At A Glance
• Janie and her husband, and their two sons
• Size: 130 sqm / 1,400 sqft
• Location: Jurong West Street 64
• Cost of renovation: $70,000
• Interior design firm: EC Vision Design
• Interior designer: Leanne and Aaron
Wanting an interior designer who could give them great designs at a reasonable price, Janie and her husband set their sights on EC Vision Design.
We sit down with Janie and get her to tell us about the hiccups that came with renovating a resale unit and how EC Vision helped to solve these issues.
Qanvast: How did your search for an interior designer lead you to select EC Vision?
J: Out of the five interior design firms which Qanvast recommended, I felt that EC Vision’s designs were the closest to what I wanted. Furthermore, their quotation was within my budget. Their office was also the nearest to my home.
Qanvast: Did you want a black and white theme from the onset?
J: Initially we wanted a design with mostly wood elements. However, after further discussion with my husband, we felt that a black and white theme would be better as it looks classier and more contemporary. At the same time, it still has the clean, simple and zen look which was what we wanted.
Qanvast: How did you collaborate with EC Vision on the design of your home?
J: I showed Leanne pictures of home interior designs which I had downloaded from Qanvast and other websites and told her that we wanted something similar to that. She was then able to come up with some concept drawings and the 3D design based on my requirements.
Qanvast: Was there anything special that Leanne and Aaron did for your boys’ rooms?
J: Yes Leanne and Aaron customised the beds such that they came with an attached bookshelf and built-in cupboards. When planning the design, they requested for the heights of the mattresses so that the cupboard doors can open smoothly and not get jammed by the mattresses. They also took in account the position of the bed by the window and proposed an open bookshelf instead of a closed one to maximise the space.
Qanvast: How did Leanne and Aaron handle any rectifications that needed to be done?
J: Leanne and Aaron were often on site so that they could conduct spot checks on the workmanship of their contractors. When it came to the major rectifications, I did not need to highlight these issues to them as they would have already pointed it out and asked their contractors to rectify it.
Qanvast: Tell us about one hiccup that occurred during your renovation.
J: There was an existing vanity in this home which I planned to redo. After hacking, Leanne and Aaron realised that there were a lot of winding pipes within the vanity. This was an issue as I planned to use the space underneath the vanity countertop to store towels.
Qanvast: Oh dear. How did Leanne and Aaron deal with this issue?
J: They brainstormed for ideas on how to solve this issue and presented me with two options and their downsides. They could build the vanity around the pipe but that would mean that the pipe would cut through the vanity and take up a lot of space. The second option would be to do a roundabout pipe which means that there would be more space but which may result in the wastage getting choked.
After some consideration, I decided to adopt the second option since I felt that there would be minimal risk of the wastage getting choked as I only use the vanity for washing my face and cleaning my hands. Leanne and Aaron thus got down to planning how many bends there should be in the pipe such that there would be minimal risk of choked waste.
Qanvast: Was there any occasion where Leanne and Aaron impressed you with their work ethic?
J: Yes. After the electrical re-wiring was completed, my husband realised that he needed a few more electrical outlets so Leanne and Aaron had to brainstorm of a way to connect the additional outlets to the electrical points without affecting the whole design. They were really very accommodating and helped us to incorporate these electrical outlets in a way that was visually pleasing.
Qanvast: Do you have advice for homeowners who are looking to renovate?
J: They should try to find a good interior designer because a good interior designer would guide them through the potential problems that they will encounter and help them to solve these problems if they do occur. As homeowners with no experience in the renovation line, we might not know how to deal with these renovation hiccups so we need someone who can help us to solve these issues.
A good interior designer will also have the experience in getting their contractors to produce good quality workmanship which is something that is very important.
Qanvast: How did you find your renovation journey?
J: This is my first time renovating and it was very fulfilling to see how my ideas were executed and put into shape by EC Vision. I was particularly happy with the way that my vanity and wardrobe were done up.
It was also very exciting to go around hunting for furnishings because whenever I saw something that matches the overall design, I felt very satisfied.
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