adidaem

Oh so we r starting reno around the same time! When does yours finish? Mine is only end-Aug (the wait is killing me). I'm interested in Filing cabinet (white) n the letter holder (red). But can't tell from catalogue to want to indent tho. http://www.bludot.com/modern-storage/view-all-modern-storage/filing-cabinet-no-1.html http://www.bludot.com/modern-storage/view-all-modern-storage/2d-3d-letter-holder.html I really really want the Established & Sons catalogue.

1st time was my ID. Think that left a deep impression on Raymond. When I whipped out my wallet the 2nd time, he was like... deja vu. Hmm... think next time I go I'll make sure I'm low on cash! Aiya, if expensive then... hmm... We can still have waffles rite? Issit too far to walk from Pomelo? Ok, when Pomelo gets new stocks then. I'm interested in some Blu Dot stuff I saw online. But am very undecided so not going to indent in. Mabbe will email n ask if they are bringing any in the next shipment. Hey SR: My reno starts on Friday! Woohoo! M now passing time by playing with the 'before' pics. Do drop by my t-blog or wordpress blog to have a look. Hi Timothy: No FB. I'm weird that way. I blog but m not active on FB. 'Traditional' or what?

Arghh... still undecided. Think I need to look at the Toto sinks again, but thanks for the advice. Erm, dunno how to plow thru' Mae's blog to find the info. Can you rem where it is or roughly tell me what was done pls? Thanks ladies! Nice to hear esp when my SO looked totally unimpressed when I showed him the pics. Hey Patsy: It's really easy, I just use MS Powerpoint. Think it gets easier with practice. Don't think I've figured out all the functionality and tricks for Powerpoint yet, but I think it's enough to give an idea of the current condition and the changes that we want. Try and you may surprise yourself with how creative you are k? I think it'll be very satisfying when I compare the 'before' and 'after' pics. I still have level 2 to work on. Will post more when the pics/captions are ready.

Aiya, I'm almost done furniture shopping leh. Even have time to help my sis buy her dining chairs and look for new sofa. She got her dining chairs from Pomelo btw. She n my BIL (bro-in-law) liked the Knicker chair. http://www.bludot.com/modern-seating/modern-chairs/knicker-chair.html Feels a bit strange that they are buying stuff instead of us. Feels even more strange that for the 2nd time I lent money/cash to someone to buy stuff from Pomelo. You got your stuff from Pomelo already? Or maybe we can arrange to meet for kopi there when their new shipment arrive? I love the toast n kopi at the kopitiam there. Yummy. So we've been popping by the Keong Saik area quite often recently. Or perhaps at ReStore? I haven't been there yet. Update: Oh ya, thanks for the list! Unfortunately m not comfortable with the idea of getting an armchair without trying 1st. Must pass the "SO butt wriggle test" before I'll buy. Hehe.

Some more "before" pics! I added some comments describing the changes that will happen since I don't have 3D pics. Must remember to ask my IDs for printscreens of their nice 3D virtual model. Wonder if we can get the 3D model to play with at home? Like playing computer game, very cool! Must ask my SO.

Errr... undermount no good? My IDs prefer the counter type but I'm not keen. If undermounts will leak tho, then better to go for the practical alternative... how? Am so confused. Sigh. But yeah, go with ur ID lar. That's why we engage them mah, they are the experts. Thanks JS, I will try! Fingers crossed it's a smooth process. Errr... Mae-jie, we hv no choice leh, the contractor give us the date one.

Ok will PM u in a while. Thanks! $7000??? :jawdrop: OMG... ok, I guess I'll stick to my plastic chairs. Hehe, ok onz, so your place for coffee k? Am I the 1st to shamelessly invite myself over? Hehe.

Today we went to our new place to do some cleaning up. Extremely tiring but feel happy. Finally it feels like our place - although our 2nd appt was much earlier this month, it's only now that I feel like a homeowner. Thought to share some before pics. Here's the 1st:

Oh... thanks for the advice! We have 9 neighbours tho! 4 on our 1st floor, 3 on the 2nd floor, plus 1 each directly above and below makes 9. Quite a daunting number plus you know I'm quite shy in person one right? Dunno what to say to them after pressing the doorbell. Arghh, stress! No prob lar sis. Did you go shopping? I'll let you know if I come across anymore sales k? In the meantime think about whether you n hb prefer top-mount/under-mount sinks etc cos you need to know by the time you hit a good sales. Else very hard to buy the correct sink mixers in the excitement of looking at heavily discounted stuff. Learn from my mistake mah, we bought the Grohe stuff before knowing all these things. Yes of course you can. Thanks for liking my blog hafiizh! Think you are the first to link my WP blog. Yay!

