A "scandustrial" Concept ~ Sengkang Ea

[James N Joean 8]

hi Vicx, after having installed the timber blinds for abt 5 mths... Do u face problems with cleaning in or dirty and dust accumulated on it thus giving u headache? I love the look of it.... But slightly worried abt the maintenance portion...

[vicx1234 38]

hi Vicx, after having installed the timber blinds for abt 5 mths... Do u face problems with cleaning in or dirty and dust accumulated on it thus giving u headache? I love the look of it.... But slightly worried abt the maintenance portion...

hey PTopaz, how's your house coming along?

So far the blinds have been ok, I don't see alot of dust having accumulated, but that's also probably because we don't open all the windows in the house so less dust gets in. Cleaning wise, my wife swears by the Magiclean dusters as those attract and trap dust very well. However, the refills are pretty expensive at a couple dollars per piece (I think), but It should make your life cleaning the blinds alot easier though. If you clean it with a traditional feather duster, the dust may come off the blinds, but it will be transferred to your floor or walls instead as it dust does not stick to it.

At the end of the day, even if you opt for traditional curtains, my view is that fabric curtains trap alot of dust as well, but they may not be as visible or obvious. Of course, you always have the option of throwing your curtains in the washing machine, but you may not do the same for blinds.

One thing to note apart from the dirt/dust, is the ease of opening and closing of the blinds. IMO, blinds are more difficult to open because you have to pull up, pull down and louver the blinds to either close or open position. Traditional curtains are alot easier in the sense that you can just slide it open or close.

Conclusion - if you're willing to spend on Magiclean dusters and don't mind a bit of operational inconvenience, go for the blinds. Otherwise you can stick to roller blinds or traditional cloth curtains.

Cheers

[vicx1234 38]

Hi guys, since I have a bit of spare time in between work today, here's a short post about art and some other household stuff that you can purchase online.

LOCAL WEBSITES

These are my 2 favourite websites to browse household items, art and other misc stuff. Prices for some of them aren't exactly cheap but the items are certainly unique.

http://www.kwerkee.com/

http://www.naiise.com/

Naiise is loaded with lots of local goodies, including art from up and coming local artist Lee Xin Li. Check out some of the finds below:

Let's support our local artists and industries!

To be cont'd

[bert7332 10]

Elated to hear about the new addition to your family!! .. no wonder so long hiatus

[vicx1234 38]

ART & OTHER DECO CONTINUED

Here are my other favourite online stores to browse and purchase art, and if you look hard enough, some there are some real gems to be found on taobao as well. I have also included the links below for your reference

Society6 (http://society6.com/) - This store is pretty awesome. Not only does it sell wall art, it also has a pretty impressive collection of household items such as rugs, mugs, shower curtains and wall clock. You can also buy their t-shirts which carry the same prints!

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com) - I'm sure quite a number of you are familiar with this online store. It carries almost anything you might want to decorate your house with, but it's based overseas so shipping may be a problem.

Here are some of my favourite stores from the Etsy portal.

Typography prints - https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/InkistPrints

&

https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/BeautifulType?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Awesome/intricate paper art - https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/ThePaperarty

Everyone's favourite buying portal - TAOBAO

Here are my favourite taobao art stores (disclaimer: I've yet to purchase from any of these stores so I'm not too sure about the quality/reliability!)

UIUI Home - tends to be a bit more flowery etc. Nice store for the ladies to check out.

qxyh - a bit oriental, but rather modern in its delivery

beizhangengge - nice mix of art available though limited in selection

23posters - the last of the lot, and my personal favourite of the lot. I like their reinterpretation of various movie posters, and they've got quite a sizeable collection to select from too.

Enjoy hunting for that perfect picture(s) for your home ladies & gents!

[vicx1234 38]

Elated to hear about the new addition to your family!! .. no wonder so long hiatus

Yo bert! long time no see man. Still waiting for your blog! =P HAHA

Actually it's not so much the baby that's keeping us busy (it's not out yet), but we've had to go out shopping for baby stuff alot of the weekends. At night we rarely use the computer as we prefer to watch tv instead. I guess it's better for us to have as much couple time as we can before the baby arrives!

Now that I have a bit of time at work in between projects, I hope to be doing more posts

[Harriette 42]

Hi Vicx1234,

glad to see that you are enjoying your new home. Congrats about the baby. Becoming a parent is totally and completely life-changing, overall in a good way.

[James N Joean 8]

hey PTopaz, how's your house coming along?

So far the blinds have been ok, I don't see alot of dust having accumulated, but that's also probably because we don't open all the windows in the house so less dust gets in. Cleaning wise, my wife swears by the Magiclean dusters as those attract and trap dust very well. However, the refills are pretty expensive at a couple dollars per piece (I think), but It should make your life cleaning the blinds alot easier though. If you clean it with a traditional feather duster, the dust may come off the blinds, but it will be transferred to your floor or walls instead as it dust does not stick to it.

At the end of the day, even if you opt for traditional curtains, my view is that fabric curtains trap alot of dust as well, but they may not be as visible or obvious. Of course, you always have the option of throwing your curtains in the washing machine, but you may not do the same for blinds.

One thing to note apart from the dirt/dust, is the ease of opening and closing of the blinds. IMO, blinds are more difficult to open because you have to pull up, pull down and louver the blinds to either close or open position. Traditional curtains are alot easier in the sense that you can just slide it open or close.

