SINGAPORE - You have bought your first home and it’s design time. It’s also time to put to rest the first home that existed only in your mind – where there is just the right amount of space for whatever it is you need, the windows and doors are perfectly placed where you want them to be, and there are no awkward corners. And also, where issues of clutter and inadequate storage do not exist.

For the 77.8 per cent of Singaporeans who live in HDB flats, with the majority in four-room flats, this is the reality: The home must cater to the needs of several people of different ages and requirements. One room often needs to double (or even triple) up on functionality – a dining room-cum-study area, a living room that doubles as a play area for toddlers, and so on. Thinking of where to store things is a perennial issue.