Japanese minimalist design - review after 2 years

[ahtat 10]

Built-in Oven - Is it necessary?

When we bought our Fujioh hood and hob from Hoe Kee, we saw a bundle deal with built in oven. So we thought might as well get the 3 items together.

Such an oven is useful if you use it to bake cake, cookies or grill chicken etc which require a large capacity. However, for daily cooking, we seldom need to use the big oven. And it is also an overkill to use the oven to toast bread, bake a few nuggets or grill skewers, otah etc, so we bought a toaster oven instead to perform such tasks.

If given a choice, we would have buy such a toaster oven from the start instead of the big oven. It is much more convenient and the food will also cook faster, save more electricity than using the big built in oven. The space of the built in oven can be used for storage instead too.

[babybacardi 0]

On 25/06/2017 at 3:07 PM, ahtat said:

Hi,

We chose Kompacplus top mainly because of the wood grain and the "thin" look compare to typical granite or solid surface. So far we are really happy with Kompacplus and will select the same top again if given a choice. The good points and I can think of

1. No scratches till date
2. No obvious stain
3. Surface is smooth so it will not trap any dirt or bacteria
4. No colour fading
5. Kompacplus as backsplash part is easy to clean. Glass will leave water mark and tiles may have stain trapped at the grout area. If not for the cost we would have do the whole area.

However, there are things to take note which i think apply to all kind of kitchen surface.

1. Try not to put cold drinks directly on top of the surface. The condensation with the low temperature will leave a water mark which is near to impossible to remove. The good thing is it is only obvious if you see it from an angle with certain amount of light reflection.
2. Try to keep the surface dry as far as far as possible. Although the surface is waterproof, I believe leaving water on the surface for a long period of time will cause problem sooner or later.
3. After every cooking session, we will clean the surface with a bottle of home made solution (some detergent in a spray bottle) to remove any oil residue.
4. Try not to put pots and pans that are hot on the surface for a long period of time (although it is heat resistance but not going to try our luck). We use this useful kitchen tool instead to increase the work space.

Hope it helps! 

Thank you so much for your reply! 

[scrollo 0]

Great space planning to fully utilise the view!

And a Breville Barista Express! Same machine I'm eyeing, lol.

I'm working on the layout for my flat, and I see a few similarities in our needs XD

Can check with you on the following:

1) What are the dimensions of the coffee counter? Enough space for coffee making with the machine?

2) What are the dimensions of your sink and hob, and the gap between them? Any issues about them too close to each other?

3) Any issues you faced for the built-in oven placed below the stove?

Thanks.

[ahtat 10]

On 7/5/2017 at 0:18 PM, scrollo said:

Great space planning to fully utilise the view!

And a Breville Barista Express! Same machine I'm eyeing, lol.

I'm working on the layout for my flat, and I see a few similarities in our needs XD

Can check with you on the following:

1) What are the dimensions of the coffee counter? Enough space for coffee making with the machine?

2) What are the dimensions of your sink and hob, and the gap between them? Any issues about them too close to each other?

3) Any issues you faced for the built-in oven placed below the stove?

Thanks.

Hi fellow coffee lover!

1. Coffee counter dimension is 100cm x 52cm. the space is just right for the machine, knock box and tamping mat. But will not have enough space to put cups and beans etc, so all these we keep it in the drawer below. Another advice is try to have your fridge near to your coffee counter, because you will want to get the cold milk easily to the machine to do frothing. If possible also not too far from your sink for washing and topping up of water in the machine. 
2. Sink is 80cm, hob is 82cm and the gap in between is 52cm. The gap is abit small for food preparation, so the steel rod become quite a useful tool to increase the work area.
3. The main issues with oven below stove is it is not at the best ergonomic position because you will need to bend down to put in, check, and take out your food. So for us it is under utilised and we prefer to use the oven toaster at the kitchen top which is also at a much ergonomic position.

Hope i answer your questions!

