At A Glance
- Nat and Reuben
- Size: 92 sqm / 990 sqft
- Location: Chai Chee
- Cost of renovation: $55,000
- Interior Design Firm: Quirky Idees
- Interior Designer: Kachee
Knowing that they wanted to fit a grand piano in their home, Nat and Reuben were looking for an interior designer who could help them with space planning.
We sat down with Nat and Reuben for a chat and learn more about the space-saving solutions that their designer, Kachee from Quirky Idees, came up with for their home.
Qanvast: How did you discover Quirky Idees?
Reuben (R): I saw one of Quirky Idees’ projects on the Qanvast app and found it quite interesting. This prompted me to arrange a meeting with them. That was pretty much the way in which we went about finding interior designers. We felt that rather than by casting a huge net, it might be better if we shortlisted interior designers based on the designs that we came across on the Qanvast site.
Qanvast: How did Quirky Idees stand out for you?
R: We were planning to fit a grand piano into our home and we needed an interior designer who could give us practical suggestions such as what we could to do to soundproof the home. Some of the other interior designers that we met did not give us any ideas on that so we were sceptical about enlisting their services.
Things were different with Quirky Idees as Kachee had many ideas when it came to meeting our requirements. We met her a few times before signing the contract and she would produce drawings for us. We really liked how easygoing and patient she was.
Qanvast: What were some ideas which Kachee had?
Nat (N):. Besides coming up with many variations for the design, Kachee made the effort to rework her designs whenever a new idea occurred to her. Although we decided not to install the pole in the end due to space constraints, we really appreciated the amount of hard work that Kachee put into her designs.
Qanvast: Besides the grand piano, what else was included in your brief to Kachee?
N: We told her that we wanted a clean-looking home which follows a colour palette of mainly whites and browns. We wanted a home that has a natural look and feel. We also wanted to install a pole in the house since I do pole dancing, but gave up on the idea due to space constraints. Also, since the grand piano occupies quite a lot of space, we didn’t really have the space for a dining table.
R: We wanted to fit a king-size bed in our room so we needed Kachee to help us to plan the space. We also wanted a spacious kitchen since my wife bakes and cooks. However, we did not want an open-concept kitchen.
Qanvast: How did Kachee help you to plan the space in your kitchen?
R: Kachee was very good at planning the space in our kitchen. She suggested hacking part of the wall and replacing it with glass so that the kitchen would look bigger. She also managed to merge the bar table with the kitchen counter so that it has a seamless look.
N: Kachee’s designs made the kitchen look and feel a lot bigger than how it originally looked. She also told us that the glass panel can double up as a whiteboard so I’ve been using it since then to write all sorts of things like reminders and recipes.
Qanvast: On top of the design, did Kachee give you any practical advice for your kitchen?
N: I told Kachee that I did not want to spend time to clean the grooves between the tiles after cooking so she suggested using a glass backsplash which makes it easier to clean.
Qanvast: Name one quality of Kachee’s that you really appreciated.
N: We liked that she was able to give us practical financial advice on renovation matters. For example, when we went shopping with her for the house fixtures, she would tell us that we needn’t go for the expensive options as something simple and functional would do.
R: She also helped us to save on our material costs. There was some leftover granite after her workers did the kitchen countertop which Kachee used in the bathroom.
Qanvast: Name one time where Kachee went above and beyond her duties.
R: We had purchased some tiles from a supplier in advance and when it came time for us to install, there was an issue as the supplier had given some of the stock to his other clients.
Kachee helped us to liaise with the supplier and convinced him to deliver sufficient tiles for our apartment so that we could proceed with the renovation as planned. We don’t know how she managed to persuade the supplier but we are grateful to her for her assistance as we really needed to move into our apartment by then.
