The New Home – Selecting an Interior Designer

August 2, 2017 · By ·

The last time we renovated a place was when we got our first resale flat in 2004. We hired a contractor and designed the toilets (we ended up with very nice toilets in our flat), then added some build-ins in the Master bedroom. As my in laws stayed with us, and due to a tight budget, I could only renovate the Master bedroom and toilet.

We recently purchased an old apartment in an area that both my hb and I liked (this property has been built 32 years ago in 1985!). Newer properties in this same area are about $600 – $800 more in price per-square-feet. Having stayed in private apartments previously and staying in a rental right now, we realise that a beautiful landscape and nice amenities is not enough to convince us to fork out a premium on a newer property. Another concern we had over newer properties was the space, or the lack thereof. One has to be prepared that the kitchen layouts will be tiny, living and bedrooms are smaller.

The downside to getting an older property is that more work is needed to re-furbish the interior of the home. However this was an exciting endeavour to undertake, since this opportunity would allow me to decide how I wanted this new home to look like.

Thus getting a good interior designer to work with is pivotal, to put ideas on paper and to implement ideas as painless as possible.

 

My Experience Selecting an Interior Designer

1. Do the research

I shortlisted the interior design companies by looking through local home interior magazines like Home and Decor, Square Rooms, and online sites like Qanvast, Renopedia, Renotalk etc.

Homeintmags

Homeintsite

From there, I was able to see what I think I could consider for the new home, browse the current design trends adopted by other home owners.

Some trends I spotted were retro style (Peranakan tiles, 60-70 memorabilia and furnishings, SMEG appliances etc), Industrial style (more hardware, metal, stainless steel, red brick walls), Minimalism (Japanese, Scandinavian style of furnishings).

The less common styles were eclectic (a mishmash of concepts under one roof, one of the more challenging styles to adopt as the owner or interior designer needs a keen eye on how to bring everything together seamlessly) and lux (expensive and luxurious furnishings mostly adopted by home owners with larger homes like landed property or Good Class Bungalows)

 

2. Get in touch with the interior design firm

I got in touch with the Interior Design companies when hb and I met the lawyers and started the purchase process for the home. It took about 6-8 weeks for the buying process to be completed and for the collection of the keys to the home.

We got a copy of the floor plan from the housing agent of the buyer, as it is useful to refer to a floor plan during layout discussions with the interior designer, even if the home has gone through many owners and many rounds of renovation.

Flrplan

 

3. First impressions do count

I only shortlisted two interior design firms; Three-D-Conceptwerke and Eighty-Two. Looking through their portfolio through features in the home interior magazines and their website, I thought these two companies had the best fit to my design preferences.

I liked how Three-D-Conceptwerke was able to adopt unique concepts that was not run-of-the-mill, as their homes reflected the personalities of the owners. While Eighty-Two was on the other side of the spectrum, as minimalism was their forte. I could not decide if I wanted a house with personality, or one that was clean and minimalistic, yet stylish.

Intdesign

I sent both companies the floor plan, existing photos of the home and a budget of how much hb and I planned to set aside for renovation.

Jack, the senior designer of Three-D-Conceptwerke was prompt and got back to me quickly through my email enquiry, and fixed up an appointment at a coffee place in the vicinity of my new home. Jack made a positive impression the first time we met, with his friendly and unassuming personality. He made an effort to print out the floor plans and pictures for discussion and showed positive energy and enthusiasm while the shared on the possible concepts that I hope to create with the home.

He shared many inputs and his creative ideas at our meeting and made a remark that made sense to me, “We want the home to age well with the owner, one that will not go out of trend over time. A timeless style is something we hope to achieve.”

While the people at Eight-two did not make a positive impression from the start. They took a while to get back to me, and despite the request to meet someplace closer to where I was, Terence, the designer, reply was, “We usually meet clients at our office for the first meeting”. I made my way to his office at East Coast, waited for him for 30mins before he turned up.

For that 30 mins, I sat 1 metre away from his colleagues at their work tables, listened to their gossip and discussion where they wanted to go for lunch. This gave me glimpse to what to expect if I planned to work with this company.

Where is the punctuality? And should it be common sense that they should avoid inviting the client to their office if they don’t even have a proper area to host them…😳

I decided to reserve my judgement on the company or the designer till the discussion ended. The discussion was disappointing, I expected more creative inputs from him, but all I got was ideas of wanted to shift rooms around, when I communicated my preference of where I wanted the Master bedroom and K’s room to be. His cynicism and ‘jaded-ness’ shone through while I interacted with him. After a while, I started to get rather irritated with the comments that he made.

