Inside Forett [⅓]: A Modern Japanese Interpretation of a 474sqft Home
474 sqft.
As a designer, every space presents a new conversation between form, function, and intent.
With a small apartment, the limitations start before you even step into the space. The walls dictate constraints. The square footage sets expectations.
Conventional thinking tells you that small means compromise.
I disagree.
474 sqft and my first home -
- it’s every designer’s dream to design with unfiltered intention, a true creative expression of their own psyche. The smallness of space presents a valuable design challenge to push the limits of perception and refine my personal design language.
Designing with Intent
Great design is built on a clear, methodical foundation. When approaching each space, four key aspects shape the concept:
Site Conditions + Client Requirements
Narrative
Materiality
Each played a critical role in defining the spatial experience, ensuring that every decision was made with purpose and precision.
The first step was to understand the space as it existed—its constraints, opportunities, and how it could evolve to reflect the design ideology as a whole.
Understanding the Space: First Impressions
I approached this project the way I approach every space: by questioning everything.
What defines comfortable living? How do materials shape experience? What does it mean to truly inhabit a home?
A well-designed apartment demands more than just smart storage or clever layouts. What was required was a deeper understanding of spatial efficiency, materiality, and human experience.
It was clear the moment I stepped into the unit - the challenge wasn’t about squeezing function into square footage. It really was about dismantling general societal preconception and surpassing conventional thinking.
474 sqft. A compact footprint, but a space full of untapped potential.
Site Conditions
This 1+1 bedroom unit at Forett at Bukit Timah faces Toh Tuck Road, offering a view of low-rise residences and tree-lined streets. The positioning provides a rare sense of openness—a contrast to the compact interior footprint.
But beyond the view, the interior presents a multitude of challenges and constraints:
Flooring & Finishes → Grey marble runs throughout the unit, visually unifying the space—except for the bedroom, where a shift to timber flooring disrupts the material flow and serves to act as a natural separation from public to private spaces.
Ceiling Heights & Volumes → Stepping inside, the ceiling height shifts dramatically—an intentional compression in the entry that expands into the living space, creating a contrast between arrival and dwelling. The split level in the ceiling heights create pockets of recessed ceiling spaces, acting as natural architectural separation in different zones.
Kitchen Layout & Carpentry → The left side upon entry houses a continuous line of built-in carpentry, integrating the DB box, fridge, washing machine, oven, and induction stove. However, a structural beam runs across this length, visually breaking the flow and interrupting an otherwise clean flow of cabinetry.
Living & Bedroom Proportions → At 2.6m x 2.4m, the living area is compact. The bedroom is just large enough for a queen-sized bed and built-in wardrobe—reinfrocing a sense of compartmentalization rather than integration.
Study Nook Challenges → The 2.1m x 1.9m recessed study was designed as a potential walk-in wardrobe, yet it lacks the spatial presence to be truly functional. Dim and enclosed, it is visually disconnected from the rest of the home, limiting its potential as a dynamic workspace.
Balcony & Flexibility → Standard condo practice suggests zip blinds to merge the balcony into the living area, creating a more seamless spatial flow.
Narrative & Materiality
Years of traveling to Japan with my partner and immersing ourselves in its depth of culture shaped an appreciation for layered simplicity and restrained materiality. Our experiences in onsen retreats and luxury hotels reinforced the idea that great design isn’t limited by scale, but about careful intent. The ability to create purposeful, fluid spaces within compact footprints became a guiding principle in this home’s design.
Reflecting on our past experiences, I identified several fundamental elements that resonated with us:
Fluidity between private & public spaces
Screens as spatial modifiers
Timber as the dominant material
Cohesive application of materiality
Client Requirements
A Space That Feels Larger Than Its Footprint
A well-designed hotel room often feels bigger than its actual size—this home had to achieve the same effect. Rigid separations needed to dissolve, movement had to feel fluid, and materials had to reinforce continuity.Storage Without Compromising Openness
Storage was non-negotiable, but conventional solutions—bulky built-ins, excessive cabinetry—would visually shrink the space. The challenge was integrating storage seamlessly into the architecture, so that it felt natural rather than imposed.Flexible Work & Living Balance
With both of us working on laptops and taking calls throughout the day, the study had to contain elements where it was flexible in its arrangement while being private enough to take online calls.
Challenging Convention: Redefining Spatial Zoning
In conventional homes, spaces are divided into public and private zones, enforcing rigid separations between living, dining, and resting areas. But in a 474 sqft home, that distinction is impractical - the entire unit must function as a singular, cohesive environment.
Inspired by tatami-style living and luxury hotel design, the goal was to create a space where functions remain distinct, but boundaries dissolve—allowing the home to feel larger, more fluid, and more intuitive to inhabit.
This led to a fundamental redefinition of zoning, moving away from traditional room-based layouts to an experiential framework based on spatial interaction:
🟤 Utility Zone → The functional core of the home, comprising the kitchen and bathroom, acting as a threshold between entry and the main living space.
🟠 Living Zone → A hybrid living and bedroom space, where a half-height partition maintains a sense of separation while preserving an openness of space.
🟢 Flex Zone → A multifunctional zone encompassing both the balcony and study nook, designed to adapt between work, relaxation, and extended living space as needed.
⚫ Transition Spaces → Subtle architectural detailing, such as screens and layered materials, guide movement and define spatial relationships without rigid separations.
The Utility Zone was designated for the kitchen and bathroom, where the core functions and layout remained largely unchanged. However, its aesthetic treatment and interaction with the rest of the space became the primary focus—ensuring it did not feel isolated but rather integrated into the home’s overall experience.