Hey, I am wondering if I should write some notes to my new neighbours to let them know that my reno is starting soon, and to apologise for the inconvenience during this time. Is that a usual practice? Cos I think not so nice if they suddenly wake up to the sound of incessant drilling right? What do you think? Notes for neighbours or not? And then will also need to figure out how to translate to simple chinese in case they can't read english. Dunno why a simple thing like writing some notes become so complicated. I think I'm over-analysing it, as usual.

Hmm... I've been thru that process so many times during this reno that I think I'm just getting numb. Still heartpain when I think about the items I've given up/sacrificed cos of budget constraints during the reno tho. *sniff* Oh, pls send me the list too? Am glad u had a pleasant experience there. Jacqueline sounded really nice on the phone too. And my ID also likes the PP chairs... I was showing him the store website and the chair caught his eye. I guess $1.6K?

Thanks Ely, we got our IDs long ago lar. We are now the final stages of design finalisation before the reno starts. Wish I had some 3D pics to show but I guess I'll be like you, no pics till the final ones. Will prep up the 'before' pics tho. As for the pineapple, also dunno what to do with it... think will throw them away since we don't cook? Wallet hurting cos another payment stage coming that I can understand. Head hurting... hmm... why huh? Think my IDs head hurts more cos they have some design changes after the site visit with the 2 contractors and also handle our change requests. And we are more or less done with Phase 1 shopping. Can't wait to move in. cheers, Adi ********************************* Btw for those still in the market for sanitary wares, Kohler n Johnson Suisse having sales. Advertised in the papers today.

Undermount isn't expensive. I noted the pics/prices for quite a few of them here: http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/yet-another-branded-item-toto-sinks/ Update: (Can est 20-25% discount off the prices I think) Hansgrohe was on quite good discount - 30 or 35% I can't really rem. Plus some clearance display sets on good offers. Didn't pay attention to the sinks n WC so can't comment much. Really ugly pipes huh? My IDs plan to conceal most of them that are in the bathrooms n kitchens, plus the rest of trunkings using the false ceiling. Thanks! I saw that ur reno has started too. Did I mention that I'm envious of ur recess/corner unit n marble flooring already? Congrats to u too!

Sinks range from 100++ to 300++ for the ones we eventually picked. We went for fairly basic models. ID told us that those models with "J" behind their model name are MIJ? Didn't affect our decision but interesting to know. I haven't seen Laufen, but compared to Bravat n Roca, I do think Toto sink quality looks better (e.g. the lines are more aligned/straight while others may be wavy/bumpier). Did you go to the Econflo sale last weekend?

Today we rolled the pineapple and finally got the keys. Now I feel like a homeowner, yay! Met up with our IDs, main contractor n aircon contractor today. Also met the contractor boss who also came down cos he said their office is just nearby. Quite interesting to eavesdrop on their discussions about pipes and what not, but they seemed to be having very constructive discussions (got the impression that my IDs are very concerned about the pipings) so I left them alone. I just sat (on newspaper) and stoned while they were discussing and walking around. Just realised I forgot to ask where the aircon blowers will be changed to after all that discussion. Oops. Will check if SO heard anything. Was sitting there and trying hard to visualise how things will look after the reno (e.g. like how it'll look after wall 1/2/3 is gone), and failed miserably. But everyone seems to assure me that it'll look nice post-reno (must be cos the current condition is so bad!). One of the things that made me happy is that the contractor boss casually mentioned while looking around that once the walls go down, the whole place will be brighter - this is something that both SO n I really want. Actually, it's only my 3rd visit to the apartment (since the 1st time that we viewed it and 2nd time when we signed the sales agreement there...) so I'm happy to see that: - My toilet is bigger than I'd remembered it to be. My ID even teased my SO that it's too late for him to swop toilets. Hee... - The study room is bigger than I remember too. - And it's not that warm even tho we were there in the afternoon cos my unit is N-S facing. Quite windy and I think after the layout changes the circulation/airflow in the house will be even better. But, the balcony is definitely smaller than I remember... luckily we bought smaller balcony furnitures eventually else surely regret by now. And reno starts next Fri! Yay!

Actually after shopping for lights with my IDs the 2nd time today, I must say I'm really impressed by their quality control... they rejected so many downlights cos of rims and some 'defects' that I wouldn't have known to look out for. Plus they have better sense of aesthetics I'm sure. Tho their primary concern was the aesthetics, but they were also mindful of our budget. As for the trade discount, they are not sure how much discount they can get, but they said will try for us. Fingers crossed! Our budget is too low for the cyclonic or wall-hung ones, so we are just going for the basic entry level model... seems like the WC hole is too small in my place... it's only 6-8 inches (based on the contractor's estimates) so I can only select from 2 Toto models.