Conclusion - if you're willing to spend on Magiclean dusters and don't mind a bit of operational inconvenience, go for the blinds. Otherwise you can stick to roller blinds or traditional cloth curtains.

Cheers

Hey thanks...

I'm shameful to say, i have not collected keys yet -_-'''

Now doing lots of research and shortlisting contractors...

Thanks for the info bro...

[hellonub 5]

hi pforpeggy & others, sorry for the delayed response. You're partially right about us enjoying our house, the other part being I rarely log on to the internet while at home nowadays. My wife and I are trying to enjoy as much couple time as we can before our baby arrives this September . In that sense we've become a bit of an online hermit.

Anyway, to answer your queries:

- Blinds are from Serene (from JB) contact no. 016-760 0683

- The study room frame material is aluminium and done by these contractors called Wellmax Metal Works (but to be honest I wouldn't recommend them).

Oh wow Vic!! Congrats on being a papa! Must be very exciting for ya hehe.. hopefully my reno is done when your child is born

[vicx1234 38]

Hi Vicx1234,

glad to see that you are enjoying your new home. Congrats about the baby. Becoming a parent is totally and completely life-changing, overall in a good way.

thanks Harriette! After my long hiatus I also notice that you've happily moved in! Congratulations on a great reno and a successful move.

How many lil ones do you have btw?

Hey thanks...

I'm shameful to say, i have not collected keys yet -_-'''

Now doing lots of research and shortlisting contractors...

Thanks for the info bro...

No worries =) Looking forward to your reno. After the extensive research that you've done, I'm expecting great things for your house haha.

Oh wow Vic!! Congrats on being a papa! Must be very exciting for ya hehe.. hopefully my reno is done when your child is born

tyty! eh you started reno already? I'm waiting for my housewarming invites from all of you lor.

Edited June 23, 2014 by vicx1234

[LHWH 7]

Hi vicx what would you use to recommend hanging the picture frames? I don't wish to drill holes into the walls so would like to know which specific type of stick on hooks are good?

[vicx1234 38]

Hi vicx what would you use to recommend hanging the picture frames? I don't wish to drill holes into the walls so would like to know which specific type of stick on hooks are good?

Morning LHWH, we use 3M Command Hanging Strips for our photo/picture frames. They can be installed onto the back of the frames very easily and just as easily taken out. Similar to you, we do not wish to drill any holes into our wall so we found that this option works the best! Of course if you are looking specifically for hooks, 3M Command brand also has them. Personally, I find the hanging strips better.

Here are the links on taobao (if you're purchasing it from there) as well as a demo video for 3M Command Strips:

Command Hanging Strips

Hanging Hooks

Video Demo of Command Strips

[guojiawen 101]

Morning LHWH, we use 3M Command Hanging Strips for our photo/picture frames. They can be installed onto the back of the frames very easily and just as easily taken out. Similar to you, we do not wish to drill any holes into our wall so we found that this option works the best! Of course if you are looking specifically for hooks, 3M Command brand also has them. Personally, I find the hanging strips better.

Here are the links on taobao (if you're purchasing it from there) as well as a demo video for 3M Command Strips:

Command Hanging Strips

Hanging Hooks

Great! I haven thought of buying 3M command strips from taobao. Intended to get it locally for my photos.

Thanks for the link, added it to my forever increasing taobao list haha..

Oh and congrats for the upcoming little one

Edited June 24, 2014 by guojiawen

[vicx1234 38]

Great! I haven thought of buying 3M command strips from taobao. Intended to get it locally for my photos.

Thanks for the link, added it to my forever increasing taobao list haha..

Oh and congrats for the upcoming little one

Thanks Jiawen! Looking forward to having a new addition to our small family.

I just caught up on your blog after my long hiatus and it seems that your reno progress is going very indeed! I like your chandeliers and am glad they arrived in good condition And your place looks very bright too with the all white theme... Nice!

Wishing you all the best for the last stretch of your renovation!

[Compass 3]

Thank you vicx and oceaneleven on sharing your shipping costs! I will definitely bear in mind what you said about table vendors!

I'm glad someone asked about the blinds. I'm leaning towards venetian blinds too. Something else to add to why I might choose blinds. In a 4rm, I notice that the windows come right up to the wall. My master bedroom will only have 2 panels of windows. If I were to use traditional curtains, I lose light even if I have the curtains pulled open to the side i.e. the curtains will have to cover the windows just because there is no where else to go.

Wonderful rundown on art! I am all for the support of local artists

I've seen these cleaners/dusters here but they cost a bomb! I'll be getting these from Amazon and will check TB. I used the heck out of them previously when I was in the US and doing my own house cleaning.

http://www.amazon.com/Swiffer-Dusters-Extender-Extends-three/dp/B000QR931O/ref=pd_bxgy_hpc_text_y

They also sell refills and will buy them at the same time. Great for tops of fans and for blinds.

Those of us with white walls and young budding Picassos at home, I recommend Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Once again, I buy them in bulk from Amazon. Really expensive at Cold Storage. I've used them on coloured walls too.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Clean-Magic-Eraser-Original/dp/B0071SCSO0/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1403585536&sr=1-1&keywords=magic+eraser

Edited June 24, 2014 by Compass