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Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home

At a Glance

• Ansar and Nadia, 31 and 28, both in medical industry
• Area Size: 69 sqm / 742 sqft
• Location: Punggol Waterway Terraces
• Cost of renovation: $27,800
• Cost of furnishing and appliances: Almost $15,000
• Interior Design Firm: Fatema Design Studio
• Interior Designer: Wan and Khai

With the help of not one, but two, interior designers from Fatema Design Studios, Ansar and Nadia could avoid the burdens that come with the renovation process and let the designers take charge of the work.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Qanvast: Tell us about your search for an interior designer.

Nadia (N): We used the quote request function on Qanvast and three interior design firms were shortlisted for us. Out of the three, we really liked Fatema Design Studio as their design suits our taste. There was also chemistry between us and the designers at Fatema Design Studio and we felt more comfortable working with them. On top of that, their quotation was reasonable too.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Qanvast: What are Wan’s and Khai’s best qualities as interior designers?

N: Wan gives very frank advice. He doesn’t just accede to our requests and always gives us his frank opinions on interior design matters. Both he and his partner, Khai, are also very patient. As I’m quite fickle-minded, my preferences were always shifting and they were both very patient during their discussions with me.

Their responsiveness really impressed me too. If I had any questions, they would definitely get back to me within the same day and if there were anything that needed to be rectified, they would do it as soon as possible.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Qanvast: Could you share a particular instance when Wan gave you his frank opinion?

Ansar (A): We wanted to move the sink in our master bedroom to the side so that it could be longer but Wan advised us not to as he would have to redo the piping which would incur additional costs.

N: He also said that it will look ugly to re-run the pipe and that it’ll be quite difficult to box up. I was able to visualise how it would look so I agreed with him.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Qanvast: What kind of theme were you hoping to achieve for your home?

N: Initially, I was thinking of a country theme. However, the designers suggested that I look at Scandinavian designs and they browsed through pictures of Scandinavian homes with me. They even recommended some magazines that I could look at for home design inspiration. After that, I settled upon a Scandinavian theme as I felt that the design suits my taste.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Qanvast: Were there any hiccups during the renovation?

N: I was quite taken aback when the designers sent me the picture of the wardrobe that had already been built as prior to this, they had not consulted me on how I wanted the shelving in the wardrobe to be like. I brought this up with the designers and they managed to rectify this issue by readjusting the shelving.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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There was also this instance when I noticed that the window grille in the kitchen that we wanted wasn’t installed. I asked Wan about it and he said that since there are blinds at the window, it would defeat the purpose of installing a grille. However, I told him that I still require the grill for security purposes so he had to install it. Other than these two instances, there weren’t any major hiccups.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Qanvast: Why did you pick working with an interior designer over a contractor?

N: At first, we wanted to engage a contractor and then do the outsourcing for the other renovation works but we felt that that was too much work. As we’re both working full-time and rushing to move in, we felt that it would be too tiring to manage it all. We would also have to rack our brains to come up with the design for our home.

Thus, engaging an interior designer would be the best option for us as he can help you visualise how your home would look like after the renovation and give you a professional opinion.

Renovation Journey: A Warm Scandi Home
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Get Started On Your Renovation Journey

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