A Baker's 3 room BTO @ Skyline II

[kingandbin 13]

On 3/8/2017 at 9:41 PM, matchalatte said:

true! i think must be diligent in cleaning but since you dont cook much u can afford to do it! plus its still better than tiny tiny mosaic that many people do for backsplash. or can do black or dark grouting also, less maintenance. any idea if it will be ok to buy tiles from taobao? really tempted coz they have so many nice & cheap ones! 

Hello! Getting tiles from taobao shouldn't be an issue, but you will need the support from your ID/contractor. Some may not be as keen to work with materials if they are not sure of the source it's from. I've seen a renotalk t-blogger whose house was done up using tiles entirely from taobao. Turned out fine but a small amount cracked during shipment so it'll be a good idea to purchase some extra.

As for kitchen backsplash I believe the herringbone patterns will turn out gorgeous    So will the hexagon marble tiles - but those will have more grout lines which means slightly more trouble to clean! Mine are the regular glossy subway tiles/pattern which has been a breeze to maintain so far. Just got to wipe them down after doing any oily cooking. The main thing is to try not to have grouting which is too light. They stain alot more easily and aren't as easy to maintain imo. Grey grouting worked fine for me 

[matchalatte 16]

2 hours ago, kingandbin said:

Hello! Getting tiles from taobao shouldn't be an issue, but you will need the support from your ID/contractor. Some may not be as keen to work with materials if they are not sure of the source it's from. I've seen a renotalk t-blogger whose house was done up using tiles entirely from taobao. Turned out fine but a small amount cracked during shipment so it'll be a good idea to purchase some extra.

As for kitchen backsplash I believe the herringbone patterns will turn out gorgeous    So will the hexagon marble tiles - but those will have more grout lines which means slightly more trouble to clean! Mine are the regular glossy subway tiles/pattern which has been a breeze to maintain so far. Just got to wipe them down after doing any oily cooking. The main thing is to try not to have grouting which is too light. They stain alot more easily and aren't as easy to maintain imo. Grey grouting worked fine for me 

hi! thanks for dropping by. your home is so beautiful! i need to go find the time to read all 24 pages lol. i would love an open closet like yours too but not sure whether it will be difficult to maintain since im a very messy person haha

i knoww, contractors i spoke to werent very keen on me getting tiles from taobao. not sure if it was because they want to earn more profit or what but i think tiles are mostly from china anyway and they have such nice ones. as long as the quality seems ok i have no prob with buying more. i will have to find a seller with many user review photos so i can have a feel of what the real thing is like.

ah yes grouts! thanks for the heads up. im thinking of black grout, any idea if the color will fade or something? im torn between normal subway, small rect or small square lol, i really like the look of small squares too actually :

ugh so many choices but black grouts are a must. i think im very fickle minded actually, initially i wanted a dark grey/black mid century danish look but im kinda deviating towards nordic raw now. wish i could have everything. 

[matchalatte 16]

taobao purchases are more or less confirmed! i wont be able to finalize on the bigger ones like sideboard, sofa & tiles until i see the actual unit so these are just gonna be furnishings & sanitaryware for now. or if i can buy reasonably priced (read : cheap) sofa or sideboard from fortytwo or castlery then i will just buy there instead.

dressing table set, brass coffee table, cushion covers, hexagonal display shelves, planter rack and le sac en papier kraft bag! gonna use it as a waste paper basket, they also have other prints which are very pretty as well. i always liken them to dog food bag lol

marble clock, herringbone rug, grey dining chairs, another dressing table set. no im not buying 2. thing is i cant decide between white/gold and grey/gold so we'll see. also playtype g poster & probably other posters as well. i wonder if theres any particular reason they seem to group the g poster & scarlett johansson in tux one together. 

decide to just buy a book/display shelf instead of doing a cut throat custom made one. also buying towels, eames house bird, fornasetti cushion, flos gun bedside lamp & difusser fragrance since i cannot afford jo malone & diptyque

i've also decided on black sanitaryware & accessories like mixer taps, rainshower, stone kitchen sink etc. hubby approves! the only white ones will be the toilet bowl and bathroom sink. 

hoping that they'll look good together. fingers crossed. 

