mandj

I think it was about 400-500 range can't remember exactly! Thought it was a steal cos we've seen similar pieces going for much more elsewhere. Also got mid century looking writing desks

island! can share the width of your island and any pics that show your full kitchen? i want to do something similar (but with a .8m width table) and am concerned if it will be too cramped. turning out well! looks like you may be able to move in soon ^^

anyway, wanted to share some furniture we were thinking of getting. went down to helping hand yesterday to hunt for wooden dining tables (highly recommend anyone looking for nice, good teak furniture to go there. prices are a steal. some similar pieces easily going for double elsewhere. haven't decided on table but will post back once we do) and realised they have other furniture also. thinking of getting: 1. tv console nice? we really like it! i am just a bit hesitant to get it cos i keep worrying that there will be too much wood in our small house and that it will look cramped and smaller. but really like the console. 2. matching sideboard the price indicated there has been discounted ADDITIONALLY. it's a steal 3. first grey tufted armchair love the chair (: really like the papa chair and replicas of it but i don't think our budget allows. this really looks super retro but i think it needs to fit the rest of the house to see if we can pull it off or if it will match. but it was super comfy! hubby and i both sat there and marveled cos it was quite affordable too. we also saw these: that lounge chair reallllyyyyy quite retro eh - if you're after that look. could look cute in another fabric colour - we asked but they only carry in this colour, shame. if it came in quirky patterns i'd snap it up and remodel my whole living space around it lol. it's actually cheap enough to buy + reupholster but hubby said i was mad to consider doing such things. he likes readymade furniture.

yup the guide is super helpful!! ok will go down to the flat tomorrow to see... my contractor may already have started work based on the gallery kitchen and some things may be too much trouble to change. especially because of the stupid regulation issue we already change layout and orientation multiple times. hope they don't

like this? do you also think 700mm - not enough walk space to put an island in the middle of kitchen? haha... IDEA! although a bit kiasi to write on FB and identify myself as a dissenting dissatisfied hdb dweller... lol.

hi friend! wow how you photoshop my picture quite nicely! thanks! we considered that too - considered doing a shorter galley kitchen and putting the dining table in the area before the kitchen cabinets start and after the drop - but then there won't be much space for the kitchen and also not much space for dining - if we wanted to have more friends over. we measured 700mm today and seems ok... but i guess this kinda thing have to really see it there and then. going to drop by the flat tomorrow and will try to do some quick measurements and visualisng thenl

after cooling down a bit more and thinking things through, we decided to change layout. instead of cutting the kitchen, we are going to try to bring the dining table into the kitchen and have a long wall of cabinets instead. somewhat similar to the old layout of the flats (there's only so much you can do with that dreadful drop). we'll have to use a narrow & long dining table that could double up as an island table, in order for the space not to look too weird. did a sketch of the new layout: the two main problems we encountered are: 1. since the space is so narrow to begin with, with dimensions of 60mm countertop, 80mm tabletop, only left with 70mm on each side of the table for people to walk and sit. not sure if this is too narrow. any thoughts?? 2. super long table - HOW TO BRING UP TO THE TOP FLOOR? even if we hire an army of strong men, you think can? where to find? also, any table that length is going to be more than we can afford. we are probably going to hunt for 2 separate pieces of 1.5m by 0.8m tables with a matching wood grain. alternative is to ask contractor to custom with solid top/ laminates. but we would rather buy the tables if we can find - then it will be moveable in case we want to move next time, and also *sheepish* i really like solid wood one. like the kind of wood with grain... that looks like it used to be part of a tree... hehe. problem is, with grain like that i'm not sure if we will be able to find 2 tables that 'match' with each other cos the grain of each piece will definitely be unique. *sigh*

Thanks, we really hope so too... Was super depressed yesterday haha. We are trying to come up with alternatie layouts that don't deviate too much from original plan.. Cos we have already started doing some things!

That is super a lot of down lights!!! Haha. Last night spoke to my hubby about changing layout to something sImilar to yours (cos we'll have to change layout now I think, can't find a way around the leveling floors thing) but realized that we can't- not enough cupboard space *cries* I think I have too many clothes. We can't put a cupboard in our mbr cos we have already extended the toilet... Back to the drawing board for us.

hi tweetie! nice to see another 3.5 roomer too. your layout is really great! we were a bit constrained cos my hubs didn't want to spend too much to change things around.. or else that would definitely be an option. with the long space, really had headache trying to figure out what is the best use of all the space! especially like the recess area and your entertainment area! i also see you managed to avoid the new ruling of not being able to level floors - or did the flat come with the kitchen floors already level? so envious.

