Turning a Small Entryway Into a Functional Space Without Built-ins
1261
- Scandinavian
- HDB (BTO)
- ~700 sqft
- 2 br
- Couple Living
Dai ga hou, welcome and this week I'll be sharing on my simple and humble entryway with zero built-in. As much as I would like to set up the mood for this area that everyone will first pass by upon entering the house, cost and space were two setbacks to this. 
First of all, let's start with the entrance of the house. As this estate is still in the works for development, there have been reports of strangers loitering around stealing from the residents! Therefore, I dare not put in too many decorations for now and meanwhile, something plain like this would do. "Is so good to be home", what a pleasant sight to be greeted by whenever we're back from a long day from work. Caught sight of this chic door mat at Hooga when they had a sale going on. As for the spice bag hanging by the door, it's actually cinnamon sticks used to repel spiders - a trick that I read online. Not sure if it's due to construction and renovations works around, there have been a lot of spider sightings in the house, and neighbours affecting the same. These were the designs from Hooga and I got two of them - the other being "We love having you here". When we are expecting guests, we'll switch to the other one to make them feel more welcomed with this cheerful greeting! The sight that everyone will be greeted with upon entering the house. This shoe rack is great fit for this space between the grille and main door. It keeps footwears organized while keeping them away from monthly block washing. Coupled with the small gaps from the door grille designed by HDB, it keeps theft at bay! Got a 10 layer rack to keep the commonly used footwears here for easy access, while keeping them ventilated. In my previous post on the living room, I mentioned about a practical tip to label switches around the house. Here in my doorway, I have a two-way switch for the entrance with the label ordered in bigger size and font for better visibility. On the right upon stepping into the house is the bomb shelter, aka storeroom as what people call. The ventilation sleeve has been removed to a partially concealed one as shown here mainly for aesthetics, as well as minimizing dust trapping. We've initially considered installing a built-in storage to conceal the storeroom, however, the space available is not ideal for any practical purpose as the depth is only 20cm. But fret not, making use of the storeroom's magnetic door, here's a zoomed in on how I decorate it with items that are beyond its decorative purpose: 1. The magnetic calendar is useful for allowing us to share and stay informed about our schedules, or on days when we won't be able to make it home for meals. 2. For markers that do not come with magnet attached, they can be kept away in the holder tray for easy reach. 3. What was meant to be a fridge storage rack can also be doubled as a letter organizer, keeping clutters away from the table! 4. Travel magnets from colleagues to add in a bit of quirkiness to this area! On the left is the DB box. I had wanted to custom build a storage in between and internal shelves for shoes. However, again, this was not proceeded due to cost. On second thought, I would prefer to air them in the open to prevent unpleasant shoe odour in closed cabinets. Especially since the dining space is just right beside, it will be unpleasant for guests and ourselves alike to deal with the bad smell if we ever have to open the door here. Bedroom slippers and less commonly worn shoes are exceptions, and they will do fine even without shelving (for now). 
If the need requires, there's always a cheaper option to internal shelves - adjustable storage shelves, just like how I did here with my umbrellas. The dimension I got here is W10 x L50-80 cm. With powerpoints provided by HDB, I can place my router here too. Now for the highlight of my entryway, I would say it's this pouf stool that I proudly got from Taobao hahaha. Due to the awkward dimension in this space provided by The HDB, it was tough looking for a compact stool that is both stylish and practical, and not being in the way when opening the storeroom door. A close up on this macaron-looking boucle stool. It is 35cm x 40cm, blending in just perfectly and not aesthetically awkward. 
If you're wondering how the sitting angle of this 40cm stool will be, here's me (I'm 156cm tall) giving you a live demonstration haha. Till next time!
- 12 August
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