Home Is Where The Art Is...

[ymjp100 0]

Sure thing. Makes sense.

Yeah. I must admit that I was impressed by all the good publicity they've been getting lately (cover of this month's issue of Lookbox no less!) and I do like what they did for the Minimalist Loft (also one of my faves). But frankly their attitude was ridiculous.

Maybe it was the fact that the staff member who called me simply didn't have a good command of English (so perhaps he was simply suffering from an inability to express himself properly). Or perhaps it's the company's policy not to waste time by accepting jobs with overly tight budgets that might lead to conflict with the clients later on. But still, I find it absurd that he seemed unwilling to even discuss how we could possibly get the job done on the budget given. I even pointed out to him that we were very flexible and understood that if certain design elements were costly, that we could forgo them or opt for less costly alternatives. But all he did was continue to repeat over and over again that our budget was too small for them to work with...

Anyway, if they don't want the job, I'm sure we can find another ID / contractor who does...

good luck with the search!!

[adidaem 6]

good luck with the search!!

Yep!

MM, given how much carpetry you have described, I do think $50K is a bit tight... wall-to-floor shelves of decent quality across the entire length of the living/dining room/kitchen area will cost you quite a bit. Going to IDs will also mean tagging on extra costs (tho I think worth it from design/project management perspective).

What I've learnt from my sourcing experience is to be specific about which ID you want to work with when you go to the ID firms for quotation. After all you are probably after a certain artistic vision/vibe you've seen featured in a mag and it makes sense to be specific about who you want for that.

Good luck!

[mummymantras 0]

Yep!

MM, given how much carpetry you have described, I do think $50K is a bit tight... wall-to-floor shelves of decent quality across the entire length of the living/dining room/kitchen area will cost you quite a bit. Going to IDs will also mean tagging on extra costs (tho I think worth it from design/project management perspective).

What I've learnt from my sourcing experience is to be specific about which ID you want to work with when you go to the ID firms for quotation. After all you are probably after a certain artistic vision/vibe you've seen featured in a mag and it makes sense to be specific about who you want for that.

Good luck!

Thanks, adidaem!

Yeah, I know $50K is a bit tight. Me and my hubby are still seeing what we can do about that... If we can't afford to spend more of our savings, we may just have to scale back our vision a bit. With 2 kids, we can't afford to overspend. Kids are expensive!

Hopefully, we'll be able to find the ID we want (unfortunately, I don't think I can afford Ong + Ong!). It's still early days yet... The search continues...

[mummymantras 0]

Good morning, Renotalkers!

Was reading demonyi's t-blog last night and I found myself in awe of his walk-in wardrobe (and his wife's Louis Vuitton handbag collection! Must remind hubby that our 10th wedding anniversary is coming up... ) :

my bedroom continue....

So I guess my obsession for today is walk-in wardrobes!

[mummymantras 0]

I particularly like this smart walk-in-wardrobe (http://www.modresdes.com/2010/05/smart-walk-in-closet-idea-by-ima), that combines a wardrobe with a TV cabinet (and supposedly a writing desk too, but I don't see it).

Closed.

Open.

From the top.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'd be able to fit something like this into my place, unless I was to demolish one of the common bedrooms and integrate it into the master bedroom. However, with 2 kids (who'll take one of the common bedrooms) and a sister-in-law (who'll take the other), there's no way I can do that. Sigh...

[IPineapple 3]

Sure. Here's the IDs / contractors that I've contacted so far (I may have to contact even more if none of these seem able to handle the job):

(1) Loyd Pek (a Renotalk fave): He was the first to get back to me (just hours after I'd emailed him!) and he really seemed to be taking an effort to understand our requirements (he asked a lot of questions about my lifestyle needs that I hadn't even thought about!). I'll be meeting him soon to see if he's as capable as I would hope.

(2) The Carpenter's: Seemed willing to spend some time and effort considering our requirements and thinking about how to design an appropriate home for us. I'll also be meeting them soon to see their design proposal and quotation.

(3) Three-D Conceptwerke: Seemed strangely reluctant to take on the job I was offering. They kept repeating on the phone that the budget I'd set aside for renovations was far too low and there was no way they could do it for so little. And, oddly enough, they didn't even bother to talk about my needs or how they could modify some of my design suggestions to accommodate my budget. So, since they were unwilling to be flexible, I decided to be unwilling to be flexible too. And I told them that I wasn't willing to increase my budget so significantly just for the pleasure of having them as my ID.

