A love-hate relationship with our MBR

231

Minimalist
HDB (Resale)
~1,200 sqft
3 br
Couple Living

Welcome back to the 6th post on @ourcarousellhome! It's been a while—thanks for your patience while we were away on vacation. We're back and catching up on our content backlog! Today, we're diving into our master bedroom, the only room in the house where we added built-ins and carefully selected lighting to create a warm, cozy vibe. But, as much as we love it, this space also comes with a renovation regret. Curious? Read on to find out more!
Here’s a refresher of our floor plan! When we started our renovation journey, one of our biggest frustrations was the placement of the AC ledge in our master bedroom instead of the bathroom—unlike the smarter layouts of newer BTOs. This design quirk really limited our wardrobe carpentry options, as the ledge created an awkward "hole" in the middle of the room. Building carpentry along the longer 4.5m wall wasn’t an option either, as it would force our bed to sit awkwardly against one of the windows. In the end, the only practical solution was to place the bed facing the master bathroom. To make things trickier, the orientation of the bathroom door also made the master bath feel smaller than the common bathroom. We even considered a grand plan to shift the bathroom door to the outside (like the common bath), but that would mean losing the ensuite functionality. The alternative was to hack the wall between Bedroom 2 and the master bedroom and move the master bedroom door frame forward. Sounds complicated? It was, and expensive too! Several IDs we consulted estimated that all the hacking and rebuilding would cost a few thousand dollars, which wasn’t within our budget. Therefore, we decided to retain all walls and just make do with an existing floor plan.
Since my husband isn’t a believer in fengshui, we ultimately decided to have our bed face the master bathroom. But because I had heard about this fengshui taboo, I couldn’t help but look up ways to "compensate" for it. The first tip I came across was to make the bathroom as inconspicuous as possible, essentially to "hide" it. My initial plan was to go with a concealed door, but I was advised against it since such doors tend to wear out quickly. In the end, I asked our ID to design something aesthetically pleasing that didn’t scream “bathroom.” That’s how the arched doorway with a frosted glass door came to be—it’s functional yet visually appealing. I also read something about keeping the toilet lid closed is recommended to prevent the loss of chi, or vital life force. Hence, I made it a point to remind my husband (on repeat!) to always keep the toilet bowl cover down, especially at night.
This little corner, as part of the arch, is one that my husband and I are especially proud of. Most of our friends who visited loved the idea, sharing that they also have lightly worn clothes but usually end up hanging them behind doors, where they often pile up. We asked our ID to create a dedicated space for these lightly worn clothes—those still wearable but not quite ready for the laundry. With the hanging area at eye level, we realised there was plenty of space underneath, so we decided to use it to store our extra bath and sports towels. Practical and organised, it’s been a game-changer for us!
On the other side of the arch, just below our vanity area (check out our previous post if you haven’t!), there’s another corner we absolutely love. We wanted a practical spot for our laundry as we headed into the master bathroom to shower, but with one catch: the laundry basket had to be hidden. Our ID came up with the brilliant idea of carving a hole on top, inspired by yoga studios, so we can simply “drop” our clothes in. When the basket fills up, it’s easy to pull out and empty. It’s such a fun and functional feature, definitely one of our favourite renovation decisions!
And here’s the infamous AC ledge access window, which we cleverly concealed with our full-length carpentry. Our ID initially suggested installing the usual hanging bars, which could be removed whenever the AC workers needed access. However, I preferred a more practical solution, so I asked for drawers instead, leaving the main window area clear. Our ID even managed to incorporate a top shelf for extra storage, making full use of the space. Since the window’s height is fixed, AC workers can simply step onto a stool and then onto the top of the drawer to access the window. We’ve already had workers use it once, and everything worked perfectly. All in all, we’re really happy with this option, it’s functional and doesn’t compromise on storage.
Let's move onto with some positivity. We installed two dimmable smart lights in our master bedroom - headboard lights and downlights. Both can be controlled via an app or our Google voice assistant, making it super convenient. This photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but the warm lighting creates such a cosy atmosphere. #Protip: Smart lighting is a game-changer in the bedroom, no more fighting over who has to "turn off the lights"! 😛
Behind our headboard, we have a lighting strip that adds to the ambience. Most nights, we turn off the ceiling lights and leave the headboard lights on to create a romantic, calming atmosphere that helps our eyes wind down for sleep. We also kept the option for bright white downlights for practicality—perfect for finding things on gloomy days or late at night.
- #smartlightstrip
- #headboardlighting
On the topic of the headboard, if you look closely, you’ll notice our headboard has a curved shape. This was due to the mini L-shaped window, which limited us from extending the headboard across the entire back wall, as it would block the window. Our ID came up with a clever design to incorporate the curve while still adding power sockets. I love that they’re discreetly placed on the sides, out of sight. The only hiccup was that we requested 2 sockets, but the electrician installed 3. -.-
- #headboardideas
- #Powersocket
As much as we love the aesthetics of our headboard, we do regret building it, mainly because it has fixed the orientation of our bed. With the position of the bed and the air conditioner, one side of the bed gets all the cool air while the other side gets much less. Because of this, we ended up sleeping in the guest bedroom for a few months previously (especially since we still love our old Queen-size Tempur bed more, haha). After 1.5 years of living here, it’s still a bit of a love-hate relationship with our master bedroom. We love the cosy feel, the aesthetics, and the functional cabinets we designed. We especially adore the look of our master bathroom (I’ll share more about that in future posts), but we still wish we’d reconsidered the bed orientation, the fengshui rules we broke, and the whole layout of the room. In hindsight, we probably should’ve hacked the walls and moved the door frames. If there’s one tip I’d share, it’s to go with what you feel works best for you, especially if you plan to stay long-term like we do. Of course, make sure it’s within your budget too. Now, I’m just hoping we’ll be able to do a mini renovation in a few years..!