpentry, these strips can be install within the carpentry and light up your space without unnecessary wastage of space. Spotlights are the most popular option, the spotlight effect is undeniable gorgeous and it effortlessly sets a right tone to unwind in your bedroom.
Renovation restrictions to take note
You might have a perfect idea of what your dream home will look like. But there are some restrictions when comes to your home reno.
There is a 3 year restriction period before you can hack away the floor and walls of BTO bathrooms. Most home-owners do overlay instead of hacking away the existing tiles.
Thinking of an open-concept interior? Keep in mind that load bearing walls cannot be knocked down. In fact, all wall removal have to be approved.
In most flats, you are not allowed to fully conceal bathroom pipes, as they need to be accessible in case of clogs.
The household shelter might be an eyesore, but it is something you have to live with. You are not allow to do any modification to the shelter. But be glad that you have an extra space to keep your stuff, as many other homes does not equipped with a storage room these days.