Shall we discuss happier things? How's the 23ft WIW coming along?

Maybe to share my experience... I wanted to engage contractors initially to save $$$, but after seeing the design by my IDs... I've to admit no regrets (based on design since my reno hasn't started). I would never have thought of doing what they'd proposed, and I really love their concept/space planning. As for ideas, my IDs incorporated some of my ideas into the design and I believe you can do that too with most IDs. During the design process, I'll just toss in ideas and if those are totally not workable, they'll explain why, which is also great learning. All the best with your reno and since you are in the creative line (which aspect?), I'll be keeping a close eye on your blog...

Erm... probably cheaper than the Hiroshima chairs that are $2.4K each? I didn't dare to touch the chairs after I saw the prices... Imagine... 4 x Hiroshima chairs = 1 nice kitchen. In comparison, I think the Wishbone chair offer by Space during their 10/10 promo is fairly good. Not that I'm saying it's cheap (it isn't), but for a classic design that lasts nearly forever... Can just go n have a look, no harm if you drive. Is ok re: Indo... my place seems to be veering towards a fairly clean looking aesthetic. Haven't quite figured out what to do in "Phase 2" aka decor n furnishings. So I think I'll stay in for a few months and gather new possessions slowly and that are tailored for a specific corner/function...

Oh good buy! They seem to be sold out everywhere. Yes! So happy to finally get the keys, but... ... actually am super upset with my seller. The 'gentlemen' agreement we had with them was for them to get an extension in case they need to reno, etc. In the end, they didn't even reno their new place and had the cheek to take 3 weeks to move despite knowing that SO n I had a cast-in-stone deadline to move out of our current place AND need to do a major reno. Think my SO don't dare to let me meet the seller. I will surely blow my top and give the seller a piece of my mind if I see that he did not move everything out of the place (e.e. bulky stuff like bedframe n tables that they are abandoning). As for Toto, my IDs are going with us to buy... is that normal? Cos I'm going to tell them I want 25% discount like Kobelala bro and ask them to get the discount for us. Think my IDs are afraid we'll get the wrong design or another brand cos they are using actual Toto model dimensions for the CAD/designs they prepared. My IDs love Toto. Told us several times. But they are from Japan so I totally understand why they love Toto. And... I can do one better than go with u to the showroom. You can visit my place when it's ready lar. We are 95% confirmed to use Toto sinks and WC for all 3 toilets (since my IDs love Toto so much). So you can test the functionality and what not when you visit.

Not planning to install Bakelite switches for the rest of the house? There are even LAN outlets so you can maintain the same style... http://www.produktgesellschaft.de/en/Switch-Systems/Bakelite-Switch.html Hmm... I think it's nice to have a big kitchen with space for people to eat and chit chat - that's another 'retro' feature? My kitchen is tiny and I'm spending a small fortune just to enlarge the space. Am only getting my keys tmr so not much progress. Tmr's a "big" day, cos going to meet both contractors at my place to discuss aircon layout n my IDs for more design fine-tuning and shopping. Still gotta go thru various details with my IDs like shower shelves, wardrobe interiors, lightings n finalise the flooring selection.

Thanks! Glad you guys like them. Got quite a number off the RT blogs and thought to put them together in one place for easy reference for all mid-modern/vintage lovers. Unfortunately I'll prob be quite busy on those work assignments but will definitely try to hit some stores when I'm travelling. Negotiating to postpone one trip till after my ROM tho. Anyone knows/can recommend some nice furnishing stores in Hong Kong or Indonesia? Just an update - I will finally get my keys this Fri! Yay! Am taking 1/2 day to meet my IDs, the main contractor and my aircon contractor at my place and I'll (finally!) take some pics to show before the demolition starts. Also will need to get some pineapple n radish to 安门. Do we try roll the pineapple over the doorway like a bowling ball or more gently? The thought of trying to 'bowl' with the pineapple makes me laugh. Was checking with my colleague to make sure I get the right kind of veg. 1st time ever buying a radish!

Love how spacious your kitchen and kitchen entrance looks after you got ride of the walls. Plus the nipple switches! Gosh, where did you find them? Really really quaint and cute!

Hey Mae, stay safe and hope you feel better soon. Rem that I always find KL hotter than SG. Plus the nice (but heaty n unhealthy) hawker food there don't help in terms of pimple outbreaks, sore throat etc.

I also agree leh. Not fat...