BlackCookie

This is beautiful. Where did you get it from? I saw a similar one from Ethnicraft but this is just gorgeous.

Joining in requesting for Mr K's contact. Not that I need it immediately but in a couple of months' time.

Oh, please don't get me wrong. I just have a slightly different take on scandi design with practicality in mind. Bearing in mind clean lines will be rather in line with the scandi look as well. I reckon a cabinet that's flushed i.e. no doors or having just hidden doors, will give it a very clean look while preserving practicality in the kitchen. That wouldn't be very far from retaining the scandi concept as well??? Cheers

Covering it up might be in line with the scandi look. LInes will be clean and one more benefit, you wouldn't get so much dust settling on the fridge and with the "oil" that comes from cooking, the dust might be rather sticky and tough to remove after a while. I would suggest geting your contractor to build it a shelf to flush it against the rest of the shelves.

Although it's a pity to do away with the high ceiling, the mahjong area is incredibly important. No prizes for guessing what I do during weekends... By the way, do a check on the ceiling. The absolute pain is doing the ceiling when you're living in it.

Such a beautiful house. I'm surprised you're not already mad with the carpentry. I would have gone into fits and rejected the entire batch. This is horrible. I wouldn't compromise on my home and your patience is commendable. But MILs will be MILs... I feel sorry for you!

We have seen too many attempts at minimalism and failed terribly because of ideas that overridden the concept. I think you have done an excellent job there and stayed true to your concept. Many fail to understand that it's very difficult creating minimalism without sufficient space. Very nicely done...

Nope I'm a lurker.. I didn't mention clearly... I've only seen both the house via the blogs here on RT. My house will only be ready next year so I'm doing "market research".

We have seen Newnyew's house and the details is amazing. I'm even more amazed that she did such an excellent job for you as well. Thumbs up! The choices on the wardrobe handles... That's a simple picture but I'm guessing alot of time put into the research. Beautiful house!

Are both different houses?

Wow... I love the amount of light coming into the house. This looks so spacious. HDB really putting effort to give people what they want...

Minimalism is tough with kids. Perhaps you can lean towards, "clean look"?

I was in Toronto when I was a kid and that was eons ago. Since you're taking your own sweet time in doing up the place, where are you staying in the meantime? My place will be ready in 2013 but meanwhile, I'm thinking the area outside my boyfriend's parents place would be a great place to raise kids as it's a cul de sac and there are very few cars. And the way I see from the pictures you posted, seems like a safe place to let your kids cycle and roam around while you grab a chair and sit by the porch. That's life!

I love the no gates thing. The last time I experienced such sense of freedom was when I was living in Toronto. In Singapore, no chance. Not that we're afraid of burglars but it has become social norm to install gates. Forget about the grills, you have no real need for them. But do invest in very good security on top of what they have provided you with. Looks like a great place to raise kids!

Hi euphony, Thanks for sharing your process with us. I can't wait to see some pictures. It's actually a rather brave choice to buy a house in Malaysia as I can't imagine myself commuting past the customs on a regular basis. Having said that, I have friends who make the daily commute. Interesting video... I feel that minimalist concept can appear a tad cold especially if you can afford space. But I'm sure you can inject some warmth... Take your time in the reno which is what I plan to do as well. I believe in enjoying the process and not be rushed into certain decisions.

I tend to agree with strikingreality. In order to have your ensuite master bathroom, you're now combining all the rooms. When it comes to airconditioning the rooms, might not be energy/cost efficient. Might be a better idea to combine just the second bedroom with your original master bedroom which gives you the ensuite. This also gives you the flexibility to use the Study/extra room for other purposes. More convenient if you have guests over etc. That's just my 2 cents but I must say, AWESOME WARDROBE!

I'm particularly interested in the wall that you'll be hacking away linking your masterbed room to your second bedroom as I plan to do it as well. Similarly, I somewhat have a structure wall which makes it difficult to hack everything. I'm racking my brains what I can do and how it'll turn out. Looking forward to more pictures! Happy Renovating!

Wow, HUGE balcony!

I agree with maydream. It's very hard to plan spaces and have designs if you haven't got the physical space yet. My house will only be ready in 3 years time and space planning is out of the window because some things may not turn out like what you expect it to be. Like if you want to hack a certain wall, what if it doesn't get approved or if you see a perfect house, are you giving it up because some rooms aren't beside some and it doesn't fit into your perfect space? But I guess you're at the right place... You can get some ideas from forummers here, absorbing all the things you can look out for but do keep an open mind in terms of hunting down your perfect pad. Good luck!

mae-jie, it's not right for me to comment but my parents brought me up with very loose whip. They never stopped me from doing anything and I have come a long way from bad choices of men and all. Throughout my journey, I have learnt alot and right now, I'm really thankful to my parents. They have taught me certain values which helped me in my adulthood in terms of decision making. With most young people (myself included although it's shameless to call myself young), you can't do anything to control them nor make them change their decisions. You can only be there when they come come and need a hug from Mommy... Mommy never tells me much in terms of my relationship, not even when I went through a very bad breakup. One day, they just put her hand on my shoulder as I was leaving the house and told me, "Mommy is always here..." *tears*

That's a very nice development and great investment value as well. I went to view Dakota @ Waterbank but the prices were beyond my reach. Who is the developer? The "peep glass" from the kitchen looks like some of Chip Eng Seng's development. Congratulations! By the way, your balcony is HUGE! It's nice because you will have more options on outdoor furnitures.

Hi! Haven't got my house but I'm "short-listing" some of the stuffs that I really love. One of my "must-have" is that dining table from Originals. It looks really sturdy and I love the legs. Is it extendable? Anyway, wrt to your comment on comfy butt, I thought the benches would be good for the kids to climb up and down and you can mix and match with other chairs. At least, the lines wouldn't look so dead and you can keep your butt senses a little sane. I was thinking of chairs along the line of white base with wooden legs. And if you wana to blend with the local kopitian chairs, you can work with some upholstery expert to give the little dent on the kopitiam chair a little built in cushion that is a bit of a bump but not killing the original local kampong look. My 2 cents...

Anymore pics? Bedroom? Very nice kitchen...

Kobelala, you mentioned that Hommage couldn't bring in because you wanted only 2. Can I suggest that (if you really want the pony and haven't gotten them) you speak to Eric of Hommage and ask him how many minimum to bring in and if you can get a better price. Group buys will guarantee a certain amount of revenue for them anyway. You can post a thread here and see if you can get some response. The rest of us can also check within our circle for friends who are keen.

I suppose for days when you're entertaining big groups, you can put the sofas side by side. Normally, you might wish to stick to such configuration as I would reckon it's easier to clean. Unless you are entertaining smaller groups, especially with immediate family over, it's nice to have the couches like the way you placed in the picture. Very nice house and very bold to have 3 rooms knocked down to one. Any more pictures on your bedroom? I would like some ideas on how people configure their rooms after knocking down their walls.