About 80% of the population in Singapore live in government housing of which 95% are owned by them.ย The remaining 5% are rented out to those who canโt afford to buy a unit.
In 1959, when the People’s Action Party (PAP) won in the elections, it went true to its word to provide low cost housing to the poor.ย At that time, construction was at its lowest and the country was still reeling from the effects of World War II. The suburban areas were home to big squatter settlements while the countryโs citiesย were filled with shop houses.ย To address the growing housing problem, the government passed the Housing and Development Act 0f 1960 instituting the Housing and Development Board to take the lead in the government’s effort to provide decent housing to the marginalized members of society.ย This started the concept of HDB housing.
HDB Living
HBD units were built to address the growing problem of squatters in fast developing Singapore.ย With the growing population coupled with the country’s limited space, there is no way to go but up.ย In postwar Singapore, rarely will one see high rise buildings.ย However, with the development and influx of migrants who are seen to comprise 50% of the country’s population in the next 15 years, HBDs seem to be the only way to go.
HBDs are built in such a way that a cluster of HBDs will function as a small town complete with all the amenities needed by the โtownโ: schools, supermarkets, parks, and such other necessities a small community needs to function well.ย Even with these though, privacy could be an issue as corridors will be considered public places (except for units at the far end where they are allowed to buy their portion of the corridor).ย The need for privacy, therefore, is almost always addressed only in the comfort of one’s home.
Living Room Design Singapore
ย
As ownership of the HBD is a maximum of 99 years, it is understandable that unit owners resort to renovation companies to help them make the necessary adjustments should major occurrences in the family happen โ an addition of a new child, more space for an aging relative, etc.ย More often than not, it is the living room, which becomes the focus of major adjustments.ย Living on a budget, though, is challenging as companies doing living room design Singapore can charge a hefty amount even for simple renovations.ย In addition, renovation companies will almost always talk โdetailsโ to the owner’s detriment who almost always just have a final picture in mind.
Now, one can get help in conveying his concrete renovation ideas through the help of qanvast, a mobile application where you can get renovation ideas, ask for free quotes and basically allow you to have a hassle-free home renovation.ย You can browse through their site and actually get ideas on living room design Singapore and renovation for almost any part of your house.
You will be amazed at the unlimited ideas you can pick from the app – from color scheme to accessorizing, to furniture selection, lighting, elevations, almost anything.
To help you zero in on a particular look, here are some tips that may help you concretize that renovation idea you would want in your living room design Singapore:
- Color – For a welcoming atmosphere, use earth tones. Shades of light brown and cream give a warm, cozy feeling.ย However, if it is space widening you would want to achieve, choose pastel colors.ย For those who want a sleek, smooth finish, a combination of black and white can produce a more dramatic effect, although it wonโt answer your need to portray a wide, open space.
- Furniture – If you take a look at the living room design Singapore, you will see that it uses the minimalist style of using furniture. Small pieces of furniture, and the lesser they are, will give the impression of space.ย Also, make sure that your home accessories go with the flow or make of your living room.ย If you have a wide bare wall, you may want to mount your wide screen television on this wall or maybe put an identically sized painting to add drama to your home. Elevated cabinets also portray height.ย To add depth to your living room, you may opt to use big mirrors on one whole side of the living room.
- Lighting – Make the best use of natural light. If you have big windows with a beautiful view, take advantage of this by either putting a light tint to your window or using fine fabrics for your curtains.
- Give life to the room – Choose 2 or 3 indoor plants to brighten up the living room. One with blooms can do wonders to an otherwise drab and cold setting.
Taking into account all of the above, determine what living room design Singapore you want based on the portfolio you have reviewed.ย Always put that on top of mind so that you will not have to spend unnecessarily for things that just pop out of your mind.ย Jot down in particular the main renovation you want done then you may start by doing the following:
- Have your floor plan ready – This will lessen the work done by the contractors as they would have a working knowledge of what necessary steps they need to undertake.
- Determine your budget – This will be greatly determined by the extent of renovation and the materials to use. If it is a major living room design Singapore renovation you want to do, allow for at least 10 to 20% average on budget.
- Make a shortlist of possible contractors. Ask for quotations, Ask possible alternatives to lessen the expenses without necessarily sacrificing quality.
For most Singaporeans, an HDB renovation or living room design Singapore is a rite of passage.ย This signals the start of a person putting his own personality to an otherwise generic flat.ย Little by little, the once simple flat is given life, where rich and good memories will happen.