(4) i-Bridge Design: No reply yet.

(5) The Design Practice: No reply yet.

(6) Project File: No reply yet.

(7) Bara Interior: No reply yet. (They did my present home 9 years ago, and so, we thought we'd give them a chance to do the next one, since they did a pretty reasonable job on the last one. )

Thanks MM for sharing.

I had met up with Loyd Pek also, in our first meeting he asked lot of questions and seems keen but when i told him my budget he seems shocked. Chased him for his quote and proposal, no reply yet so far. Maybe I'm too small for him.

Three-D Conceptwerke, i also contacted them. Like you said....pretty yaya papaya....so what if they got featured in design mag. Bad attitude. GOSH they think they are really so good..come on...

If i cannot find the RIGHT one, i will do the ID myself and with the tips and advices from the bro and sis here.

[incubator 0]

Congrats! And what a good layout as well. I got excited just reading your titl because I teach Art and intend to display lots of paintings in my next home (still looking tho) like a gallery.

[mummymantras 0]

After (slowly) absorbing all the info that everyone has been throwing at us, me and hubby have revised our original suggested layout to come up with something that hopefully (a) makes better use of space and (b) is slightly more conventional (I know that seems a bit like a cop out but we've started to reach an age where being unique is tiring.

So here is our new plan:

Thoughts anyone?

Note: The 2 common bedrooms have been left deliberately blank, as my sis-in-law (who is taking one room) will be buying her own furniture, and my kids (who will be taking the other room) will have special children's furniture bought for them. We figured that there was no real point to having custom closets / cabinetry installed for these 2 rooms as their purposes (and residents) may change over the years (e.g. in time, my sis-in-law might chose to move out and the girls might then have their own rooms each, which they might want to decorate to their own tastes). We will, however, be renovating these rooms nicely, of course (i.e. new flooring, paint, windows, grilles, ceiling fans, lights, air-con, etc.) but no actual furniture. They will remain blank slates for their current residents to fill.

[Mickey M 0]

Hihi IPineapple,

I think u have to be patient with him. I waited for 3 wks. So give him 3 wks. He will get back to u. I think it is fair to give IDs abit time to think through and try to accommodate our request within our budget. But what is ur budget like? Hee.

MM (I am also MM. Hee)

Thanks MM for sharing.

I had met up with Loyd Pek also, in our first meeting he asked lot of questions and seems keen but when i told him my budget he seems shocked. Chased him for his quote and proposal, no reply yet so far. Maybe I'm too small for him.

Three-D Conceptwerke, i also contacted them. Like you said....pretty yaya papaya....so what if they got featured in design mag. Bad attitude. GOSH they think they are really so good..come on...

If i cannot find the RIGHT one, i will do the ID myself and with the tips and advices from the bro and sis here.

[Mickey M 0]

Hihi Mummymantras,

I read through ur blog and I believe u have a pretty good idea what u want. 50k can do a lot if u go to contractor instead although I admit IDs will probably have new ideas to present to u. Gd luck to your Reno.

After (slowly) absorbing all the info that everyone has been throwing at us, me and hubby have revised our original suggested layout to come up with something that hopefully (a) makes better use of space and (b) is slightly more conventional (I know that seems a bit like a cop out but we've started to reach an age where being unique is tiring.

So here is our new plan:

Thoughts anyone?

Note: The 2 common bedrooms have been left deliberately blank, as my sis-in-law (who is taking one room) will be buying her own furniture, and my kids (who will be taking the other room) will have special children's furniture bought for them. We figured that there was no real point to having custom closets / cabinetry installed for these 2 rooms as their purposes (and residents) may change over the years (e.g. in time, my sis-in-law might chose to move out and the girls might then have their own rooms each, which they might want to decorate to their own tastes). We will, however, be renovating these rooms nicely, of course (i.e. new flooring, paint, windows, grilles, ceiling fans, lights, air-con, etc.) but no actual furniture. They will remain blank slates for their current residents to fill.

[hafiizh 0]

oh floating bed concept, i like! i tried to convince my wife to do that but obviously failed

your kitchen is how i would have done it - I assume the middle portion is a kitchen island? just a thought, usually your fridge will just out of your kitchen cabinets (standard depth is 600mm, fridge slightly more because of gap behind fridge plus its dimensions). that would put a damper on the seamless look.

however i think if you can accept the fridge jutting out as part of your decor then its ok. just be aware you should plan where you want to put it. usually you can group them on the same wall section (with separation of course) as your oven and microwave (i assume you have these too?)

ps good idea with the blank slate thingy - leaves more $$$ for the living areas no?

