At A Glance
• Edwin and Michelle
• Size: 93 sqm / 1,000 sqft
• Location: McNair Road
• Cost of renovation: $38,000
• Cost of furnishing: $30,000
• Interior design firm: Dap Atelier
• Interior designer: Daphne
With just 93 sqm of space to work with, Edwin and Michelle wanted a designer who had the creativity and practicality to execute a New York loft apartment style in a way that their home looks spacious.
We sat down for a chat with the pair and get them to share about their smooth sailing renovation journey with Daphne from Dap Atelier.
Qanvast: What made you decide to engage Daphne from Dap Atelier?
Michelle (M): When we saw Dap Atelier’s portfolio on the Qanvast website, we felt that their past projects were designed in a style that was similar to what we wanted. In particular, we liked the finishing and the simplicity of their designs.
Edwin (E): At the same time, we didn’t want to undergo the tedious process of looking for interior designers. Hence, since we felt that her pricing fit our budget and she was easy to communicate with, we decided to proceed with her.
Qanvast: What was the brief that you gave to Daphne?
M: I had a lot of big ideas that I wanted to execute. Specifically, I wanted my house to look like a New York loft apartment and for Daphne to use predominantly metals, cement and concrete around the home. On top of that, I wanted my house design to be simple.
E: We also told Daphne that we wanted to have one signature piece in each room.
Qanvast: Can you share what some of these signature pieces were?
E: For our master bedroom, it’s the wardrobe with the wire mesh design and the yellow dressing table while the kitchen island is the signature piece for our kitchen.
Qanvast: What kind of design advice did Daphne give you?
M: I was unsure what materials to select to achieve a New York loft apartment look because I knew that some of the materials might be impractical for a home in Singapore. To that end, Daphne gave us a lot of practical suggestions on what materials we could use.
She also advised us on how we could execute the New York loft style in a manner that is practical for a HDB home. Overall, her feedback helped to steer things in the right direction.
Qanvast: How did Daphne help during the furniture selection process?
M: She gave us ideas on where to find certain pieces. Whenever we sent her pictures of the furniture that we were considering to buy, she would also give us her feedback on whether it matches our theme.
Qanvast: Can you tell us about one piece of practical advice that Daphne gave you?
M: We were planning to revamp the toilets but Daphne advised us that it’s better not to because if we were to hack or overlay the original tiles provided by the HDB, the insurance for them would be good. Since our home is new and the tiling is waterproof, Daphne recommended that we retain the original tiling as it would also help us stick to our budget.
Qanvast: How did Daphne make your renovation journey a smooth one?
M: Our renovation journey was smooth because Daphne was very organised. When the renovation works were ongoing, she was at our home on a daily basis and would take pictures to keep us updated on the progress of the renovation. This eliminated the need for us to come down frequently to check out what was going on because we knew exactly what was happening from her WhatsApp updates.
E: Whenever we did visit and we saw anything that we didn’t like, we would take pictures and let her know about it, and she would help us to rectify the issue. The overall renovation process was very easy thanks to her.
Qanvast: Any tips for potential homeowners?
E: Be very clear about what you want. When you know what theme you want, it’s easier to purchase furniture to suit your theme.
M: Don’t rush your interior designer. If you rush them, they might make mistakes whereas if you let them take their time, they tend to do a better job.