Last Saturday (29th October), I was invited by Furn KL as one of the speakers for sharing sessions at Knock Knock Market 3.0 home décor exhibition at The Starling Mall in Damansara Uptown. For few weeks now, Hana Suhaimi Interior Design has been posting up Instagram contents pertaining to tips on space planning for mostly small footprint apartments, it only seems relevant to be given this topic for the talk- "Space Planning: How to Maximize Your Space?”

Being in the interior design industry for more than 10 years, that is, after countless space planning sessions analyzing spatial problems and weaknesses within a space, I have identified 3 major spatial problems in most residentials- both high rise apartments and landed residentials.

Problem 1: Small Footprint

Limited Open-plan for Common Areas
More and more high-rise apartments are resorting to an open-style layout plan to fit various areas, each targeted with different purposes and activities. It is unimaginable for a limited space to fit a foyer, a living area, a dining area, a kitchen, and sometimes, a laundry as well.
Insufficient Amount of Bedrooms
Living in the city, or in the outskirt suburbs, to simply put, means skyrocketing prices for dwellings- whether you are buying a housing unit or just renting. Due to smaller household income restrictions, more of us have to adjust and make peace with smaller homes.
Undeniably, small footprint apartments come along another problem- insufficient number of bedrooms. It could be an apartment with only one bedroom, or two- and sometimes, a studio unit, which then again, forces home owner (or rental tenant) to fit a sleeping area for an open-style layout plan.
Lack of Storage
Living in a small footprint home means there is a need of compromise- whether we choose comfort of spaciousness to carry out daily activities over having plenty of storage for our belongings, or vice versa. Or does it need to be?

Problem 2: Lack of Natural Light

Insufficient Openings, Windows & Light Well
When we take a glimpse on the old architecture- namely, Malay traditional house and peranakan house - there are both equipped with plenty of windows, punctured decorative elements that are accentuated with meaningful carvings atop the windows and internal center courtyards to allow natural light and natural ventilation to permeate into the interior.
However, sadly, that is not the case for modern day house unit with small footprint.
Dark Interior
Naturally, lack of openings and windows will definitely result in dark and gloomy interior during the day. Hence, we need to constantly keep the artificial light on during day and night. This habit of turning the light on during daytime will definitely show on our monthly electricity bill.

Problem 3: Lack of Privacy

Under-utilized Balcony, Yard, etc.
Many house units, both high-rise apartments and landed properties, offer balconies and yards in their layout plans. However, the original design does not provide privacy to home owners. For high-rise apartments, aluminum louvers climbing up a small potion of the balcony only to cover services like AC compressor units.
Therefore, instead of enjoying these added bonus of balcony space in a manner it is intended to, the space becomes under-utilized or left alone forgotten. Sometimes, the balcony becomes an extra area to dry our laundry, which is especially the case when the yard does not have sufficient access to natural light.
No Distinctive Privacy
Needless to say, in the recent housing layout plans, which seems to be relatively copies of one another, there is no distinctive privacy between home owners and guests who come over. There is also not enough privacy between home owners and those who are outside of our home, for instance, neighbors and passer-by.

It seems like all these problems arise from the existing layout plan itself that we cannot do much about. So, the main question here is,

“Is there actually anything we can do to maximize our limited space at home?”

Why yes, to a certain extend, we can!

Solution to Small Footprint 01

Effective Space Planning Process
The golden main key to maximize our space is proper space planning that is not only efficient but also serves the purpose of that space. In order to do this, we need to understand how we live on daily basis; we need to identify our activities, interests and hobbies. From there, we can start prioritizing zones in a space.

Here is an example from our S3 Residence project. Our client, a single mother with a pre-teen daughter lives in a one-bedroom apartment unit. Despite the unit already being equipped with a fully functional galley kitchen, there is no proper space for her to dive into baking activities with her daughter. For this reason, we prioritize the kitchen space to have an additional counter space of a kitchen island where it can house a built-in oven. Additionally, the island is also a dining space for our clients, sitting comfortably at table-height.

