Lighting

Angus Hutcheson,

founder/chief designer of Ango furniture designers

“One criterion for lighting the main living area is to have a couple of good sources of background lighting so that the mood can be varied by using them in different combinations with table lights, (1) floor lights and pendant lights. Another technique I like is to use exterior (2) lighting usually at a low level, which  illuminates the interior via glazed doors or glass block panels, maybe with plants used to partially diffuse the light. This helps to achieve a sense of perspective and enhanced depth. Try Nest table lights, cascadence ceiling lights, small hanging ceiling lights and three stone floor lights. Try G/F, Crystal Design Center, Praditrmanutham Rd., 02-102-2282.

Built-ins

Vasu Virajsilp,

co-founder of VaSLab architecture firm

“The walls in your condo play a huge role when it comes to space. One of the techniques is to have full-height storage walls with a built-in cabinet attached to them instead of having a big storage room. Using vertical space efficiently will keep a condo space neat and clean. At the same time, it maximizes the space we need horizontally. Frosted glass doors can be used for the cabinets; (3) they will make the room lighter by their reflective and translucent characteristics.”

Color

Rattapol Sakdamnuson,

Editor-in-chief of Room Magazine

To increase space, the walls of your room should be in light tones like white, grey or pastel which makes the room look brighter. Avoid using dark tones on areas like ceilings, but use them in certain areas of the room to add boldness. Another trick is using two shades of color on your wall by applying the dark color on the lower part going up to about 90 centimeters while painting the rest of the wall with light tones, like dark green with pastel green (4).