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Once, it was bathroom envy. Then, it became kitchen envy. Now, the latest trend making home-buyers go the colour of poison ivy is: walk-in wardrobe envy.

Walk-in wardrobes - with their expansive storage for shoes, compartments for clothing and accessories and room to spread out your outfits to try on - were once the domain of spacious landed homes.

But now they are dressing up HDB flats, too.

Take property agent Stephanie Lam, 26. A walk-in wardrobe was on her must-have list after she tied the knot last year with banker Jeffrey Lim, 31, and the couple set about renovating their five-room HDB flat in Sengkang.

'Walk-in wardrobes are trendy now,' Ms Lam says.

The couple's interior designer, Mr Arean Wong, managing director of Space Vision Design, made her dream come true by converting a quarter of the master bedroom space into a walk-in wardrobe.

Eighty per cent of clients who have the space will ask for one, Mr Wong says.

Another interior designer, Mr Yeow Chuen Chai of YStudio, notes that three years ago about 60 to 70 per cent of his clients living in HDB flats would ask for a walk-in wardrobe.

Today, that figure has gone up to 80 per cent, he says. 'Home owners, especially young couples, ask for it so they can see and match their clothes at one glance, compared to having a regular wardrobe.'

He adds that because of the open concept, fashionistas also get to display their latest bag and shoe purchases instead of hiding them behind a cupboard door.

Hack the walls

But be prepared to pay for this fashionable display. Interior designers say that a customised walk-in wardrobe can cost at least 30 per cent more than a conventional built-in one as lighting and wall partitions have to be put in.

Still, Ms Lam says: 'A walk-in wardrobe also allows me to hang more clothes than a conventional built-in one.'

Another fan of walk-ins is housewife Yeo Lee Lee, 42, who turned one bedroom in her five-room flat in Sengkang into a walk-wardrobe for herself and her real estate agent husband.

'I've seen pictures of homes with walk-in wardrobes in magazines and my sister has one in her terrace home, so I thought of having one, too,' says the mother of two school-going daughters. 'Walk-in wardrobes are impressive.'

The girls each have their own bedrooms. Interior designer Mr Yeow knocked down the walls between the two remaining bedrooms, turning it into a bigger bedroom for the couple.

The former master bedroom was converted into a walk-in wardrobe, with plenty of space for the couple to hang their clothes neatly.

Shelves were installed to store items such as bedlinen, while a mobile chest of drawers houses underwear. The entrance to the wardrobe has a frosted glass door, which can be closed for privacy when changing clothes.

'We have enough space to have a walk-in wardrobe, hence we decided to get one,' says Ms Yeo. The family previously lived in an apartment without the feature.

Interior designer Ivan Sim of Opulent says clients, even those in smaller flats, want one. 'Some walls have to be knocked down to create a walk-in wardrobe in such cases,' he says.

This was what he did for home owner Stephen Koh, 40, an associate director at a bank, who previously lived in a four-room flat which had a walk-in wardrobe.

When he moved into a three-room HDB flat near Mountbatten five years ago, he could not live without one.

A bedroom and kitchen wall were knocked down to make the space. His kitchen is now smaller, but Mr Koh does not mind.

'A walk-in wardrobe gives me easy access to my clothes,' says the bachelor. On one side, he hangs his shirts and trousers, while the opposite side has shelves for his numerous T-shirts and toiletries.

Interior designers say that a minimum space of 1.5m long by 1.3m wide, or at least 21 sq ft, is needed.

Space Vision Design's Mr Wong says flat owners can consider hacking a wall between two bedrooms to create enough space.

This was what engineer Daren Chan, 39, did. The bachelor lives in a four-room flat near Bukit Merah.

His interior designer, Mr Tony Chan of Wais Design, converted the master bedroom into a spacious walk-in wardrobe.

Mr Daren Chan was moved to want one after staying in hotels in Tokyo, Shanghai and San Francisco that have them.

Two walls in his walk-in wardrobe are lined with cupboards where he hangs shirts and winter clothing, while T-shirts are folded tidily in drawers.

His walk-in wardrobe is also large enough to house an island counter, which has a TV console on one side and shelves on the other for his shoes.

'I like a walk-in wardrobe because it is functional. Clothes are neatly organised and I can find them easily,' he says.

But while fans are hooked on the easy access to their clothes, critics say the space invaders do not always stack up.

They point to the fact that clothes tend to collect dust quicker as walk-in wardrobes are more open than built-in cupboards.

Walk-ins are usually built using a mobile pole system, where users can add shelves and drawers according to their needs.

But there are ways to shut the door on the problem.

'Instead of an open system, cupboards can be installed to keep the dust out,' suggests Mr Tony Chan.

Another solution is to install a door at the entrance of the wardrobe, recommends Mr Yeow, who did this for Ms Yeo's home.

She says: 'We usually close the door and this helps to keep the walk-in wardrobe area clean.'