Solution to Small Footprint 02

Creative Use of Space
Living in a house with small foot print means designing a joinery that is multi-purpose- perhaps a seating bench with storage underneath, or perhaps a wardrobe with a small cavity carved in it, which acts as a ‘night stand’. The possibilities are endless for us to discover.
Another way we can look into creative use of space is to give a purpose for under-utilized space. For example, under the staircase, or that little corner behind the main entrance door to the house.

Reference:
1. WK5 Residence: Bespoke dining bench with open-up seat to reveal hidden storage underneath.
2. AKJ Residence: Closed storage compartments and open display shelving under staircase.
3. S16 Residence: Closed storage compartments and drawers under staircase, which becomes children’s play area.
4. WK5 Residence: The little corner behind the entrance door is transformed into a reading nook with plenty of storage compartments and to hide the DB box.

Solution to Lack of Natural Light 01

New Openings and Windows
For landed residential, there is always that possibility to hack few walls to accommodate new openings and windows that allow natural lighting to penetrate into the home. Furthermore, openings and windows can contribute to a sense of airy and lightness within a space.

Here is an example from our A10 Residence project. The outdoor patio from the existing layout is transformed into the now TV area. We created two openings to allow more natural light floods into this area and for a much better traffic circulation. The timber louvers behind the TV wall panel allows natural light and natural ventilation to filter through the staircase area, where it is dark and gloomy during the day. Since the original outdoor patio has two sliding doors, we relocated one at the TV area and another one at the dining area, where the original narrow windows are removed.

Solution to Lack of Natural Light 02

Create Ambiance & Indirect Artificial Lighting
If you are living in a high-rise apartment, then creating new opening and windows option is definitely out of question. Creating ambiance (read: mood), hidden and indirect artificial lighting- whether in ceiling pockets or embedded in bespoke joinery- can give an illusion of more space.

Reference:
1. A49 Residence: Hidden lighting in the ceiling pocket.
2. S16 Residence: Hidden lighting in the ceiling pocket and under built-in console table.
3. Y12 Residence: Hidden lighting in the wall unit joinery.

Solution to Lack of Natural Light 03

Creative Ways to Reflect Light
Knowing strategic locations to hang your mirrors can be a great advantage in giving the illusion of much bigger space and bringing in more natural light into our interior. Adopting light-reflective materials in tile selections and in joinery can also go extra mile for light to bounce, hence, making our interior appears much brighter.

Reference:
1. A3 Residence: Bronze mirror in the cavity of the dining area joinery.
2. WK5 Residence: The application of matte and glossy wall tiles can reflect light from the pendant light fixtures in a dramatic manner.
3. M26 Residence: The glossy white marble tiles on walls and floor reflect natural light from the balcony. Photo credit to A11 Design Studio.

Solution to Lack of Privacy

Permanent Screens
For landed residentials, there are various options of permanent screens for us to explore- from aluminum louvers, breeze blocks (also known as vent blocks), shuttered doors and windows, perforated screens, special glass screens in frosted glass, fluted (or reeded) glass and rippled glass finishes. All of these screens are great for providing substantial privacy to home owners from the eyes of outsiders, namely the neighbors and the passer-by.

As for privacy between home owners and when guests come over, for both landed residentials and apartment units, there are also various types of screen that can be installed. For instance, timber louvered screen, that fashionable fluted (or reeded) glass screens and shuttered doors.

Reference:
1. M26 Residence: The application of aluminum louvers at the master bedroom balcony. Photo credit to A11 Design Studio.
2. S16 Residence: Breeze blocks at the Yard allow sufficient natural light and ventilation as well as privacy as well.
3. D8 Residence: Folding shuttered windows at the Laundry allows our clients to control how much privacy they need while utilizing the area.
4. R5 Residence: Timber louvered screen can function as a space divider between formal living and the dining areas.
5. R5 Residence: The timber louvered screen can also act as a wall panel for TV to mount on.
6. F16 Residence: Fluted glass screen gives much privacy to home owners in the kitchen when guests walks through the entrance door.

What kind of spatial problems do you face in your own home? Hopefully, you get few ideas on how to improve and maximize your space from this blog entry.

Last but not least, happy upgrading your space!

How to Maximize Your Space