At the heart of the zoning strategy was a pivotal decision—removing the partition between the bedroom and living room to create a more expansive and unified space. Instead of traditional separations, a half-height partition with a countertop was introduced to define the area while maintaining spatial openness.
Further natural demarcation emerged from the recessed ceiling framed by the aircon box-up, which, upon removing the partition wall, functioned as an implicit architectural beam—enhancing the subtle zoning of the Living Zone. This area was designed to become the central pivot of the entire home, shaping how occupants and guests move through the space.
Rather than treating the balcony and study as separate spaces, they were conceptually unified—both designed for flexibility, transitioning between work, relaxation, and extended living space. The Flex Zone allows for expansion and contraction, functioning as an extension of the Living Zone when needed.
To reinforce this seamless integration, the balcony was designed as a natural extension of the interior—ensuring that when zip blinds are down, it visually bridges the boundary between inside and outside. The study area follows a similar principle, with its primary function being to support focused work while remaining adaptable to other uses.
By prioritizing adaptability over rigidity, this zoning strategy ensures that the home responds to its inhabitant’s needs rather than dictating their movements.
The Role of Transition Spaces
Beyond defined zones, transitional areas shape how space is experienced rather than just how it is divided. Instead of abrupt separations, subtle architectural interventions define these transitions, ensuring the space remains fluid yet structured.
✅ Ceiling Design & Beam Integration – The recessed ceilings and beam integrate into the entire spatial experience, shaping how spaces connect or subtly delineate functions within an open layout.
✅ Material Flow & Layering – Cohesion is achieved not just through consistency, but through the deliberate use of material transitions, controlled contrast, and the layering of textures to create a unified yet dynamic composition.
✅ Feature Wall as a Zoning Connector – The large wall opposite the kitchen connects the Utility, Living, and Flex Zones. A single continuous plane can serve as a visual anchor, subtly guiding movement and reinforcing the connection between different zones.
✅ Screens & Visual Modifiers – Inspired by Japanese interiors, elements such as indoor blinds, textured walls, and partial partitions provide adjustable separation without enclosure, ensuring adaptability throughout the day.
A beautiful architectural detail in the back allies in Kinosaki Onsen, Japan.
Primary Elements
With spatial zoning established, the next layer of design focuses on the primary elements—the building blocks that shape how the space is felt, interacted with, and experienced. These elements are informed by my travels, experiences in luxury hospitality, and Japanese spatial philosophy.
Defining Boundaries Without Closing Space
One of the key defining design decisions in this home was the introduction of a half-height countertop to delineate the Living Zone, paired with an integrated platform bed—both drawing inspiration from the spatial efficiency from Taiwan and Japanese luxury hotels.
Blending Living & Sleeping Areas – Instead of treating the bedroom and living room as separate entities, they are merged into a singular, flowing environment. This principle guided the decision to remove the bedroom partition and replace it with a half-height countertop, allowing the space to feel open without losing definition.
Creating a Spatial Anchor – Instead of a full-height partition, the half-height countertop subtly delineates the sleeping and living functions while keeping the overall space visually connected.
Storage Without Bulk – The platform bed serves a dual purpose, integrating hidden storage within its structure, reducing the need for bulky wardrobes or additional cabinetry.
Layered Transitions
Rather than dividing space, the focus was on guiding movement through layered transitions. The result is a home that feels structured yet fluid, where zones are defined without abrupt separations.
Ceiling as an Invisible Divider – The natural variation in ceiling height provided an opportunity to reinforce spatial definition without additional partitions.
Connecting Spaces with Material – Consistent materials ensure that different zones feel connected, allowing the home to read as one cohesive environment.
A Wall That Connects, Not Divides – The large feature wall opposite the kitchen is more than a surface—it acts as a spatial bridge, uniting the Utility, Living, and Flex Zones while reinforcing depth through layered materiality.
Timber as the Unifying Element
A compact space demands material restraint—too many finishes create visual clutter. Timber serves as the unifying element, anchoring the home with warmth and continuity.
Cohesion Across the Home – A single material palette ensures seamless transitions between different spaces.
Layered Textures for Depth – Variation in finishes prevents monotony, adding subtle shifts in texture to define different areas without disrupting flow.
A Balance Between Tradition & Modernity – The use of timber as the primary material reflects Japanese interiors, but its contemporary execution ensures the space remains timeless and sophisticated rather than overtly thematic.
A Grounded Approach to Living
Inspired by tatami-style living, the home rethinks how space is physically engaged with—seating, movement, and spatial perception are designed to feel more fluid and intimate.
A More Integrated Use of Space – Seating and resting areas are treated as part of the design, encouraging a more natural interaction with the home.
Altering Spatial Perception – Lower seating arrangements subtly extend the sense of height, making the space feel larger than its footprint suggests.
Concept: The Modern Japanese Interpretation
The concept of this home can be described as an experiential exercise in re-examining predefined spatial norms and preconceived limitations. Defined by multiplicity of purpose and intentional simplicity, the design prioritizes spatial flow over ornamentation. Materials and interior styling serve not as the focal point but as a complement—reinforcing continuity, enhancing transitions, and ensuring that every element exists to support the experience of the space.
Conclusion: Laying the Groundwork for Design
This first part of the series establishes the foundational principles of the design—examining spatial conditions, zoning strategies, and key design considerations that shape the home.
Next: From Concept to Execution
The next article of this series will explore the transformation from idea to reality, focusing on how these conceptual strategies evolved when faced with real-world constraints.
1️⃣ Adapting Design to Spatial Constraints – Refining ideas based on site realities and functional needs.
2️⃣ Material Exploration & Refinement – Testing and adjusting materials to ensure cohesion.
3️⃣ Overcoming Execution Challenges – Problem-solving and navigating unforeseen site conditions.