[scrollo 0]

On 07/07/2017 at 11:29 PM, ahtat said:

Hi fellow coffee lover!

1. Coffee counter dimension is 100cm x 52cm. the space is just right for the machine, knock box and tamping mat. But will not have enough space to put cups and beans etc, so all these we keep it in the drawer below. Another advice is try to have your fridge near to your coffee counter, because you will want to get the cold milk easily to the machine to do frothing. If possible also not too far from your sink for washing and topping up of water in the machine. 
2. Sink is 80cm, hob is 82cm and the gap in between is 52cm. The gap is abit small for food preparation, so the steel rod become quite a useful tool to increase the work area.
3. The main issues with oven below stove is it is not at the best ergonomic position because you will need to bend down to put in, check, and take out your food. So for us it is under utilised and we prefer to use the oven toaster at the kitchen top which is also at a much ergonomic position.

Hope i answer your questions!

Thanks for the dimensions and suggestions!!

Not a milk froth person, so no concern on the proximity to fridge.

We saw the steel rod last week, and same as you, we think that is a must buy for us, lol!! Ya, prep space is very important, but often overlooked. If there isn't enough prep space with the hob and sink together at one end, I rather locate them at opposite ends.

Judging from your experience with oven below stove, we would probably have the built-in oven in a tall unit then. Probably safer when we have kids later. 

Thanks again!

[ahtat 10]

Wardrobe Room

We use the second bedroom as a wardrobe room. It is not connected to the master bedroom, so no exactly a walk in wardrobe. Again because we want to reduce the amount of carpentry, which can easily cost near to 3k for one side of the bedroom, we have decided to do something out of the norm. Initially we wanted to go for pole system, where spaces can be maximised. After going to a few pole system vendor, we realised the cost is not much cheaper than a built in wardrobe done by contractors. Finally we decided to do something bold, that is to DIY the hole area with IKEA Algot system and PAX System.

http://www.ikea.com/sg/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/11468/

http://www.ikea.com/sg/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/19110/

The part where we hang our clothes is the Algot system, which we are able to customize with different configurations up to our imagination and planning. Parts can be changed if required and we use the same system for our service yard too. The cupboard at the side with drawers is the PAX system which is also customisable. The two system add up to less than $1000.

We added a station for sewing at the other side of the wall. 

We have no regrets doing this part of the house differently from most people, as it fits our lifestyle, functional, easily maintained and no wear and tear issues or heavy wardrobe door to handle. Of course the most common question we get is "Will your clothes get dusty easily, since there is no door to cover up?" The answer is no as we keep the windows and door closed at all time. The blind is always drawn unless my wife is working at the sewing station. We switch on the AC at times to dehumidify the air and so far we have not met any damages to the clothes or mould issues although the common toilet is just opposite.

Lastly, it will give you a huge sense of satisfaction when you build it up from scratch, and it is not really difficult if you are into DIY. But it may not be suitable for people who like a clean neat look in the wardrobe room (which we have trying hard to make it look as neat as possible!)

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by ahtat

[Ando Tadao 8]

This is definitely one of the better entry in this forum, at the same time offered different perspectives to renovation!

I wondered why, looking at the quality and durability of the final product, was the ID/contractor not discussed?

Also, don't mind me asking, which laminate was chosen for the white?

[ahtat 10]

On 10/26/2017 at 1:24 PM, Ando Tadao said:

This is definitely one of the better entry in this forum, at the same time offered different perspectives to renovation!

I wondered why, looking at the quality and durability of the final product, was the ID/contractor not discussed?

Also, don't mind me asking, which laminate was chosen for the white?

Thanks for the kind words. Its quite time consuming in trying to update the blog regularly, so decided to just leave it for Q&A instead. haha

I never really discussed about the ID/contractor because i think their workmanship is ok, of course not those from **** but they did give a fair share of problem here and there. In terms of design, it's mainly designed by my wife.

I am not so sure about the exact tone of specifications for the white laminate, we just prefer the look of matte white compare to glossy white.

