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dinkdongs
🏠 warm & cosy modern home inspired by local cafes | 5-room resale flat
8 useful tips for maximising your small bomb shelter!
5168
- Free Style
- HDB (Resale)
- ~1,200 sqft
- 3 br
- Couple Living
A crucial space in the house that homeowners rarely talk about is the bomb shelter. In fact, the location of the bomb shelter was one of our considerations for choosing our unit. We knew that we wanted an open kitchen, so hdb resale units with the bomb shelter in the way of the kitchen entrance had points deducted… 😅 The unit we eventually went with had the bomb shelter within the kitchen, which was a huge plus point! 👍🏼 The next step was to decide how we were going to utilise the bomb shelter. 
Trust us when we say that a bomb shelter rack is a MUST HAVE! There’s no other way to best maximise the storage space without custom carpentry/drilling shelving into the wall. We went with Star Racking, and the experience was 10/10 pleasant and smooth. We communicated with the co over WhatsApp and just had to provide a picture of the Length and Breadth of the bomb shelter (see next pic below). Then they advised us on the length accordingly and we could choose from their detailed catalogue of options. We eventually went with the following set, which cost ~$370 (no GST + after discount it was $350), including free delivery & installation: “Option A”: Heavy duty system / No Center Pole L120 x D45 x H210cm L150 x D45 x H210cm Four levels, with high density fiber board shelving Color : American walnut with black frame 
Here’s a closer look at the shelving rack. It’s super sturdy and also quite pretty! P.s. the wood-like board shelving is cheaper than the metal shelving (huge W) 
We are not the most neat couple, but here’s how we organise our storage at a glance… IKEA really comes in handy for storage solutions — you can get creative and include drawers, baskets, boxes, containers etc., to basically organise according to what suits your lifestyle and daily routine. Thankfully, we didn’t carry over too many items from our parents’ homes, so we were left with plenty of space for stocking up on cleaning supplies and home necessities. 
One tip for Dyson users is to get a standing rack so you can “mount” your vacuum for easy use and charging without needing drill into the bomb shelter wall. P.s. remember to plan for sufficient wall plugs in the bomb shelter to power your appliances (eg charging stations, wine fridge, etc.) 
What is the most suitable kind of light for the bomb shelter? Since the bomb shelter is a really small space, you can keep your lighting basic and stick to a medium-sized ceiling fixture. Spotlights or even warm-toned bulbs are highly discouraged as it is counter-optimal to viewing/accessing all your stored items at a glance. 
Another hack to serve your home aesthetic is to replace one of your bomb shelter ventilation holes with a more minimalist design, and/or to cover up the second (external facing) ventilation hole. Don’t worry, this alteration is LEGAL, as long as you adhere to the proper guidelines: “Closing or covering up of ventilation openings by removable aesthetic or architectural finishes is allowed, provided that at least 25% of the total area of the two openings shall be left uncovered for ventilation purposes during peacetime.” ref Section 2(j) of Permitted and Not Permitted Works for Household Shelters (SCDF) 
Speaking of aesthetics, we chose not to conceal our bomb shelter door for two key reasons: 1) We didn’t want to add more carpentry as this would definitely shrink our kitchen space and add more bulk; 2) We wanted to have a magnetic surface to pin up cute pics, prints and posters (cos our fridge isn’t magnetic..) Eventually, we opted to simply refresh the bomb shelter door and doorframe with a clean coat of paint (: So happy we have the option to add colour and character to this wall, which can be switched up whenever, and adds to the homey personalised vibes of our space~ 
A last random but useful tip: Add a door handle bumper to prevent scratches on the wall/carpentry adjacent to the bomb shelter door. We got this cute elephant one from Shopee (-: That’s all for our bomb shelter tips! Thanks for reading 😇
14 days ago
