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I'm planning to get a solid wood dining table. I was almost decided on getting a butcher top that is made of pine (something like pic below) until I read that it's considered soft wood and might not be durable. I found one that is more scandinavian that it made of white oak, which is a harder wood and likely to be more durable, but a bit more expensive. Many people on here have bought wooden furniture from taobao/tmall. Could you share your experience on your purchase? How are the furniture holding up in terms of durability, warp-resistance (since SG is much more humid than China), etc? Thanks! Pine wood-> White oak->

Hi all, we are planning a small renovation in our house. There is a small room left unused and my husband would like to renovate it into an office room, where he can keep his documents safely. Is there anything important to remember while renovating a room into a home office? While surfing I found an article which gives 12 tips on creating a good spacious office room [ http://www.lancastercustoms.com/blog/home-office/12-things-to-consider-when-building-your-home-office/ ]. This room is in fact our mud room so would this be effective? Please help me with some ideas.

Blog Entry Date: 23rd November 2017 Thursday Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents Post Renovation - Furnitures and Appliances (Kitchen) Sorry its taken me so long to post this, quite alot of action happened this week. In fact, I think i’m gonna split them into separate blog posts. Monday 20 Nov 2017 was the official Handover day, when Jason officially handover the apartment back to me and after my final inspections, I paid the last 10% of my renovation fee to him. It was also the day when my furnitures and electrical appliances start coming in, and there was a slight hiccup with the washing machine piping, which I will discuss in detail below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First up, the guys from Courts came and delivered my Refridgerator and Washing Machine. No issues with the fridge, and I was advised I need to wait about 4-5 hours before turning it on. I’ve read about this, because during delivery, some chemical in the refridgerator gets sloshed about, and it needs some time for it to settle down after installing otherwise fridge will spoil if you turn power on too early. Installing the Refridgerator Refridgerator Installed I like it that there is a nice gap allowance at the side nearest to the wall for me to be able to discreetly store brooms and cleaning equipment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next up, the Washing Machine had some problem with its pipe not being able to connect to my HDB tap in the Kitchen. HDB’s tap is those “Push In to Lock” type but the Washing Machine head I got was the Screw In Type. This was not an issue because Jason and I had already pre-empted this to happen. But what happened next was something that should have NEVER been done, according to Jason. The installer guy from Courts actually rotated the HDB tap clockwise in an attempt to show me that I can simply take out the HDB tap and buy a different water tap from any Hardware Shop that will then allow me to connect up to the Screw In Pipe that came with the Washing Machine. When Jason came later and inspected the tap, he found that it was actually LEAKING. This is why you should NEVER EVER turn this tap because it actually connects to the internal water piping in the walls which will leak if the tap is loose. This is the Default Tap installed by HDB DO NOT ATTEMPT to twist or turn it in anyway!! This is the incompatible water tube that came with the Washing Machine To resolve this, Jason immediately called his Plumbers who arrived on-site. He already had them on stand-by so they came quite fast. What they did, was of course first repair the damage done by the Courts Installer guy so the HDB Tap no longer leaks. Instead of using the HDB Tap to supply water, they used the water pipe meant for the Kitchen Sink and installed a 2-way pipe to route water also to the washing machine below the cabinet. This is the Original Kitchen Sink water pipe before modification This is the 2-way pipe that was installed. Because they needed to route the hose discreetly out to the washing machine, they cut a hole and put in a plastic cap to nicely hold the water pipe going to it. This is how it all looks when photographed together. Washing Machine finally installed successfully. Everything was installed nicely, and I was even able to do my first wash successfully. Kitchen Sink’s water pressure was also not affected and the whole thing looked perfect. Instead of just getting a compatible pipe to connect to the Kitchen Tap, this alternative way looked alot neater with all the pipes hidden away beneath the Kitchen Sink, and best of all he didn't charge me anything for the parts and labour. Dear Readers, Lesson Learnt. Luckily Jason was there with his Plumbers ready and standby to resolve the issue quickly. I myself didn’t know that you couldn’t turn the default HDB Tap. So remember if you’re getting Installers install your Washing Machine, DO NOT let them touch that HDB Tap if you have it in your Kitchen. Tsk tsk tsk. Looks like Courts haven’t been giving their installers proper plumbing training when installing Washing Machines. I wonder how many homes were affected with water leaking because of what they did? For Shame. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next up was this nice Kitchen Trolley I got from VHive. I love how it looked with that marble top and it also functioned very well as additional storage + portable Kitchen Counter-Top. This is how it all looked standing together with my Refridgerator (Left) and Washing Machine (Right) I’m especially happy that while the Lower Freezer door of the Refridgerator is blocked by the Kitchen Trolley, I am still able to fully open the Top Part of the Refridgerator with the Trolley still there!! And here are some pictures on the Kitchen so far after some furnishings Remember the default laundry rack from HDB that I did not want to remove? At first I was thinking maybe I should’ve changed to a smaller version. However, after doing my first laundry, I realized the extra space above my Refridgerator allows me to be able to nicely accommodate and hang some of my short pants which is not too bad. Another view of the Kitchen. Remember this space I have in the Kitchen? Now I can use it to store my Foldable Bicycle and also E-Scooter. The conveniently located electrical socket also allows me to access charging point for the E-Scooter easily. Spacing between Dining Table isn’t very cramped and I can still walk in and out smoothly. I’ll need to buy a long mat to protect the flooring against dirt where the bicycle is parked at though. Addendum: Added a bench and dining chair to the dining area to complete the look. Waddya’ll think? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And so thats it for the furnishings so far for my Kitchen. And you thought there are no more adventures AFTER Renovation huh? In the next Blog Entry, I’ll showcase furnitures and appliances delivered for my Living Room, so do look out for that! As always, Thanks for your support and I’ll see you soon!! Click Here for the Next Blog Entry: Post Renovation – Furnitures and Appliances (Living Room) Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents

