For homeowners Vivien and De Sheng, renovation began as a daunting task - from finding an interior designer that is patient and easy to work with, to coming up with a design for the home and every homeowner’ biggest woe: sticking to their budget!

Contemporary Chic Apartment in Canberra by DreamCreations

Thankfully, interior designer Christina from DreamCreations, was able to answer all their queries, go through the various aspects of the renovation with them, and help them keep within their budget!

We sit down for a chat with the young couple to find out more about their first-time renovation experience.

Our first impression of DreamCreations:

Vivien (V): As new homeowners, we had no idea at all about what to expect and DreamCreations was very patient with us. During our first meeting with them, they sat down with us for more than four hours to go through various aspects of the renovation like the layout and the materials.

Our must-haves:

De Sheng (DS): The one thing that I wanted was an entertainment cum gaming room.

V: For me, it was the wardrobe.

On coming up with the design:

V: We did our research online. We gathered designs that we liked, consolidated them and sent the pictures over to Christina who got her drafter to do up the 3D design for us.

DS: A lot of our inspiration came from Qanvast. We went through a lot of the projects on Qanvast and selected photos that we liked.

On working with DreamCreations:

V: They gave us a lot of helpful advice. For example, they were able to recommend us an appropriate height for our kitchen island as we initially wanted an island that is higher.

We were very impressed with their promptness. Even after the handover, they were still prompt in providing after-service.

On working as a couple during the renovation:

DS: My wife was the one who helped to coordinate the colour scheme and shortlist the laminates. My role during the renovation revolved around maximising savings. For example when we were getting our appliances, I would research on where we could get them for a cheaper price.

On a problem encountered:

V: We wanted an open concept kitchen but weren’t sure how to achieve it because of the layout and small kitchen space. Christina suggested an L-shaped kitchen layout and got her drafter to come up with some 3D drafts for us to look through. In the end, we went with her recommendation because we felt like it was the best idea.

On keeping within their budget:

V: Christina was very mindful of our budget. She always reminded us to think about whether we really needed something and suggested to us that for every item that we planned to spend more on, we should spend less on something else.

She helped us to save on our laminates by advising us not to upgrade our laminates to the FENIX ones from EDL as they cost $2,000 more than the original laminates that we chose from Lamitak. We liked that range of EDL laminates because of its special properties, but decided to stick with what we had originally chosen to keep within our budget.

Our biggest bargain:

DS: Our fans! We got them from JB. I think we saved half the amount of what we would have paid if we had gotten them in Singapore instead.

Our biggest splurge:

V: That would be our kitchen and dining table.

We had to customise the table as we wanted an island-sized one that matches the overall look of the home, so Christina helped design that.

Our advice for homeowners:

V: Choose the right interior designer. They are the ones who manage everything for you and your renovation journey will be very smooth if you have a designer who is prompt and efficient.

DS: Take your furniture into consideration when planning your budget, and leave some buffer.