There’s no question about it, your best bet on making an awkward corner functional, aesthetically pleasing, and maybe even a cool focal point is a well-designed piece of built-in furniture.

Let’s explore all the awkward corners, even structures you may have in the house that you can try working around, or even bringing out as a highlight of the house.

Photo credit : 13th Design Studio

1. Exposed Beams

Don’t look at it as an obstacle, it’s an opportunity — that is a built-in frame for you right there. Beams are usually built where rooms are “divided”, or conveniently where your home can be split into smaller sections. Consider installing sliding glass panels so it becomes a partition of sorts, or if the beam is in your kitchen, that’s the demarcations of a breakfast bar right there. 

You can also paint it in bold colors to make it look deliberate, or to frame a place, or run a long table, island, or bar to mirror the lines of the beam. 

Photo credit : Kaizen Architecture

2. Those Ugly, Ugly Pipes

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found those huge clunky HDB pipes a complete and total eyesore. These ugly structures seem to get so stale looking and moldy so quickly, and have an uncanny knack of making the wall or ceiling areas around them turn some kind of dirty color too. Also, have I mentioned, they are oh so ugly?

When I chanced upon Pinterest pictures of geniuses that painted these pipes black for an industrial look, or black decorated with pretty vines coiling up the pipes for a softer, ethereal feel, or even adding more fake pipes snaking across the walls for a steampunk vibe.

The most low-maintenance, fuss-free, practical, space-utilizing method is the good ol’ box up cabinet or cupboard. You can install shelves on the inside of the door (in case you ever need work done on your pipes, God forbid) so you can use the space as a mini pantry for your smaller condiment and spice bottles. Alternatively, installing a row of hooks on the door or inside of the cabinetry - if there is sufficient room - can turn the space into a much-needed hanging space for your bulky pots and pans, or even your ladles, whisks and other larger utensils that frustratingly keep your kitchen drawer from sliding shut smoothly; you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Having a box up that “continues” from other actual storage cabinets also creates a flushed and seamless look in a kitchen, which can be one of the most cluttered spots in a house. 

Photo credit : Kaizen Architecture

3. The Actual Awkward Corner

This is almost always caused by an irregularly shaped room. There are easier ways out like placing a large decorative piece like a towering plant, or a statue, with a spotlight above, to make it deliberate.

If it’s an awkward corner caused by a slanted structural beam, you could turn it into a cozy reading nook by building a daybed or placing a cushy armchair in the corner with a standing statement lamp. 

Or you build a full height cupboard that turns that awkward corner into a very usable space. Built-in pantry or fully customized wardrobe, anyone?

Photo credit : JIA Studios

4. The Unreachable L-shaped Corner

Frankly even a nice boxy room can cause an awkward L-shaped corner through traditional carpentry. Personally, my kitchen countertop that extends to an L-shaped bar has a corner that no one is tiny enough to crawl into (except my toddler who can’t take instructions) or with long enough arms to properly grab anything from the deepest parts of it. 

So that’s a lot of dead space, which we fill with tupperware and takeaway containers because what else can you do with it right? If we had planned better in advance, I would’ve asked the carpenter to build the cabinet with corner drawers instead, or installed an amazing L-shaped door that opens up the entire space so I don’t have to pretend I’m crawling through Alice’s rabbit hole every time I need a take out box to store leftover food. 

Alternatively, one of those wonderful pull-out racks that bring all your pots, pans and whatever it is you’ve stashed away in that hard-to-reach corner out of your cabinet space and right in front of you would’ve completely circumvented the problem. No crawling, bending, reaching; just one simple pull and viola! So easy to access.

Photo credit : MET Interior

5. In the Middle of Nowhere

We sometimes see this in the floor plans of our new home. A thick black line in the middle of nowhere, the thickness, the blackness, indicating you are not to hack it down because it’s a load bearing structure. Panic ensues as you realize you are going to have to live with this eyesore standing in the middle of one of your rooms. 

Does your apartment or house have a structural column that seems to be “in the middle of nowhere”? Address the huge white elephant in the room by literally working around it, building a bar counter so it appears to be a part of a deliberate design, or even make it into a statement with a beautiful screen that extends from it, or hanging wall art to make it a whimsical focal point.

Photo credit : Apex Studios

6. Bay Windows

I don’t get how anyone can hate bay windows, they allow for so much sunlight to come filtering in, look much better than the old-school HDB windows, and you can do so many creative things with them. That being said, I’ve been told some homeowners don’t appreciate how these large windows have ledges that eat into their floor space. I think this is hardly a real concern, and so easily sidestepped. 

If your bay windows are anywhere near a plausible dining spot, consider turning that ledge into part of your dining seating. It both flushes the dining area right up against the window and allows for amazing natural lighting at breakfast, and it opens up the rest of the dining space for a sideboard, a bar cart, or whatever else you may fancy popping in too.

If your windows are in a bedroom, turn it into a comfortable upholstered reading spot, a work desk area, or a study corner. If the orientation is right, you can even extend it out to become a raised bed base of sorts so you can flush your bed up against the window too. You can even plan for beautiful steps leading up to your bed with this raised platform, and design storage space under your bed to hide all your clutter. 

Truly, it appears there aren’t really any awkward corners in a house, only awkward ideas that don’t work or designers that aren’t able to seamlessly blend the spot into the rest of the functional living spaces. Getting a skilled professional to help you with your space planning is so crucial, we can’t repeat ourselves enough. You can check out the SIXiDES’ curated list of accredited professionals and vendors to ensure you get the most reliable and suitable people to create your dream home.

Posted on 16 September 2022

Racheal Sia, 

SIXiDES Editorial Team