[Renovation Case] 500 sq ft flat Fit for Both Pet & Human

Pets need space to run. Man needs space for storage. How to balance the two is a hard question for small flats like Singapore. Landlord of this 500 sq ft has a lovely poodle, and has Lego collection to display. How does a 500 sq ft maximize the use of space? Let’s look at the tips of this showcase.

Main feature

The living room & bedroom use Japanese Muji style as its theme. You can see white & wood color everywhere. Original wall is demolished and replaced by a cabinet that serves as partition. Designer boldly uses several tall cabinet to maximize storage space, while adding a few tricks for the poodle to enjoy everyday life.

Elements for Pet:

• Sliding Door

Not every pet can open door by themselves. Some can use their noses to open a half-closed door, some would only scratch on the door to express their needs. No matter which, normally you would like them to navigate their ways freely. Apart from ordering customized pet-sized doors, sliding door is a solution that pets can learn to pass.

• Anti-scratch Sofa

Pets need to train their fingernails by scratching. Your sofa needs to withstand their paws. There are also pet-friendly sofas in the market that is water-proof as well, so even when the pets go “naughty” and wee or poo on sofa, you don’t need to spend hours to fix that.

• Extended Toilet

Pet toilet is best to put in human toilet to avoid bad smells spreading around. It would be smart to consider that during renovation and make space for it.

Elements for Human:

• Wall behind TV

Instead of using regular wall, landlord choose to use half wall with TV mounted, and half wall with atomized glass (smart glass) to divide living room & bedroom. This maximizes the space use with flexibility on space visibility.

During day time when there is no guests, natural lighting passing through the glass can enhance spaciousness.

At night when feeling of privacy & protection is the concern, glass can turn from transparent to opaque with one click.

• Bedroom & Living Room Connected

Behind the TV is landlord’s bedroom and study room, being divided by wooden fence. The floor has storage function which gives both practical & design value as it separates itself from living room. It also gives little poodle a stage to bounce!

• Glass Display Cabinet

Landlord is a Lego collector, so the designer helped him add a full glass display cabinet next to a ceiling-tall cabinet. Twenty years’ of impressive collection in one sight!

(Credits：GCA Studio Limited)