Renovation Journey: European Aesthetic

At a Glance

• Ghim Song, 33, and Tiffany, 31, both in the oil and gas industry
• Size: 110 square metres
• Location: Clementi Avenue 4 (Block 312B)
• Cost of Renovation: $57,000
• Interior Design Firm: The Orange Cube
• Interior Designer: Karen

Loving the appeal of European homes, Ghim Song and Tiffany sought out interior designers who were experienced recreating their desired style, their search eventually leading them to The Orange Cube.

Qanvast: How did you start looking for interior designers?

Tiffany (T): Our friends told us to take a look at the projects on the Qanvast, so we started our search by using the platform. Looking at these pictures, we began shortlisting interior designers based on how closely their designs matched what we envisioned our home to look like.

Ghim Song (GS): After that, we sent in a complimentary quote request and Qanvast recommended five interior design firms to us.

Qanvast: What made you choose The Orange Cube out of the five interior designers that were recommended?

GS: Out of these five interior design firms, four were quite responsive and their pricing was very similar. Ultimately, we decided to enlist The Orange Cube’s services as their designs were the most similar to the style that we were aiming for and their office was conveniently located.

They were also able to do up 3D drawings for us during the discussion stage. Although we had to pay a small fee for these drawings, they were really useful in visualising how our home would look like. Eventually, this small fee was also absorbed into our main renovation costs.

Qanvast: Where did you source for home design inspiration?

T: We lived in Europe for about three years so that gave us a predefined idea of what we wanted our home to look like. With that in mind, we sourced for ideas on sites like Pinterest and Houzz.

Qanvast: How was it like working with Karen?

GS: Karen was very responsive. She followed up very closely with us and was very prompt in producing designs for us. Her attention to detail is also very good.

T: She came up with a lot of good designs that was in tune with what we had in mind. Whenever we had any doubts, Karen would also clarify it with us.

Qanvast: Was Karen able to keep to the timeline that you had set?

GS: We needed our house to be ready before Christmas and Karen really took that into consideration and put in a lot of effort to ensure that we could move in by then. When there were delays in the progress of the renovation, she would be on-site to oversee the renovation works and get those delays sorted out.

Qanvast: What are some tips you'd give first-time homeowners?

T: Allocate more money to your budget. In addition to the quotation given by your interior designer, you will also have to spend on things like the air-conditioning, lighting and electrical appliances which can add up to quite a bit.

GS: Plan early. We started planning about three to six months in advance. It helped as I was able to get a better sense of the budget ahead of time.

Qanvast: As a Qanvast user, can you share what you liked about the app?

GS: It’s very easy to use - we didn’t bother to try other apps as we felt that Qanvast was very user-friendly.

We liked the large selection of interior designers and projects. The articles are very useful – especially those which gave design inspiration matching the theme we were looking out for.

T: I think it’s a very good platform to kickstart your search for design inspiration and interior designers. With the firms’ past projects, homeowners are able to see which are most suitable for their desired design and at what cost.

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