These small Malaysian home designs successfully make use of limited space. Compact living as with apartments is gaining popularity, especially in fast-paced cities like Kuala Lumpur. A 600 square-foot apartment can feel like a cosy palace if you make wise use of space.
Compact living as with apartments is gaining popularity, especially in fast-paced cities like Kuala Lumpur.
Depending on your work and lifestyle, living in a small space nearby conveniences like supermarkets, malls, and post offices might be a better than living in large landed properties further out from the city.
If you’ve placed your deposit on a small studio apartment, fear not. You can very sleep, cook, eat, and Netflix with the right layout and furniture. Here’s how:
When you’re dealing with a smaller space, it’s important to allocate the bigger portion of the apartment to your favourite activity or to the one you do most often. If you’re the kind who loves having friends over, then a bigger dining room or living room.
If you spend most of your time outside, then allocate more space for a comfortable bed. In fact, how about a layout that feels more like a boutique hotel, with a lofty bed as the unit’s focal point?
SOURCE: nordicdesign.ca
Wall dividers might take up too much precious space in a small apartment. Instead, use things like curtains, bookshelves, or folding screens to keep your sleeping and eating areas separate.
SOURCE: stylecaster.com
Rugs, platforms, and feature walls work similarly, marking individual spaces by floor or wall.
SOURCE: uniqueinteriorstyles.com
If a vertical divider inhibits the flow of natural light, then arrange furniture like sofas, console tables, and plants to mark off sections. For example, the back of the sofa can indicate the end of the living space and the start of the “bedroom”.
SOURCE: apartmenttherapy.com
You can also place a sofa and a slim table back-to-back, while the sofa clearly marks the living space, the slim table can be used as a workspace for the kitchen or a desk for work.
SOURCE: decoholic.org
Another smart way to mark spaces is to place the bed and the biggest seat on opposite walls. Then, furnish the spaces around those walls to create separate sections.
SOURCE: bloglovin.com
SOURCE: bloglovin.com
If you can afford it, try not to have the furniture stick to each other, or to the walls. Leaving bits of space in between makes the room appear bigger.
Got a double volume ceiling? Consider building a mezzanine floor. It doesn’t have to be a full upper-floor, perhaps just enough for a workspace or a bed.
SOURCE: homedit.com
This not only makes clever use of space, it also helps your apartment stand out amongst the other cookie-cutter units.
Murphy beds, expandable tables, and modular sofas are useful pieces for a studio apartment. You can compact and expand them whenever you need, or move them around for seating or sleeping.
A small table can act as both your workspace and your dining table, while a trunk can both be storage and seating.
Click on the ‘Request Quote’ button to receive free quotations from Malaysian interior designers.
You can also check out other local interior design portfolios.
Cover image from aasolar.us.
These small Malaysian home designs successfully make use of limited space. Compact living as with apartments is gaining popularity, especially in fast-paced cities like Kuala Lumpur. A 600 square-foot apartment can feel like a cosy palace if you make wise use of space.
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