http://www.straitstimes.com/Life%252...ry_703917.html

Home in on style

As home owners head for showflats to glean decorating ideas, five showflat interior designers share 10 tips on how to create a show-worthy home

Published on Aug 20, 2011

By tay suan chiang, design correspondent


Account manager Sandra Lee, 38, was in for a surprise when she got her keys to her three-bedroom apartment in Tanjong Katong two years ago.

'The apartment looked smaller than the showflat,' she recalls. 'The interior designer had done a good job in making the showflat look bigger than it is.'

By the time she collected the keys, the showflat had already been torn down. Rather than stay upset, she viewed other showflats for renovation ideas.

'If you look beyond the glitz of a showflat, there are tricks that designers use to make a room look bigger than it is or make better use of awkward spaces in a room,' she says.

She replaced her kitchen wall with a glass panel so that the kitchen and dining area looked bigger. 'I saw this in a showflat and copied the idea,' she says.

Civil servant Jeremy Lee, 30, is another owner who has been viewing showflats for tips on how to do up his studio apartment.

'I've always thought that a three-seater sofa is the only option for my living room, but I've seen in showflats that sometimes an armchair and a recliner would work too, without compromising on space,' he says.

As most home buyers have realised, showflats often look more spacious than the apartment they are buying.

But that is set to change. The Urban Redevelopment Authority announced earlier this month that new rules will be put in place 'in due course' to ensure that developers measure up to the floor plans and flashy showflats they use in the sales campaign.

The floor area of rooms in a new unit, from balconies to bedrooms, will have to be accurately outlined so buyers can be confident that they will get what they paid for, down to the last centimetre.

However, Mr William Ong, 57, founding partner of Axis ID, who has been designing showflats for 14 years, says it is all about scale and space planning.

'The scale of your furniture should be in relation to the size of your room,' he says. 'Where your furniture is placed also makes a difference, too.'

This would explain why often in showflats, a sofa is often pushed against a wall rather than placed between the living and dining areas - this would split the space into two, making each space look smaller.

Mr Ong, who has designed showflats for property developers such as City Developments Ltd and Ho Bee Group, has a suggestion: 'Before you buy furniture, do up a detailed floor plan of your home and draw in the likely placement of furniture pieces. This way, you can see how best to maximise your living space.'

Life! speaks to five other interior designers, who have experience in showflat designs, for more tips.

[email protected]


1 Take the indoors outside



Turn your balcony area into an extended living area and the living room will instantly look bigger. 'The line between living room and balcony becomes less clear,' says Mr Cameron Woo, principal designer of Cameron Woo Design.

Choose outdoor furniture pieces that you can lounge in for the balcony. Cushions can help to create that indoor feel outside.

Just remember to take them in when it rains.


2 Go dark in a small room



Using bright colours does not necessarily make a small, dark room look bigger.

Mr Woo says using dark hues, such as aubergine, 'will diminish the perimeter of the room into darkness, giving the illusion that a room is bigger than it really is' (left).

He adds: 'The furniture or bedlinen should also be consistently dark to blend into the walls and make the interior space appear as one expanse of colour - this will make the room appear larger visually.'


3 Have double doors



The bedrooms in showflats often do not have doors, giving the feel of a bigger room.

Doing away with doors is not practical for everyday living, but SuMisura's design director Angela Lim suggests using double doors instead of conventional ones: 'Such doors have a smaller radius when they are opened, so they take up less room space.'


4 Go vertical



Just as wearing vertical stripes can make one look taller, the same concept applies in home decorating. Mr Roy Teo, founder of The Mill, a group of companies which designs showflats and high-end homes, suggests 'incorporating linear structures into the design of the room, such as selecting tall, slender furniture instead of wide, chunky pieces'.

For the showflat (left) for The Trizon off Holland Road, he used vertical fabric panelling to make the ceiling look higher.


5 Create pools of furniture



Move away from the standard arrangement of a sofa and coffee table for the living room. 'Instead, create pockets of spaces around the home,' says Mr Woo, who has won awards for his showflat designs, such as The Trilight showflat in Newton.

For example, he suggests placing two armchairs in a corner of the living room; in another corner, a two-seater sofa; and a recliner in the middle of the living room. 'Doing this gives the illusion of a bigger space,' he says.

There is no hard and fast rule on where to place furniture - it is more about placing the pieces strategically. For example, putting a recliner near the window allows you to be indoors but, at the same time, make you feel like you are outdoors.


6 New uses for awkward spaces



If you have a corner in your room that is too tiny for furniture, Ms Angelena Chan, founder of Index Design, suggests turning that space into a display or storage area.

'Fit shelves in there. You can also put a mirror at the back of the niche (left) to create an illusion of depth.'


7 Think big



Most owners think that for tight spaces, many small pieces of furniture is the way to go.

Mr Teo, who has 14 years' of experience designing showflats, begs to differ. He suggests large pieces 'as this gives the perception that if the home can accommodate large items, it must be big'.


8 Bay window solution



Most people turn their bay windows into seating areas but there is another way of using the space, says Ms Lynn Ng, a director at Ong&Ong, an architectural firm which also does interior design.

'The bay window space can be transformed into an extension of a bed or an extended side table (left) for your study table which can double as a niche for your books.'


9 Use laminated finishes



If you are buying a new home, chances are the developer would have provided wardrobes and cabinets.

If not, opt for laminated finishes for these storage spaces, says SuMisura's Ms Lim.

'Laminate finishes, available in many options such as dark timber or high glossy white, can stand wear and tear better than a timber or spray-painted door, which will get scratched more easily,' she says.

'Glass doors give an airy feel but they tend to be heavier and are more likely to break.'


10 Make the old look new



If you are on a budget, Ms Lim suggests recycling old pieces of furniture. 'An old armchair that has been repainted can instantly turn into a new accent piece,' she says.

Property developers practise this too, as some showflat furniture gets recycled for display in new projects.