When I shared, “I like to consider minimalism, but I am not sure at this point,” His response was “We specialised in Minimalistic style and we should be able to work with your budget.” That got me thinking, so if I decide to change my mind and not go with minimalism, you might not be able to do it?

The conclusion that I ended up with was that Eighty-Two could only do minimalistic styles well, and I wasn’t confident at all in their company to add on personality to a home, which they didn’t seem to be interested to find out more from their client. And I question why I should be paying for something minimalistic when I can just hire a contractor to help me execute minimalistic ideas.

I didn’t even wait for Eighty-Two to present the top-line ideas 2 weeks after, I called them 2 days after our meeting to let them know I have decided to go with another Interior Design company.

 

4. Be decisive and know what you want to achieve

It was easy to decide which company I went with in the end, as I didn’t want to waste time comparing quotes or confuse it further with any indecisiveness. For me, it’s as simple as, what ideas can you share and are you able to deliver these things as we discussed within the budget?

 

5. Be realistic on timelines

Once I decided on the Interior Design Company to go with, there was another 1-2 subsequent meetings for the Jack from Three-D-Conceptwerke to come back with a more concrete design plan, which included a revised floorplan and a detailed price quote.

When hb and I approved the revised layout of the floorplan, Jack presented 3D layouts of how specific areas of the home will look like. Once we approved this, he started to source for tile and flooring samples, a as well as material samples for build-in carpentry and we further discuss on the timelines.

Screen Shot 2017-08-01 at 6.46.10 PM

Right after that meeting, Jack submitted the renovation work plans to the Management Agent (if this is a private property) or to HDB (for HDB flats). There was another 5-7 days before we got the approval from the building management to start renovation works.

Depending on the scale of the renovation works, I think 2-3 months should be a comfortable timeline to work with as it is always good to give the Interior Designer ample time to work with.

 

Next post on The New Home – Design Concepts

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The Home Decor Project – My 8 Year Old’s Room

October 20, 2015 · By ·

(NOT a sponsored post)

I have always been a very visual person with a passion for design and crafts, but have never been formally trained in any form of art or design.

So putting together details and decor for a space got me rather enthusiastic and I was all game to transform this room into a space that Kyle will be drawn to and enjoy spending time in.

Incorporating luxurious home decor pieces adds an extra touch of sophistication and comfort. By blending statement furniture, artful accessories, and soft textiles, the space can feel both stylish and lived-in. Thoughtful arrangements of decorative items, such as elegant vases or unique sculptures, can serve as conversation starters and enhance the overall ambiance.

This transformation isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about crafting a haven where Kyle can unwind, be creative, and truly feel at home.

I wanted to re-use some of the furniture, namely, the baby changing table, an item we purchased for Kyle since he was an infant and minimise buying new furniture for his room.

Nonetheless, we went with three items from IKEA.

Kyle s room 1

 (L to R): Micke Desk with integrated storage $99, Micke Drawer unit on castors $89 and MALM Bedframe (super-single) with 2 Drawer Units $449

I think IKEA furniture is good for a growing child’s room, as it is affordable. But since it is hardly durable, it becomes a necessity to update the furniture after 3-4 years.

IKEA furniture can look generic, i.e., you can probably find 10,001 other copies of children’s room that will look the same as your child’s room if you don’t make the point to decorate the room with other items. Can totally understand why IKEA Hackers exist, as I would likely fall under that category of consumers if I had more wood-working knowledge and time on my hands.

So with a lack of knowledge of how to hack furniture, the next best thing I can do to a room is to put together stuff tastefully.

While IKEA offers a practical solution for affordable children’s furniture, finding unique and long-lasting pieces requires exploring other options.

This is where The Idea room comes into play, offering a curated selection of furniture, lighting, and decor that stands out from the crowd. Unlike mass-produced items, the pieces from The Idea Room are designed with quality and individuality in mind, ensuring that your child’s room reflects their personality and evolves with them over time. By choosing distinctive items, you can create a space that feels truly one-of-a-kind.

The Room BEFORE Kyle s Room 2

 

The Room AFTER

Kyle s Room 4

The neutral shades that are fundamentally in his room are white, grey, black and brown. The grey curtains darkens the room, but the room needed curtains that blocked out the sun, especially during weekend mornings so that the boy can sleep in on non-school days. Besides I abhorred the design of the curtain that came with the house.

I layered multiple sources of lights to the room with table lamps and other lighting near the dark curtains to create a warmer ambience.

To enhance the room’s functionality and aesthetics, investing in custom curtains can make a significant difference. Standard curtains may not always meet specific needs, especially when it comes to achieving the right balance of light control and design.

