January 30, 2019
Embarking on their renovation journey, homeowners – and brand designers – Lee Choo and Jason knew that they wanted to work with a fellow creative mind to bring their dream vacation home to life. Their quest led them to Billy from AgcDesign whose creativity and practical ideas helped the couple to achieve a relaxing space with resort vibes.
We sit down for a chat with the pair and find out more about their home's design and experience renovating.
Jason (J): Hi there! I’m Jason. My wife, Lee Choo, and I are both designers in the advertising industry. We do branding design and work closely with designers and creative personnel.
Lee Choo (LC): We wanted someone who is a creative person to be our designer. Some designers might claim to be interior designers when actually, their job scope is more similar to that of a contractor. When we spoke to Billy from AgcDesign, he explained his background to us and from speaking to him, we knew that he was a creative person and someone that was right for the job.
LC: The slogan for Sol Acres is ‘365 Days of Happiness’ - like having a holiday, every day! That really inspired us and we wanted to incorporate a laid-back, resort vibe into the design of our home. When I step into the home after work, I want to enter a relaxing space.
Design-wise, I wanted a modern, contemporary design. Something spacious and not too cluttered with carpentry.
J: Billy suggested that we incorporate a set of mirrors along our wall to make the home look more spacious. He advised us against getting full-height mirrors because he said they are quite common and not long-lasting since they have to be pasted on the wall. Instead, he designed it in such a way that our mirrors are part of a larger design and can be supported by their wooden frame.
LC: He also suggested this design with the four pillars as he said that it will visually divide the dining and the living spaces. We find this design to be quite nice. In addition to that, we put up a series of photos on the wall because we wanted to have sort of a mini art gallery there.
J: We coated the floor with marble gum which will protect the floor by sealing up the gap between the tiles. This also makes it easier to maintain the flooring since it will be less dusty.
LC: Our development is like a kampung - we have a group chat with all our neighbours in it, and one of them actually recommended the floor coating.
LC: We struggled for a long time about whether to have light or dark coloured flooring in the rooms. After hearing a variety of opinions from our family and friends, we decided to go with Billy’s proposal. Personally, I like the vinyl flooring we chose because it feels softer under the feet and doesn’t feel so cold.