Renovation Journey: The Victorian Touch

April 30, 2015

*"Give the usual Victorian style a twist with a modern look."*

At a glance

  • Dion, in her early 40s, IT industry
  • Home to: Family of 4 ladies
  • Size: 1076sqf / 100sqm
  • Location: Tampines (executive condo, 3 bedrooms)
  • Cost of renovation: $20,000
  • Furnishing & appliance cost: $20,000
  • Interior Designer: Space Factor

A key takeaway for Dion during her renovation journey was the importance of communication.

From searching for home inspiration and discussing her requirements to supervising the renovation, she made sure to keep a constant conversation with her interior designer.

For a smooth and speedy renovation process, she encourages all homeowners to do the same. Read on to learn more about her experience and other renovation tips.

Qanvast: How did you find out about Qanvast?

Dion (D): Actually it was Space Factor that told me to check out Qanvast app. I was thinking that there was no harm downloading it to see what was inside.

I surfed through many interior designers’ portfolios in the app and it became the inspiration source for my new home.

Qanvast: Did you use other platforms other than Qanvast?

D: Yes, I went through magazines as well. Whilst magazines were good for getting ideas, it was difficult to bring them around and to save the home designs that I liked.


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Qanvast: What do you like about Qanvast?

D: I like that Qanvast is loaded with home inspiration images. As a mobile app, I could browse through home projects in it as and when I liked. I surfed the app mostly when I was commuting on the MRT train.

It also has a lot of articles that are useful for a homeowner like me. I like that everything is so accessible within the app itself. Any time I was free, I would turn on the app to check for updates.

Pictures and reviews for me are of high importance. Even though I only started using the app after choosing Space Factor, it was helpful in providing me with inspiration, and enabling me to show Space Factor how I wanted to do up my home.

One thing I found particularly useful is the Qanvast board where I could save all my favourite images as I was browsing through the interior designers’ portfolios.

Without this function, I wouldn’t have been able to remember or retrieve the home images that I like.


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Qanvast: Why did you engage Space Factor?

D: Space Factor stood out with their ideas of a Victorian-style home. I also “clicked” with them – we communicated well and they understood what I wanted.

I also factored in the overall reviews of Space Factor on Qanvast app and they were quite positive. Price was also another key consideration and they were able to work within my budget.


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Qanvast: How was your renovation experience?

D: There were some delays with the renovation, which was understandable, but I feel could be avoided.

The interior designer did pre-empt me that the renovation will take about 6 to 8 weeks. I personally feel that 8 weeks of renovation is quite long given mine is a brand new condo unit.

I recommend homeowners to get their interior designer to run through the proposed schedule with them and if necessary, get the designer to make a better plan to meet the timeline.

Qanvast: What do you check for during the renovation process?

D: Once in a while I would go down to my place to supervise because I wanted to ensure that everything was done properly. Whilst it was impossible for it to be 100% the same, I compared to make sure that the design followed the 3D drawings closely.


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Qanvast: What advice would you give to new homeowners?

D: Communication between you and your interior designer is very important. It will help to make the renovation process easier and faster.

You should also make sure that your interior designer goes down to the house often to supervise the progress of the renovation and ensure that everything is running smoothly.

Space Factor's portfolio is available on our Qanvast app. Download the app to view other projects and other homeowners' reviews.

Want to know what other homeowners worked with Space Factor? Check out their stories below!

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