HDB just called up and said they WRONGLY APPROVED our application, they are taking it back. srsly, CAN THAT HAPPEN??????????????????????????? It's not just this incident, but our whole experience with HDB so far has been... Will probably do the wooden platform.

more updates - decided that i can't really live with the exposed t5 tubes after all. also, the wiring points were super messy - previous owner added sockets randomly in the MIDDLE of the wall and next to switches (- why???) and there was new wiring on top of old wiring. so we decided to majorly change all the wiring casings etc, remove all the cornices and while we are at it, replace the lights. we are also going to do a very long x-box and some down-lights for the living / dining area, track lights for the bedroom and stick with t5 tubes for study. feel much more at ease with this decision; think lighting really does make a super big difference to the way a house looks. it's one of those subtle & small things that have big impact - like haircuts. lol. - bought a lamp from taobao.com - anyone know if i need an adaptor and what type/where to get one? think the voltage might be different. fingers crossed it arrives in one piece AND looks like the photo. haha. - our aircon is not straight. it has been mounted slanting downwards - i am visually OCD but even the hubs agrees (only when i pointed it out, but still). note to self: can i live with this or should we demand they (gain city) come back and change? they will say they followed the ceiling (which, incidentally is not straight, but it's a ceiling! not aircon) but there is a beam below the aircon and they should have followed that instead. it's straight. - i confused myself and told my contractor to order the wrong tiles. was going to accuse her of getting my order wrong but realised the fault is mine - confused cos i went down 3 different times and took down multiple options. thankfully my contractor is really patient and kind about it - she says there might be extra cost at first, but will try to get them to change the tiles when they bring in more tiles to avoid cost. apparently the lian seng hin people know me for always changing my mind... oh well. as long as they get the order right in the end. thankful we went and checked all the tiles before laying.

super happy - today got an SMS from my contractor telling us our application to HDB has been approved! reno has been on hold since and we've really been quite stressed out by this leveling of floors issue. background info - hdb has a new ruling that doesn't allow use of EPF foam to level floors. since the beginning of time everyone has been using epf (or at least my contractor says so) so we were really very stressed and worried that we may not be able to level the floors and may have to change layout altogether. really quite thankful that my contractor has been so helpful in suggesting alternatives and other ideas and helping us to apply for things - last friday, we made a concurrent application for leveling the floors using 1. wooden platform with tiles overlay and 2. this material suggested by my contractor - they said it's a type of lightweight brick. and HDB has approved option 2!!!!!!!!! happy. so to all forummers tearing hair out over this issue, fret not, apply for celcon. i'm so pleased with my contractors. really hope reno can go full steam ahead now so we can move in before christmas and have christmas dinner at my place! fingers crossed. last week not much has happened except a bit of toilet tiling and installation of aircons. think they were waiting to hear what to do about the floors. here are some pics taken last week - nothing much changed since then except the debris is gone, haha. master toilet wall + floor hacked to be enlarged - still looks so small though! sobs. hacked the WIW door hall, with remains of the old kitchen cabinets kitchen with everything hacked - looks so long now. you can see the ridiculous 2 step drop - don't know what i would have done if the approval didn't go through man.

Leveling of floors issue Hi forummers, we have finished hacking the storeroom, toilets and floors but have encountered a major problem. HDB no longer allows leveling of floors using EPF foam as its apparently very hazardous when set on fire.. Ugh. And it's a very recent ruling too!! As a result our Reno has been stalled while we apply to Hdb. Our contractor has suggested using a wooden platform to raise the floor and tiling over it and this is what we applied for. However we have concerns over hollow sound and long term wear. Also, another forummer has told us that their application to Hdb to raise floor level by this method has been rejected! Anyone has any ideas or is also encountering this problem??? Help please! This would also greatly benefit any other forummers thinking of leveling floors...

tiny MBR toilet kitchen & store room - actually really love the mosaic tiles and the colour. Don't think they can be salvaged though ): common toilet. we start hacking tomorrow.

Went to have our inspection yesterday. Excited! Photos (from iPhone) hall MBR

Wahh love your chair, totally gonna try this out also! Lol. Shall go hunting for some cheap rattan furniture soon (:

Hi spiffysue, where did you get your track lights from? Are they regular or special track lights (sorry I know nothing about track lights) and are they the only lighting in your place? No down lights? Are they also bright enough for studying in your living area at night? Trying to figure out my lighting options as we have no false ceiling, and my concern is that track lights aren't bright enough generally or will be too hot. What's your experience like?