[fifteenmay 40]

8 hours ago, matchalatte said:

taobao purchases are more or less confirmed! i wont be able to finalize on the bigger ones like sideboard, sofa & tiles until i see the actual unit so these are just gonna be furnishings & sanitaryware for now. or if i can buy reasonably priced (read : cheap) sofa or sideboard from fortytwo or castlery then i will just buy there instead.

dressing table set, brass coffee table, cushion covers, hexagonal display shelves, planter rack and le sac en papier kraft bag! gonna use it as a waste paper basket, they also have other prints which are very pretty as well. i always liken them to dog food bag lol

marble clock, herringbone rug, grey dining chairs, another dressing table set. no im not buying 2. thing is i cant decide between white/gold and grey/gold so we'll see. also playtype g poster & probably other posters as well. i wonder if theres any particular reason they seem to group the g poster & scarlett johansson in tux one together. 

decide to just buy a book/display shelf instead of doing a cut throat custom made one. also buying towels, eames house bird, fornasetti cushion, flos gun bedside lamp & difusser fragrance since i cannot afford jo malone & diptyque

i've also decided on black sanitaryware & accessories like mixer taps, rainshower, stone kitchen sink etc. hubby approves! the only white ones will be the toilet bowl and bathroom sink. 

hoping that they'll look good together. fingers crossed. 

oh wow! love your taobao stuff! all look so chic!

[Jolene Heng 6]

nice! are they all under prime!?i am looking for a nice dressing table? do you have the link for pic 1?

[matchalatte 16]

2 hours ago, fifteenmay said:

oh wow! love your taobao stuff! all look so chic!

thank you dear! i hope the real thing will be as nice lol

1 hour ago, Jolene Heng said:

nice! are they all under prime!?i am looking for a nice dressing table? do you have the link for pic 1?

not under prime, my friend has very bad experience using ezbuy to ship big stuff so i think im just going to either use peeka or oops.sg. plus i hear prime only has limited choices? anyway here you go :

【欧式简易梳妆台卧室现代简约铁艺北欧化妆桌金属书桌美式黑色长桌】http://c.b1wt.com/h.3lOtgl?cv=yuL3OAYYpL&sm6ed713

[Belle26 1]

12 hours ago, matchalatte said:

taobao purchases are more or less confirmed! i wont be able to finalize on the bigger ones like sideboard, sofa & tiles until i see the actual unit so these are just gonna be furnishings & sanitaryware for now. or if i can buy reasonably priced (read : cheap) sofa or sideboard from fortytwo or castlery then i will just buy there instead.

dressing table set, brass coffee table, cushion covers, hexagonal display shelves, planter rack and le sac en papier kraft bag! gonna use it as a waste paper basket, they also have other prints which are very pretty as well. i always liken them to dog food bag lol

marble clock, herringbone rug, grey dining chairs, another dressing table set. no im not buying 2. thing is i cant decide between white/gold and grey/gold so we'll see. also playtype g poster & probably other posters as well. i wonder if theres any particular reason they seem to group the g poster & scarlett johansson in tux one together. 

decide to just buy a book/display shelf instead of doing a cut throat custom made one. also buying towels, eames house bird, fornasetti cushion, flos gun bedside lamp & difusser fragrance since i cannot afford jo malone & diptyque

i've also decided on black sanitaryware & accessories like mixer taps, rainshower, stone kitchen sink etc. hubby approves! the only white ones will be the toilet bowl and bathroom sink. 

hoping that they'll look good together. fingers crossed. 

Love your taobao items! Could you share the link for the coffee table and poster?

[matchalatte 16]

3 hours ago, Belle26 said:

Love your taobao items! Could you share the link for the coffee table and poster?

yes here you go!

【北欧不锈钢角几现代简约沙发边几客厅花架茶几托盘电话几定制家具】http://c.b1wt.com/h.3N1s7z?cv=6AkrmcHTAm&sm=2f2f48

【我剁手都要买的宝贝（北欧抽象黑白装饰画创意组合画卧室墙画现代简约客厅挂画餐厅壁画），快来和我一起瓜分红包】http://c.b1wt.com/h.3N2eLj?cv=RvAmmcD5du&sm=9f6ede

[matchalatte 16]

anyone has experience with butcher block countertops? is it suitable for sg's climate? thinking of installing it coz i really like the raw natural look and also coz its cheap. i mean i do hope its cheap but i suppose anything that comes to sg can be inflated. i know ikea has it so it must be quite popular? i also like that the edges can be squarish. if i were to go for square laminate then the edges will show and its quite unsightly.