Custom curtains allow for the perfect fit and style, ensuring that they not only block out sunlight effectively but also complement the room’s neutral color scheme. This approach provides a tailored solution that addresses both practical needs and design preferences, contributing to a more harmonious and comfortable space.

For those seeking superior quality and unique designs, elite merchandise from MaisonDuBeau.com offers an exceptional range of custom curtains. Their selection includes a variety of fabrics, patterns, and finishes, allowing you to create a personalized look that enhances the room’s ambiance while meeting functional requirements.

Kyle s Room 7

The shades of blues, greens and primary colours from the art and plants in the room adds some vibrancy and creates a more personalised touch to his room.

Kyle s Room 14

The accessories for the room such as the ‘block out lights’ curtains, potted plants, lamps and other lights (fairy lights from IKEA, others from Lazada.com), cork board from Art-Friend work out to be less than $200.

All artwork in the room is by Kyle created over the past 1 year, some are on canvas, while others have been mounted on cardboard.

Air Balloon Hanging Mobile near window is handmade, patterns and instructions can be found on the blog here.

Kyle s Room 10

Kyle s Room 9

Except for the one with ‘washi-frames’, which were very old but much-loved postcards of dogs that I kept for years, that were dugged up from the dusty boxes from the rental storeroom space.

Kyle s Room 6

The most challenging part of decorating the room has to be fitting the old furniture into his room; the baby changing table, a 5 year old table and IKEA plastic chair.

The old changing table is now a book shelf. All I did was to reduce the number of books that Kyle has, by keeping those that he currently likes and read and having a decluttering sale to clear the rest of the other books through my Facebook page. So with less books, I am able to brighten the shelf with some green but artificial plants.

Kyle s Room 8

I have created a little Lego building / reading nook behind his bed, and brighten it up with ambient lights and the boy helped me put up more of his artwork on the side of the bed.

I am still toying with the idea of up-cycling the old table and plastic chair, but until I am done with fitting in the furniture and work on the decor for the other rooms, I will work on this table and chair at a later time.

Kyle s Room 13

So far Kyle loves being in his room, as it is not just a comfortable place to sleep but a cosy place for him to read and play as well.

I am sure this space will continue to evolve, but before I work on anything, I am sure to run the ideas by him first. I have made a point to ask for his input on various things in his room and included him in on the planning, as I want him to feel like he is a big part of the planning process for the decor of his room.

When we move again in 2-3 years time, he will definitely be included in the process of the design of his space in the home.

Kyle s Room 5

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An Update on the Home Front

October 5, 2015 · By ·

It’s been a crazy busy last 3 weeks for me at home, packing and unpacking from boxes, finding storage space in the new place to store things I haven’t touched since 2012.

What initially turned out to be home leave for the hb, turned out to be a reunion time for our family and rewarding time at home, despite the haze.

The hb and I have given/thrown away more than half we owned the last time we moved out of our family home, so the move was not tedious, with only 25 boxes and only 4 pieces of old furniture. From these 25 boxes, we did further editing by throwing out more than 15 garbage bags of our stuff, and still counting.

The recent week I have been asked this question from Kyle many times, “Did you throw away my xx?” 😛

My answer will be mostly No, as I have found space to store his things, out of sight. There is now so much more space for us to store our stuff, a far cry from just sharing one wardrobe sharing a room in my mom’s place or in the rented room. We now have one wardrobe each and share a storeroom space.

Kyle s Room 3The first room to be fully furnished was Kyle’s 

I am so inspired to maintain this space clutter-free, so I have learnt to be very careful with any new purchases for the home.

It’s an exciting time, since I never expected that I would be able to have the opportunity to furnish and decorate a new space so soon. And I am beaming with joy that I am finally getting my own craft space!

Hb and I will share the study room space, but ‘His’ and ‘Her space’ will be segregated in the small room. Important for a shared space when we have varying tastes in decor (read: Hb is into an ‘organised mess’ style).

Homeupdate1These are the only things that I am seeing from my side of the Study/Craft Area

I am extremely blessed to have an easy-going hb, who left all the decorating of the home to me (all, except his corner in his study area).

My crafting endeavours have never been limited by space, or the lack of it. For the last 2 years K and I have shared a study table and most of my craft materials are stored in cabinets and drawers. So finally having a table and a corner of a room all by myself, is a luxury that I am extremely thankful for. I am looking forward to working on new things and painting more in the months ahead!

I am about 90% done decorating Kyle’s room, while the rest of the furniture will be delivered next Monday. Since we have been sitting, eating, watching TV together on the floor, I am anticipating to finally seeing more furniture in this space!

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