Wa don't stress! Decorating should be the most fun part of Reno really. Think maybe you're trying too hard to achieve the look and style that you see in the blogs you like? My hubby has to remind me of this a lot too since I sometimes get sian when I can't do what I want with the Reno. Just have fun, choose pieces that speak to you or mean something to you about who you are or what you like - it may look cold cos it might look like a catalogue or a display from a shop - not very you or personal! Like the feel of some cafes that try too hard to achieve a cerain look, a bit pretentious. It takes time to curate a personal space that is tasteful at the same time- think that's probably what you're after? You are probably putting a lot of stress on yourself to get that look right now but that sort of thing takes time.. And it's certainly more meaningful if each item has a story to tell. jia you! For wall art, I'd definitely look at etsy. So many talented artists! Or frame bits and snippets from your daily life - photographs, wedding memorabilia (I have a super huge poster I made from my wedding invite waiting to find a home in my house heh). And relax k, important thing is to enjoy the process... Btw there is some really awesome art from Asian countries that isn't resort like. For example when I was in hcmc I saw some really interesting art and a lot of reproductions of famous pieces. I guess that won't particularly be very scandi styled but if that's what your hubby likes.. It won't necessarily look resortish and can add interest to a room (:

love your space! i think it looks ok for now, don't think you need to worry about accessorising cos it should be more like a work in progress... sure you will collect more things as you go along, which is the fun part! can't wait to see the rest of your place.

UPDATE: 1. TILES have kinda confirmed my tiles. i say kinda because today was the third time i went down to soon bee huat (sales people know me liao lol) - keep second guessing my tile choices. think we just have to trial and error for this one and live with my bad choices (if they turn out bad). all my tile samples in my current bathroom. trying to test them with my wet feet.. lol maybe i am a bit crazy. at first we wanted cement screed (not recommended by all contractors due to cracking cement), then cement look tiles. but since i bought my dining table which has a very strong wood grain & also considering the pattern of the terrazzo, i decided there was too much texture and have switched to a flat grey tile. fingers crossed it will turn out okay and match the terrazzo (i am the kind of person who really cannot stand it if something doesn't go or is out of alignment... visually OCD). bathroom tiles will be white subway for the common toilet & larger white matt tiles (husband's choice) for the mbr toilet. floors are grey / white.. yes white toilets are a necessity. even if it may be suicide with white toilet floors - we are installing shower screen so shouldn't be a problem (i think) 2. KITCHEN LAMINATES initially i wanted an all white kitchen but my hubby insists we have some contrast. so i've chosen wood for the under cabinets and white for the top cabinets. hopefully it will turn out something like this: we'll probably get glossy white top cabinets for maintenance sake - even though this won't match my matt white ikea cabinets (besta series) in the rest of the house. i'm hoping that it's only noticeable if you are visually OCD and have decided that this is something i can live with (hopefully. although if i tell my husband 'i can't live with the glossy cabinets cos the rest of our furniture is matt' - i will confirm get whacked lol.) 3. APPLIANCES/ FITTINGS we've decided to buy our home appliances / fittings like hood, hob, oven, sink, fridge, heaters from zero on renotalk. he seems to have pretty good reviews and his prices are really competitive. also save us quite a lot of stress in terms of running around trying to get the best prices. glad that at least that is outta the way! think what's left to worry about are only the lights... but we're only going to deal with that after the hacking has commenced!

my contractor says that once her generation of contractors & cupboard shifus die out, there will be no more carpenters as well and we will all be left with ikea furniture... lol. this was said in relation to my WIW - in order to save $ we are gonna get the pole system from ikea and drawer units also from ikea. she also advised me against it as she said your white shirts will have an entire layer of dust unless you wear them regularly. i guess we will try it out for our first house first, maybe in our next home we'll get proper carpentry that can last super long! hur. yup, we're gonna use the utility as a storeroom cos we hacked away the one in between the kitchen and living. i totally agree! although can't help feeling like it's a waste of all those utility room windows... but store rooms are essential to living a non-cluttered life.

you have that in your 3.5 room as well? cool! super similar (: are you retaining your floors? The skirting is a problem - cannot be repolished so there will be a lot of stains that cannot be removed. Which is why my contractor recommends laminating my floor, but I refuse. Yah my friend has terrazzo in her old house, she was also just telling me she can sleep on the floor too lol (: glad to know there are still terrazzo lovers out there haha!

Currently lusting after this: Artemide toio lamp by flos super love. It's way outta budget, anyone knows of any more affordable alternatives? more pics: <3. Yeap that's a car headlight - don't think it's a very popular artemide though unlike the arco

Hi Adidaem! Your blog has really been v helpful to me and it's awesome you still post here (: The sellers told us they re-wired the apartment when they moved in about 5 years ago which is why we decided we wouldn't need to do it - we're probably just gonna add power points wherever we want. I'm not sure how to do the lighting though, would be open to any help on this! Currently they have those fluorescent tube lights... My hubs wants to keep it like that to save $. At first I wanted track lights but he disapproved of that too (he says the spots on the wall are ugly and they don't provide adequate light source cos we intend to have bible studies in our living room haha). Unit is 88sqm including the utility room - bigger than some new 4 rooms I don't have pics of the floor but will remember to take and post some when the sellers move out! My contractor told me no one does terrazzo anymore (so if they damage floors during hacking it's good game)!