There’s no running away from the room corners in our HDBs or houses. When every inch matters and you have so many things to store, here are some tips on how to use ‘dead’ corners without bursting your bank account:

1) Build a DIY shelf

Get some building bricks and strong strips of wood and build a DIY shelf. This is great for stacking books, placing potted plants, family photo frames or just about anything! The bonus is you have control over how tall each ‘shelf’ is (just add bricks to make them higher) and even where the top shelf ends!

2) Transform into a new chilling/reading corner

Put a bean bag or some huge cushions and you have a new sitting/chilling/reading corner. Even better if you place a small carpet on the floor first to give you that softer touch. Get a sturdy cardboard box, wrap it up with pretty or chic-looking wrapping paper, and there you have it – a little table-top to place your coffee while you chill.

3) Cosy corner to hang things you love

Put some nails on the wall, or if you don’t want to make holes in the wall, get sturdy suck hooks suitable for your home’s wall surface. Tie a string from one hook to the next (or just leave the string to hang down), and get some cute, little pegs to hang up reminders, family photos, inspirational quotes or meaningful cards from your loved ones.

Again, with the help of sturdy suck hooks, hang scarves, belts, bucket hats, or even make the corner a little jewelry storage place to hang necklaces, hoop earrings, bangles or scrunchies. These also make great unintentional decorations to brighten up your room!

4) An elegant storage compartment

Get sturdy cardboard boxes of various sizes, stacking them one on top of the other, with the biggest box at the bottom and the smallest at the top. The opening of the boxes should be at the side, accessible for you to open and close them. You can store heavier or chunkier items at the bottom – like books, toilet roll, sanitary pads, dishwashing liquid or shampoo bottles, and lighter or smaller items at the top – like cotton pads, cotton buds, creams, or stationery. The good thing about this is you have built-in ‘doors’ with the flaps of the boxes, and again, to make them pretty, wrap the boxes with nice- or chic-looking wrapping paper! Or stick your children’s drawing/colouring pieces on the open/seen surfaces!