Hide And Sleek

Thanks to built-in carpentry and streamlined designs, you can hardly spot the impressive amount of storage space in this apartment.

PHOTO STORY OF US

WHO: A couple and their teenage daughter.

HOME: Three-bedroom condominium unit in the west.

SIZE: 1,260sqf.

Rick Chong and Cecilia Wong’s home has more storage space than you think, thanks to concealed panels that act as feature walls! “We like hidden storage, which is practical and can be decorative,” says Cecilia. Their designer, Mei Teh of Story Of Us, also designed built-in furniture to maximise the apartment’s floor area.

The renovation, which cost around $70,000, provided the family with so many useful areas to stash stuff, “even though we moved in a year ago, we haven’t filled up the storage space yet!” laughs Cecilia. Read on to find out how storage was created in the home.

Cabinets in the dining area

The wall-mounted shoe cabinet by the main door has a design that resembles stacked boxes, with frames in bold colours. These architecturally inspired structures had to have an attractive, but not bulky design, as they were situated along the walkway into the home, explains Mei.

On the opposite side of the dining area is open shelving designed with compartments in varying widths. Finished in a charcoal woodgrain laminate, it contrasts with the lacquered raw plywood doors next to it, which also conceal storage behind.

The living room’s feature wall sports a graphic rectilinear pattern that conceals multiple storage cabinets, as well as the entrance to the master bedroom on the right.

The dining area features two types of built-in storage — full-height cabinets concealed by lacquered plywood strips, and open shelving with compartments of different sizes. Tableware and shelf accessories from Danish Design.

The monochromatic colour scheme of the home is accented with wood tones and bright colours, such as those on the frames of the wall-mounted shoe cabinet near the entrance.

Storage areas disguised as walls

On the wall behind the TV set, a rectilinear design that appears to be just on the surface, reveals outlines of cabinet doors with storage spaces behind.

This design continues on to the door to the master bedroom, camouflaging it completely. The daughter’s room is on the opposite side of the apartment.  

Building on bay windows

Mei also made the most out of the bay windows in the bedrooms. Atop the one in the master bedroom, she built a desk with slim drawers and a “drop-down” storage compartment, while the one in the walk-in wardrobe became a vanity counter.

As for the daughter’s room, Mei integrated it as part of a high platform bed with storage below, making use of the otherwise unutilised ledge.

WHERE TO GO Story Of Us, TEL: 6299-3631

Distinctive details jazz up the laminate-finished wardrobe doors in the master bedroom – the one near the entrance has a 3-D diagonal geometric pattern (left picture), and the ones in the walk-in wardrobe are not flat but are slanted (right picture).

The master bedroom is furnished with customised built-in furniture. A desk was built on top of the bay window to maximise space; the bed frame, headboard and bedside tables have a compact, angular design to keep the area looking tidy.