Final Design

For our final solution, we decided to design a living space. We design the interior of a 7 m by 3 m apartment that includes a bedroom, kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and a living area.

Why 7 m by 3 m?

Since our problem is living space getting smaller and smaller and we decided to work in Singapore. 7 m by 3 m is much smaller than the standard Singaporean's living space size.

This is the floor plan of the apartment done in autocad:

On the entrance of the house, there are steps of stairs. This is necessary since the apartment has storage space under the ground. However, as this may be a problem for elderly or disabled people, the steps can also be replaced with a ramp and some installation of railings.

On the left side of the apartment is the bathroom and laundry area. In the bathroom, a shower is used instead of a tub, and the sink is sunken into the wall to minimize space used.

The kitchen area is very space effective. There are many storage spaces for utensils and ingredients. The fridge and microwave is also built into compartments on the counter. 

One of the kitchen's unique point is the wooden foldable board. When opened, it is a long kitchen counter, but turns into a small table when it is folded. It can also be lifted up and used as a timber board to cover the kitchen counter when it is not used for cooking. This makes the space looks simpler and thus, more spacious.

There is a curtain that separates the kitchen area and the bedroom on the right side of the house. We choose curtains as they are not permanent (moveable) and are less bulky than normal walls.

The bedroom area is a multi-functional room as it is also used for dining and living area. This is possible because of the puzzle furniture. 

The owner of the house eat on the low-height dining table while sitting on cushions on the floor. The cushions are stored away inside a compartment within the furniture itself. For sleeping, there is a rolled up mat that is stored inside an underfloor storage space during the day. This storage space is also used as a wardrobe and for storing other uneeded things. It is useful as it is not visible unless pulled up or opened.

For our color scheme, we choose light and natural colors to make the space seems more open, airy and spacious. We use neutral colors of the same shade so everything blends well with each other (there are no striking colors). We also applied natural lighting by installing windows.

In conclusion, we have successfully designed a living space that is safe, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing despite the small area. It is space effective and does not sacrifice the good points of small spaces (cheap, cozy, practical, easy to manage/clean, etc). It is also user friendly for elderly or disabled people.