Renovation Journey: The White Choice

At a Glance

• Germaine, her husband Wei Leong, and their dog
• Size: 92 sqm / 990 sqft
• Location: Anchorvale Crescent
• Cost of Renovation: $39,000
• Interior Design Firm: Chapter One Interior Design
• Interior Designer: Nizan

A reasonable quotation and a comfortable working relationship with an interior designer is at the forefront of most homeowners’ minds when they choose who to work with. It was no different for Germaine and her husband – they were looking for an interior designer they could trust to give them the home they wanted at a decent price.

We sit down for a chat with Germaine to learn more about the friendly working relationship that she and her husband had with their designer, Nizan, from Chapter One.

Qanvast: What did you like about the Qanvast platform?

Germaine (G): I like Qanvast’s interface as it is very easy to navigate. I especially like the interior design firms’ profile page as it shows all the past projects that the interior design firm has worked on so it is easy to tell whether a firms’ style matched my style. After checking out other renovation platforms, I find that Qanvast’s interface is the best.

Qanvast: How did you find out about Chapter One Interior Design?

G: I was browsing through the profiles of the interior design firms on the Qanvast site and Chapter One Interior Design’s featured project caught my eye. After exploring more of their portfolio, I felt like that their firm’s style was similar to what I was looking for so I decided to contact them to arrange a meeting.

Qanvast: When selecting your interior designer, what gave Nizan an edge over the others?

G: Out of all the firms that we met up with, Nizan from Chapter One was the designer that we were most comfortable with and who could work within our renovation budget. One of the designers from another firm quoted us $60,000 for the entire renovation which was way out of our budget.

G: There was another interior designer whom we spoke to that came across to us as being very rigid. This worried us as we were afraid that he wouldn’t be able to be flexible when it came to giving us what we want. Some interior designers can be quite insistent on doing things their way and we did not want to be faced with such a problem.

Qanvast: What did you like best about working with Nizan?

G: He was easy to communicate with. Talking with him was like talking to an old friend; we were very comfortable and could even joke around with him. He was also flexible and accommodated his designs to match our requirements even though they weren’t necessarily designs that suited his preferences.

Qanvast: How did Nizan ease your renovation journey?

G: Nizan was often on-site and he would give us constant updates on the progress of the renovation. We felt like we could trust him to oversee the progress of the renovation and we only came down once or twice to take a look at the progress. The renovation went really smoothly and there weren’t many problems throughout.

Qanvast: What was the idea behind the design of your home?

G: I got most of my inspiration from designs that I came across on Pinterest. Overall, I wanted a Muji-style home with a white colour palette. I even told my husband that whatever furniture he wanted to get, it had to be white.

Qanvast: Tell us about the idea behind your favourite design in the home.

G: During my research, I came across study room designs where the wall was half hacked and replaced with glass in black frames. Since the design of my home revolved around a white colour palette, I asked Nizan whether we could use white frames instead of black and although he did advise that it would get dirty over time, we went ahead with it and it’s my favourite design in my home now.

Qanvast: Did Nizan do a good job on your home?

G: Yes. I wanted my bedroom to look exactly the same as a bedroom design which I saw on Pinterest and Nizan managed to replicate the design to a T.

Qanvast: Why not choose a contractor since you knew what you wanted?

G: We felt that it would end up being a hassle to work with a contractor because we would have to source for the electricians and the plumbers ourselves. Although interior designers are slightly more expensive than contractors, we were fine with paying the additional amount because it would save us a lot of trouble.

Qanvast: What tips do you have for homeowners who are shopping for an interior designer?

G: Choose an interior designer who you feel comfortable with and who has a good understanding of your requirements.

Want a clean and bright home with a white colour palette?

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