At A Glance
- Liang Hao and Cindy, 32 and 29, urban planners
- Size: 113 sqm / 1,216 sqft
- Location: Upper Serangoon Crescent (BTO)
- Cost of Renovation: $85,000
- Cost of Furnishing: $35,000
- Interior Design Firm: Habit
- Interior Designer: Yan Ling and Denise
When your interior designer is chasing you for things instead of the other way around, you know that they are very committed to your project and that you can trust them to get the job done. This was what Cindy and Liang Hao experienced while they were working with the designers from Habit.
We caught up with the couple for a chat and get them to share about the professionalism that Habit brought to the renovation process.
Qanvast: What made Habit unique from the other interior designers you met?
Cindy (C): Their design style is very different from the other interior design firms that we met. Most of the interior designers that we met proposed very standard designs. Thus, even though their quotation was slightly pricier, we felt that it’s worth it to enlist Habit’s services. They also had a huge tile selection for us to choose from.
Liang Hao (LH): During our first meeting with them, they left quite an impression on us. They were able to understand what we wanted without us having to explicitly mention it to them. We definitely felt comfortable with them.
C: I think it’s very important to be able to communicate with your interior designer. By communicating with them, you can get a sense of how professional they are.
Qanvast: What was your brief for your home?
C: We wanted our home to be done up in dark colours as we feel that it is more pleasing to the eye and the darker, cooler shades makes one feel more comfortable. We also wanted metallic accents around the home.
LH: Besides these, we told them that we wanted a study room and a storage cabinet. We also told them that we wanted to change the position of the kitchen door as we wanted to be able to utilise both sides of the kitchen.
Qanvast: Was it okay with you both that Habit does not provide 3D rendering services?
LH: It wasn't a concern to us. Their 2D drawing showed their understanding of the design style that we wanted and by looking at it, we were able to visualise how our home would turn out.
Qanvast: Did you seek Yan Ling and Denise’s opinions when purchasing your furniture?
C: Yes. Whenever we saw something that we think looks nice, we would seek their views. At times, they would even take the initiative to suggest pieces of furniture that we could consider purchasing.
Qanvast: What did you like best about Yan Ling and Denise?
C: They were very professional and efficient. In fact, they were the ones who were chasing us for things instead of the other way around. They also paid a lot of attention to detail when coming up with designs.
Qanvast: Can you tell us about some areas where Habit’s attention to detail can be seen?
C: Before they did up our kitchen cabinets, Yan Ling and Denise told us to purchase our appliances so that they could plan the design of the cabinets around our appliances. In the end, our kitchen cabinets turned out very nicely – it looks symmetrical and its lines are very nicely done.
They also asked us to measure the lengths of our clothes so that they could plan the height of the wardrobe accordingly. Their designs definitely reflect their precision.
Qanvast: Were you pleased with the way that your home turned out?
C: Yes. Yan Ling and Denise are amazing!
LH: When they handed over our home to us, we were unable to spot any flaws. In fact, they were the ones who told us that they spotted something and offered to rectify it for us. It was such a small flaw that we didn’t even notice!
After moving in, we discovered an issue with the Internet LAN cable and told Habit about it. Immediately, they sent their contractor down to fix the wiring for us. We didn’t expect them to send somebody so quickly. Furthermore, it was a Sunday night. They were really efficient!
Speak To Trusted Interior Firms
Looking to implement the same functional design for your home? Send in your request and we will match you with 5 trusted interior firms for free. All recommendations made by Qanvast will be protected under the Qanvast Guarantee scheme, up to S$50,000.
Not ready to renovate yet? Download the free Qanvast app from the App Store or Google Play to browse and save home ideas, costings and reviews of firms in Singapore. It's never too early to start your research.