[Ando Tadao 8]

19 hours ago, ahtat said:

Thanks for the kind words. Its quite time consuming in trying to update the blog regularly, so decided to just leave it for Q&A instead. haha

I never really discussed about the ID/contractor because i think their workmanship is ok, of course not those from **** but they did give a fair share of problem here and there. In terms of design, it's mainly designed by my wife.

I am not so sure about the exact tone of specifications for the white laminate, we just prefer the look of matte white compare to glossy white.

 

I see, at one glance the renovation quality does look good.

Another thing I see lacking here is the green talk, probably you could spend some time talking about your green decos if it isn't too much of a trouble.

[Peterborough 0]

great blog 2yr on. There are several similarities that I'm doing for my house too. 

Before that, im interested to know the fridge you bought, i got a MIJ hitachi. Looking forward to your review. Also i saw that you leave quite a gap between fridge and the kitchen counter, how was it cleaning wise? im doing the same but not sure how much gap to leave, im worried food might drop into the gap.

 

can you share with me the cost of the platform?

[inchvbeam 0]

hello TS, could u share about the lightings versus ceiling fan? Im not doing any false ceilings and wouldn't prefer 1 ceiling fan that has lights, and thus is having headache about the lights placement.

[bykaraanne 30]

Interesting idea!

i came back to update my t-blog after 2 years of living in it and have some reviews, but great idea to post a current lived-in blog. 

Your place looks very functional! 

[ahtat 10]

On 10/31/2017 at 11:50 AM, Ando Tadao said:

 

I see, at one glance the renovation quality does look good.

Another thing I see lacking here is the green talk, probably you could spend some time talking about your green decos if it isn't too much of a trouble.

Yes, i am a fan of indoor greenery but definitely not an expert. Just trying a few easily maintained plants like money plant, peperomia plant, nerve plant and air plant. All these plants are quite suitable to grow indoor. I will discourage planting vegetable and herbs if you cannot get alot of sun, the yield is really bad. The only successful herb that is more manageable is basil plant.

I hope there will be experts around in this forum too to share their indoor plants knowledge and tips.

[ahtat 10]

On 11/16/2017 at 9:22 AM, Peterborough said:

great blog 2yr on. There are several similarities that I'm doing for my house too. 

Before that, im interested to know the fridge you bought, i got a MIJ hitachi. Looking forward to your review. Also i saw that you leave quite a gap between fridge and the kitchen counter, how was it cleaning wise? im doing the same but not sure how much gap to leave, im worried food might drop into the gap.

 

can you share with me the cost of the platform?

The fridge serves us well so far! i like the multi drawers part, where there is a small freezer components for ice cream and a separate ice cube drawer. It is quite energy efficient as well.

So far there is no problem in food dropping inside the gap because we do not use that space for food preparation. That part is used for rice cooker and maybe to place the lids of pots and pans. Once a while i will used the old school mop to clean that part. Why we leave a gap is allow heat to escape from the back and in case we need to change a fridge in the future, we are not too restricted by the size. 

Managed to dig out the quotation for the 6" platform. It cost $360. There is no storage or anything, just pure elevation only.

[ahtat 10]

On 11/19/2017 at 9:57 PM, inchvbeam said:

hello TS, could u share about the lightings versus ceiling fan? Im not doing any false ceilings and wouldn't prefer 1 ceiling fan that has lights, and thus is having headache about the lights placement.

It is ok to have ceiling fan with ceiling lights, as long as the lights is not directly above the moving blades. We don't like those ceiling fans with lights too, so we did separate track light and cove light. If you do not prefer to have false ceiling, what i would suggest is having track lights at the left and right side of the ceiling fan that is placed in the middle of the room. Let the track lights hit the wall to diffuse the lights, and not shine directly downwards or towards empty space. But also try not to place the track light too near to the wall too, if not you will not get enough "throw" and it will create patches of bright and dark spot.