[fifteenmay 40]

6 minutes ago, matchalatte said:

anyone has experience with butcher block countertops? is it suitable for sg's climate? thinking of installing it coz i really like the raw natural look and also coz its cheap. i mean i do hope its cheap but i suppose anything that comes to sg can be inflated. i know ikea has it so it must be quite popular? i also like that the edges can be squarish. if i were to go for square laminate then the edges will show and its quite unsightly.

i think @kangandbin did a butcher block

[matchalatte 16]

8 minutes ago, fifteenmay said:

i think @kangandbin did a butcher block

ohhh really?? i'll take a look thanks!

edit : wait, i think she did kompacplus. @kingandbin is your kitchen top kompacplus?

Edited March 14, 2017 by matchalatte

[kingandbin 13]

Hehe @fifteenmay is right 

@matchalatte I used Ikea's butcher block on one side of my kitchen! The "dry side". The other side with sink and hob I used kompacplus. To spare you the agony of browsing through my long & lor sor t-blog, can go see these posts --> Kitchen Pics & Countertop Shopping @ IKEA hahah

Another t-blog by a lovely renotalker featured butcher block style countertops from ikea too! But hers is the laminate kind. Can see her kitchen preview and look through her posts for more: https://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/73130-emma-our-em-in-the-west/?page=14#comment-931137

Edited March 14, 2017 by kingandbin

[matchalatte 16]

15 minutes ago, kingandbin said:

Hehe @fifteenmay is right 

@matchalatte I used Ikea's butcher block on one side of my kitchen! The "dry side". The other side with sink and hob I used kompacplus. To spare you the agony of browsing through my long & lor sor t-blog, can go see these posts --> Kitchen Pics & Countertop Shopping @ IKEA hahah

Another t-blog by a lovely renotalker featured butcher block style countertops from ikea too! But hers is the laminate kind. Can see her kitchen preview and look through her posts for more: https://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/73130-emma-our-em-in-the-west/?page=14#comment-931137

ha ok i see now, thanks! i only saw the other side of your kitchen with kompacplus. and surprisingly i think they look pretty compatible. i've always had qualms about using different materials for each side, but yours look very harmonious. your contractor not able to provide you with the top that you had to buy from IKEA or he was so against you just didn't want to argue so you went sourcing it on your own? lol. honestly i even wanted to have it on the sink side but i think its not recommended? also, do you seal it? 

[kingandbin 13]

2 minutes ago, matchalatte said:

ha ok i see now, thanks! i only saw the other side of your kitchen with kompacplus. and surprisingly i think they look pretty compatible. i've always had qualms about using different materials for each side, but yours look very harmonious. your contractor not able to provide you with the top that you had to buy from IKEA or he was so against you just didn't want to argue so you went sourcing it on your own? lol. honestly i even wanted to have it on the sink side but i think its not recommended? also, do you seal it? 

Yeap, was concerned that the different materials may look mismatched but thankfully they go together quite well  Bringing the kompacplus sample along to shop really did help! The colour of the brand new butcher block countertop in my home is slightly lighter than the samples in IKEA though, probably because the ones on display are touched/handled so much more on a daily basis.

We've yet to seal it (based on what we read online, it would be advisable to do so) but it's holding up well so far! After it is sealed the colour will deepen and match our kompacplus better I think. A contractor we met did an entire kitchen with the IKEA countertop before, even sink side. But he warned that it may spoil easily or have to be replaced sooner than other materials because it isn't as hardy and long-lasting.

The contractor I engaged was happy to help do up the IKEA top~ He asked us to get it on our own because he had previously purchased the wrong colour/type of IKEA butcher block and the client only realized/brought up the mistake months after it was installed..  He had to redo the whole thing out of his own pocket so to prevent it from happening again he requested we get it ourselves instead 

[spooky 6]

21 hours ago, matchalatte said:

taobao purchases are more or less confirmed! i wont be able to finalize on the bigger ones like sideboard, sofa & tiles until i see the actual unit so these are just gonna be furnishings & sanitaryware for now. or if i can buy reasonably priced (read : cheap) sofa or sideboard from fortytwo or castlery then i will just buy there instead.

dressing table set, brass coffee table, cushion covers, hexagonal display shelves, planter rack and le sac en papier kraft bag! gonna use it as a waste paper basket, they also have other prints which are very pretty as well. i always liken them to dog food bag lol

i've also decided on black sanitaryware & accessories like mixer taps, rainshower, stone kitchen sink etc. hubby approves! the only white ones will be the toilet bowl and bathroom sink. 

hoping that they'll look good together. fingers crossed. 

Really like some of these taobao picks mind sharing with me the link for the hexagon display shelves? Also, brave of you to buy toilet bowl from taobao! Since we're unable to get a feel of our butts on it LOL