[mummymantras 0]

Hihi Mummymantras,

I read through ur blog and I believe u have a pretty good idea what u want. 50k can do a lot if u go to contractor instead although I admit IDs will probably have new ideas to present to u. Gd luck to your Reno.

Thanks, Mickey M!

I must say that when I first read your blog, my jaw quite literally dropped. Your home is amazing! I don't think there's any place quite like it anywhere in the world, let alone Singapore. You're truly original!

[IPineapple 3]

Hihi IPineapple,

I think u have to be patient with him. I waited for 3 wks. So give him 3 wks. He will get back to u. I think it is fair to give IDs abit time to think through and try to accommodate our request within our budget. But what is ur budget like? Hee.

MM (I am also MM. Hee)

haha....yup MickeyM aka MM....will be waiting for his reply. Just hope that he is no freaked out by my budget haha.

[mummymantras 0]

oh floating bed concept, i like! i tried to convince my wife to do that but obviously failed

Poor thing... My hubby and I like it 'cos it improves circulation in the room. People can choose to walk around either side of the bed and won't have to squueze past someone else just to get to the other side.

For the same reason, we intend to have a hidden connecting door (i.e. a jib door) between the master bedroom and the service yard. It's a shortcut to the kitchen and living areas (you can see it in red in the layout above), and will make it easier for me to restock the bathrooms (since our excess toiletries will be kept in the service yard), get my hands on our cleaning equipment (which will also be kept in the service yard), and transfer freshly dried laundry to the bedrooms to be hung or folded away. These sorts of things become important when you don't have a domestic helper (like me!) and happen to be a stay-at-home mom who does all the housework (like me! Although my hubby does help me wash the dishes after dinner... ).

your kitchen is how i would have done it - I assume the middle portion is a kitchen island? just a thought, usually your fridge will jut out of your kitchen cabinets (standard depth is 600mm, fridge slightly more because of gap behind fridge plus its dimensions). that would put a damper on the seamless look.

however i think if you can accept the fridge jutting out as part of your decor then its ok. just be aware you should plan where you want to put it. usually you can group them on the same wall section (with separation of course) as your oven and microwave (i assume you have these too?)

I'm okay with a slightly jutting fridge. But if possible, I may just increase the depth of the cabinets to compensate and create a seamless frontage for kitchen.

I haven't figured out where to group my sink, oven / hob and fridge yet. Still thinking about the perfect 'golden triangle' between the three...

ps good idea with the blank slate thingy - leaves more $$$ for the living areas no?

Yup!

Besides it isn't quite fair to impose our tastes on my sis-in-law (she has quite a unique style of her own and may want to furnish her room quite differently). And it doesn't make sense to get fancy built-in stuff for our kids. Little tykes are highly destructive! And, as they grow, and their tastes grow and change, they would probably need very different furnishings too.

[mummymantras 0]

Good morning, Renotalkers!

In my reply to hafiizh (above), I mentioned wanting to install a jib door between my master bedroom and service yard. For the benefit of anyone who doesn't know what on earth a jib door is (I grew up in the UK, so I've seen jib doors my whole life. They usually lead to the service areas in large houses - my parents' house in Highgate, north London, had one connecting the dining room to the kitchen. But they aren't so common in Asia.), here's the Cliffs Notes version from The Peak of Chic (one of my fave blogs): http://thepeakofchic.blogspot.com/2007/12/mysterious-jib-door.html

And some images of jib doors:

If you look carefully, you can just see the outline of the door cut into the wall, partially covered by the picture. The only thing that gives away the presence of the door (other than the faint outline) is the keyhole just below the dado rail.

A jib door cut into a wall covered by trompe d'oeil bookcase wallpaper.

A jib door is bascially a hidden door used to access service areas of a home. It's hidden because there's no reason to attract attention to the presence of a door there. It usually doesn't lead to anywhere important (to guests and visitors anyway) and, in the past, it was usually used by servants only, so it was not deemed necessary to make them stand out or be nice to look at. Now, it's merely a practical thing to have and can improve the design of a room / wall by creating a seamless appearance.