YOUNG newlyweds need their space, and in the case of Xavier and Adeline, they wanted lots of it in their new four-room HDB flat in Cantonment Road.

"I like things that are simple, practical and not too cluttered," says Xavier.

This penchant for clean spaces might be the reason the couple welcomed the suggestion by designer William Chan of Spacedge Designs to open up all the rooms in the home, save for the master bedroom. Another reason was that the apartment is a tight 807 sq ft in size.

Mr Chan admits: "It was good that the couple are open-minded."

But it was the sparse architectural style he is known for that attracted Xavier's eye in the first place - the latter had tracked Mr Chan down after seeing his bold design for Han's cafe at the National Library in Victoria Street.

Only one of the flat's original three bedrooms is left, and this massive reconfiguration was achieved by removing all the existing walls in the home to create a larger common area.

The structural pillar that faces the front door marks the wall of one of the bedrooms. Opened up, the living-cum-dining area has reaped great benefits from this extra space - there is more space to manoeuvre around the sofa-cum-bench seating specially designed for the home.

With the television set mounted on the opposite wall, the couple use the sofa - which resembles two large white rectangular blocks - both to lounge on while watching their favourite programmes and to sit by the dining table.

Two red cube stools, also designed by Mr Chan, complete the dining set.

These stand-alone pieces 'float' on a sea of laminated wood flooring, bringing a sense of drama to the space too.

If you're wondering where the young couple's wardrobes and storage went, they are actually hidden cleverly behind a bank of sliding doors that give the semblance of flat walls.

The long white 'wall' seen from the main door is actually a series of sliding doors spanning the entire length of the flat, concealing the study area on the right, the master bedroom in the middle and the couple's wardrobe on the left.

Opposite this are even more storage spaces, but this time with doors clad in grey laminate to house Xavier's growing collection of comic book figurines.

  

Incorporating such linearity and consistency of colours in the home helps to stretch the spaces visually, making the area look larger.

Although the colours chosen for the home look sombre in white and dark greys, the insides of the cabinets provide a shot of bright sunny yellow - something Mr Chan chose to match the wood flooring.

The bathroom also boasts this cheery hue. As the master bedroom was relocated, he decided to combine its ensuite bathroom with the bathroom in the kitchen, which shared a common wall.

This provided enough space to accommodate his-and-hers washbasins and to separate the WC and shower areas. It makes using the bathroom much more enjoyable than in its original tiny dimensions.

"They are fortunate that although the place is small, it doesn't have odd corners or an odd shape," says Mr Chan.

In terms of space planning, this made the transition from compartmentalised spaces to open-plan living much easier.

Including the furniture pieces designed by Mr Chan, the total renovation cost of $50,000 was well worth the price.

This spread first appeared in this month's issue of Home & Decor, published by SPH Magazines.