My White Sanctuary @casa Clementi

[BusyBee 0]

5. Carpentry & Solid Surface

This is another headache. Workmanship is not an issue since we used back the same carpenter that we have used in our previous 3-room flat. But planning is. As mentioned, we have not engaged the services of an ID. So we have to do carpentry plan ourselves. And we have many carpentry to plan:

• Full stretch full height storage cabinet cum TV console in living room

• Shoe cabinet behind main door (which we later cancelled)

• Top and bottom kitchen cabinet – initially wanted to hack away all the walls between kitchen and service yard and put in a tall cabinet next to sink, but later kept the wall near the sink. Our experience from old home – laminate peeled after some time due to daily exposure to sunlight, so we are worried the same will happen to this tall cabinet which will be very near to service yard windows

• Breakfast counter

• Full height bookcase in BR3

• Wardrobe in BR3

• WIW in MBR/BR2

• Vanity counter in MBR

• Vanity counter in Common Bathroom(which we later cancelled)

Living Room TV Console

Kitchen Cabinet

BR3 Bookcase

BR3 Wardrobe

[BusyBee 0]

5. Carpentry & Solid Surface Continued…

MBR TV Console

MBR Vanity

We spent many hours planning, discussing with ID contractor and carpenter, then re-planning, then more discussing. The list went on and on. We spent most time on living room TV console cum storage and kitchen cabinet. In our old 3-room flat, we had an open concept kitchen with the kitchen sink cum breakfast counter right in the middle of living room (see this picture). So we wanted something different this time.

(A) And we couldn’t make up our mind whether to hack away all walls between kitchen and service yard or to retain 1 side. In the end, we kept 1 side near to the sink. And put in a top and bottom cabinet with glass backsplash.

(B) Then we had a hard time planning the living room TV console as we wanted to keep everything minimalist, yet at the same time stylish, does that make sense? So if you look at the door sizes, you will notice different sizes, to accommodate our 2 gigantic karaoke speakers and a 5.1 surround home theatre system. I browsed through many magazines and gotten inspiration from some. But we had to work closely with carpenter to bring our ideas to real life.

For example, below the 42” Plasma TV, we wanted a sliding system without aluminum tracks. So we discussed with carpenter whether he can customize to old-school design – so the doors are sliding on tracks cut into the console. But he said he can only try to put in white rubber tracks. Then later he told me my idea will work after he has experimented on the tracks. And there was the problem with the numbers of doors. We had to ensure our players, amplifiers and cable TV set top can fit into each hole (there are 4 doors and 1 empty space for the length of 5 doors, so anytime we slide the door left or right, there will be an empty hole) See this picture.

Choosing laminate and solid surface is easier as we wanted the same laminate and solid surface uniformly for the whole house. But still, there are many shades of whites, quite a number of brands e.g. Jennings etc, and different thickness (the darker wood grains underneath will be more obvious if the laminate is thicker e.g. 8mm as compared to 6mm etc. For sold surface, we used back the same brand that we had for our old 3-room flat, just a different kind white shade.

We shortlisted some laminate samples and spread them on our white tiled flooring, side by side with solid surface sample. ID contractor gave us some suggestions when he saw us scratching our heads, wondering which white would pair off better with our white tiled flooring, white wall painting and white solid surface top. But as usual, we have already made up our own mind and brushed off his suggestion. But frankly, we should have listened to him cos the end results are much whiter than we first thought Have to wear sunglasses Anyway, now we are used to it after moving in for sometime.

[BusyBee 0]

5. Carpentry & Solid Surface Continued…

Living Room TV Console

Kitchen Cabinet

Breakfast Counter

BR3

MBR

[BoBochacha 0]

Hi BusyBee

First of all congrats on your new home. It is done up very nicely and beautiful.

Secondly we have very similar concepts in the storage requirements so I am somehow seeing a near mirror-image of yours and my place! Hehehehhehe really interesting

[BusyBee 0]

Hi BusyBee

First of all congrats on your new home. It is done up very nicely and beautiful.

Secondly we have very similar concepts in the storage requirements so I am somehow seeing a near mirror-image of yours and my place! Hehehehhehe really interesting

Thanks. Feel free to use my carpentry plans above for yr planning if required. Shall charge you a min fee of 1 cup of kopi

[BoBochacha 0]

Thanks. Feel free to use my carpentry plans above for yr planning if required. Shall charge you a min fee of 1 cup of kopi

Ha , it's ok . My new place is already completed and living in it for abt 5 weeks

[dragonnite 2]

Hi,

I love your paintings (the green and blue trees) and I dropped by one piece painting gallery and saw similar ones. Errrm, I think I saw a post where you said your friend bought it in Vietnam ? Any idea where (Hanoi ?) and shop name ?

I'm thinking of asking friends to buy for me from there.

thx !

[BusyBee 0]

Hi,

I love your paintings (the green and blue trees) and I dropped by one piece painting gallery and saw similar ones. Errrm, I think I saw a post where you said your friend bought it in Vietnam ? Any idea where (Hanoi ?) and shop name ?

I'm thinking of asking friends to buy for me from there.

thx !

May_dream 1 was the one who had a friend that bought her the painting in Vietnam as housewarming gift. She saw similarity in our paintings and mentioned it in my blog. Maybe she can help u?

[dragonnite 2]

May_dream 1 was the one who had a friend that bought her the painting in Vietnam as housewarming gift. She saw similarity in our paintings and mentioned it in my blog. Maybe she can help u?

hahah, my bad...read wrongly...will ask her

[May_dream1 14]

hahah, my bad...read wrongly...will ask her

Sorry, can't help you cos I don't know the shop name. She went to Vietnam on holiday and saw it so bought it for me. Don't think I ask her now, she would remember since its been more than a year. Try to ask your friends to search around for you then.

[BusyBee 0]

5. Carpentry & Solid Surface Continued…

Bedroom 3 Wardrobe shared by my hubby and teenage son

Bedroom 3 shallow bookcase for our novels and comics

[BusyBee 0]

5. Carpentry & Solid Surface Continued…

MBR Bay Window

MBR Bay Window & MBR Bathroom Vanity

BR2 Bay Window

BR3 Bay Window

On the left is BR3 bay window in white solid surface. On the right is BR2 bay window in white laminates.

We use white solid surface for MBR and BR3 bay windows after choosing between granite (no white colour, only natural granite stone colour), quartz (too expensive), laminates (will start to peel after long exposure to direct sunlight), cushioned settee (will damage after long exposure to direct sunlight and rain) etc.

BR2 is used by my MIL, so we choose to use white laminates for BR2 bay window, as it's cheaper and easily replaceable once damaged. And it's not so easily scratched compared to solid surface.

[BusyBee 0]

5. Carpentry & Solid Surface Continued…

Kitchen Counter Top

For kitchen and breakfast counter top, we also use white solid surface as we seldom cook, so it's easy maintenance for us.

[BusyBee 0]

Has always feel that this corner at my MBR bathroom entrance is very empty. Recently, just done some simple décor to fill up this space. I call it my little Japanese and Paris corner.

Little Japanese Hanging Dolls

[BusyBee 0]

My little Japanese and Paris corner continued…

Little Japanese pegs holding up tissue paper covers and cloth bags