At A Glance
- Robin and Renny, in their mid 30s, IT and accounting industry
- Size: 102 sqm / 1100 sqft
- Location: Boathouse Residences (Condo)
- Cost of Renovation: $28,000
- Cost of Furnishing: $22,000
- Interior Design Firm: DB Studio
- Interior Designer: Jason
For Robin and Renny, finding the right interior professional to help renovate their first home was no easy feat. After a few disappointing misalignment of ideas with several interior design firms, Robin and Renny finally met DB Studio who managed to paint the dream home they desire.
Qanvast: How did you go about looking for interior designers?
Robin (Rob): We combed through various magazines and websites and from there, we started contacting a few interior design firms. We got hold of a few contacts from our friends too, with one of them being DB Studio.
Qanvast: What were your criteria in selecting an interior designer?
Rob: My wife and I spoke to at least three or four interior design companies. We made comparisons of each company’s quotations and designs before concluding that DB Studio could best provide us what we were looking for.
Renny (Ren): Our experiences with a few of the interior design firms were pretty disappointing because they did not make an effort to understand our ideas. Instead of coming up with a proposal that caters to our needs, they were pushy and wanted us to accept their ideas instead.
On the other hand, we were impressed by how DB Studio emphasised on providing his clients a good service. Jason, our interior designer, took the time to find out what we like before designing our home. He tried his best to accommodate to our needs, with an end goal of making us satisfied.
Qanvast: Between you and your wife, who took charge of the designs?
Rob: My wife decides on the designs. If I were the one making the decisions, there is a high possibility that I end up selecting something my wife would not be happy with. [laughs]
Ren: Jason has been very helpful along the way to help shape our ideas by giving us a lot of professional advices. He would constantly throw in suggestions on how we can improvise on the designs.
Rob: The Qanvast app has also been very useful in helping us browse through interior ideas since there are plenty of pictures in there!
Qanvast: How was it like working with Jason?
Ren: We have thoroughly enjoyed our time working with Jason! He puts his best foot forward in making sure that the renovation is up to our expectations. We are really glad we found someone who could cater to what we wanted, especially since a renovation requires a lot of time and effort invested in it.
Rob: Jason would double check with us before he carried out the works so this helped ensure that there were no mistakes done during the renovation.
Qanvast: How long did the renovation take to complete?
Ren: It lasted about five weeks from the start to the end of the renovation. In fact, we moved in even before the renovation was completed because we were apprehensive about shifting during the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Qanvast: Is there a customary in Indonesia to avoid moving homes during the seventh lunar month?
Rob: Actually it’s more of a belief here in Singapore. Since we live in Singapore, we thought it would be wise to follow the local custom. [laughs]
Qanvast: What would you advise other homeowners to look out for in a renovation?
Ren: A fundamental key for engaging an interior designer is to see whether you have chemistry with the interior designer since you would be spending a lot of time working on the renovation together.
Communicate your ideas clearly with your interior designer so that they could understand and come up with something that you truly like. However, avoid putting too much emphasis on the designs and end up overlooking the practicality of the ideas.
To prepare yourself for a smooth renovation journey ahead, get connected with Qanvast’s pool of trusted interior designers by sending us a quote request today. You will be matched with 5 interior design firms based on your renovation needs.
For more renovation stories and tips, download the free Qanvast app from App Store and Google Play.