OVERALL CHANGES: Most of our fixed fixtures, we didn't change. The only one that's going soon is the guest bathroom's mirror, which we did not like as it was too big and often got splashes from the sink, which I do not enjoy cleaning everyday. The truth is our home was very cheaply renovated, not as extensive as many people here, so honestly most of the time it is as good as it gets. Haha! Without floors and doors from HDB, we spent about low $20k+ on the reno. Tile laying (without free cement screed from HDB) already took a great deal of that budget. LIVING ROOM: I changed out the rug in the LR to a more classic design, more in line with the theme of the home. It was shipped from Amazon about 1 year ago. The coffee table we DIY-ed broke (glass shattered while cleaning - totally my fault) and we got a replacement one that fit the space even better! Though the gold has mostly eroded so I won't share where it's from. I picked up the round table from IKEA AS-IS at $80, and sold away my bulky, dark rectangle table that honestly, showed every single bit of dust, as dark surfaces often do. I added 1 more ghost chair (armless), and gathered all the other ghost chairs I had in the home, and voila! It made a completely airy, lovely set that freed up so much more space in the living room. I also painted the canvas painting that hangs over it to go with the fresh new look. The coat rack was added because I found us with no place to put our bags everyday when we entered the place, so this was a convenient, neat and drill-less solution to the problem. Now I don't have to bring the bags into the MBR and out everyday. Not the prettiest coat rack, but it costed me $4 and has held up for a year. As I often have friends and family over to my place, the white bench next to the shoe cabinet is a storage bench that fits right into the wall the dining table is leaning on. On normal days, it's used as storage and extra seating. On dinner dates, it's used to accommodate up to 6 people around the dining table. The shoe cabinet/bookshelf and foyer table we intend to replace into one slim shoe cabinet with a drawer to make it look neater, but that's a work in progress. We kinda like how things work right now. Updated many small decor stuff to make the LR look fresher, too. KITCHEN: I practically live in here some days! I cook almost every day, and as you can see, the kitchen has held up. Even without a glass backing, the grout has not turned yellow. I clean my kitchen after every cooking, though. I love my deep + wide sink, and the Taobao faucet has only discolored in some areas and not leaking at all. Still working good for a $30 purchase. Added an iPad holder (with hooks) to the wall, and suction towel racks to dry cleaning and drying towels from cooking and washing up. This orientation actually works perfectly for a frequent home cook, and the shelf next to the fridge still works well! We're planning on switching up the air fryer to a steam oven with air frying capability very soon, it should take up almost the same footprint. Carpentry work largely held up, no issues so far after 2 years of heavy use. For those wondering about our Solid Top (which we were quite advised against at the beginning) this is how it looks now. It is not super glossy (though it does become a bit more glossy if I treat it with the spray the coy advises), but this is how it looks on a daily basis. No stains at all, and only light scratches that you can't see unless at an angle. There are a few harder knocks when we dropped cups or heavy objects on it, inevitable, but it blends in quite well cus the inside is white, so you can't really tell. LOL. The second surface is where I cut my vegetables etc and gets the heaviest use. OFFICE: I changed up my business so the office changed up too. It was a cozy nice office, so pretty! But I was no longer the sole employee, so things changed to a more open layout with an extra table for gaming with the SO or a part-time staff or a friend who wants to work here. The foster bunny stays with me while I work, too! Not so pretty anymore, but super functional. The toilets and master bedroom stayed largely the same. Everything works great for our use. Honestly. I am happy that I did the research that I did, because the only things I regret are probably (1) not marbling up the backsplash of the kitchen to look more luxe; and (2) nicer bifold doors for the toilets. They do work, just not as chio. Thankfully not expensive. Also, all I needed was additional refining of my workflow. Changes made didn't cost anything cus I just sold away old stuff to make space for new. But overall the storage works as planned (means minimal clutter) and it's a relatively nice home to live in. All our Taobao loots still work, the showers, taps, faucet, lights, are all still working after two years. Hope that helps some of you out. THAT'S ALL! Hope this update helps you guys out! If you have any questions, I'll try to reply to them. x

Hi Hollie, Your home office layout ought to serve your process and also total imaginative process. Preferably, this suggests home offices get their very own dedicated room, however if area is restricted they could be paired with a visitor space or included into the space of any room, living area or kitchen area. There are numerous alternatives, so establish exactly what's best for you and your household. No matter where you set up shop, location important electronics as well as devices within very easy reach; computer system screens ought to be positioned so there is no glare, and lights ought to be put strategically around the entire room so there is as much light as feasible. Your work space should also be ergonomically audio. Given that you could spend countless hours in your work desk chair, it needs to have a comfortable cushion, lumbar support and also the ability to swivel as well as roll so you could quickly get to items as opposed to stressing for them. Your chair ought to likewise have flexible arm relaxes that enable your shoulders to stay unwind ed and also arm joints bent at 90 degrees. As for your keyboard, you want the "B" secret be directly centered before you. Don't stress regarding needing to go with a shabby, commercial-looking workplace chair either; lots of fantastic home office ideas utilize special eating or accent chairs for an upgraded look. Make certain to offer on your own a view. If you have a window in your area, established your desk so you could look out of it. Otherwise, installed a motivating gallery wall surface or an unique wall surface hanging to establish your stare on when taking breaks. If you'll be having clients in your house workplace, make certain there are ample (and also comfy!) sitting choices that are conducive to productive meetings. Please take an advice from a Pro . Thanks. All the very best .