At A Glance:
- Home to: Alan and Debbie, in their early 30’s, finance and legal industry, with 2 kids Nathanael and Ethan
- Size: 82 sqm / 883 sqft
- Location: Dawson SkyTerrace
- Cost of renovation: $37,000 + 5,000 for flooring
- Cost of furnishings: $20,000
- Interior design firm: Dyel Design
- Interior designer: Diana
It’s hard not to go green with envy the moment you stepped into this DBSS. It’s bold, dreamy and makes you want to go home to everyday. It’s the perfect embodiment of stylish living.
We speak to homeowners, Alan and Debbie on how they transformed their place into a minimalist-styled home that went bold with patterns.
Qanvast: Can you share with us how you started sourcing for design ideas for your new home?
Alan (A): It was only after we have gotten our keys that we started putting thoughts into the designs that we would like to have for our new home. Both Debbie and I agreed on the Scandinavian theme and we did some research based on the relevant keywords. We wanted something minimalistic, but nothing too plain.
Debbie (D): We noticed that the trend lately revolves around the Scandindustrial theme but we wanted an interior that is clean and simple.
Qanvast: How did you search for an interior designer?
D: We sourced online and sieved through magazines to look for a suitable interior designer who could help us with designing our home.
There was a point where we felt overwhelmed with ideas and information and that was when Qanvast came into the picture. We dropped a quote request and Qanvast helped ease the search process by narrowing down a few interior design firms for us, after getting to know our preferences.
Qanvast: Did you meet up with many interior designers during your search for the right professional?
D: We were matched with several interior design firms from Qanvast but we only managed to meet up with Diana from Dyel Design, as we have already met 4 to 5 interior designers before Qanvast. That’s a comfortable number and we didn’t want to meet more as it is pretty time-consuming.
Dyel Design was the last interior designer that we met up with. We were attracted to their portfolio as their designs are very clean and sleek.
Qanvast: Why did you select Dyel Design out of all the interior designers whom you have spoken to?
D: Diana is incredibly creative and out of all the interior designers we met, Diana was the only one who went the extra mile to prepare a moodboard for us. After seeing her moodboard and her subsequent drawings, we were convinced that she would be able to deliver the style we were going for.
A: She also came up with brilliant ideas on how we can maximise our space. Considering how small our unit is, we were worried about the limitations the home design would be since the designs had to accommodate so many of us, but it was amazing how Diana managed to transform our spaces! We were especially swooned by the idea where Diana proposed a wardrobe that connects to our bathroom.
Qanvast: How was it like working with Diana?
D: Diana is a bubby person so she is very easy to work with. We appreciate that she is always very helpful in coming up with solutions each time we faced problems along the renovation.
Since we were renting a place before we bought this unit, we had a strict timeline to follow and Diana managed to do the handover, as promised, and she was able to meet our timeline to move in within 6 weeks.
Qanvast: Do you have a favourite part of the house?
D: For me, it would be the living room. We like how we can enjoy and spend some family time in that cosy corner after a long day at work.
A: Since we love to cook, we also like the open-concept kitchen. It’s a great area to whip up simple dishes every day. Diana made an effort to understand our lifestyle and all our preferences were taken into consideration during the design process.
Qanvast: It’s not easy to find the right furniture to match your home interior. Was it difficult to hunt for the furniture pieces?
A: Yes, it was a big headache because we didn’t know where to start looking for them. Most of the designs we found were not to our liking as they were all very loud and too elaborate.
D: It is not easy to ensure that the colour palette is consistent throughout the house. As we have decided to go for white and grey colours, we have to get furniture that falls within the same colour palette. We went through several stores and online platforms. Thankfully, Diana had made our task easier with her advice whenever we sought her opinions.
Qanvast: Share some tips for new homeowners.
D: You have to be diligent in doing your own research and you should not settle with just talking to 1 or 2 interior designers. It is important to compare among different interior designers as some of them might not be able to give you the right ideas that fit your needs and lifestyle.
You must also have a clear idea of what you like so you wouldn’t get confused with an overwhelming amount of information there out there.
Looking to create your dream home like how Alan and Debbie did? Drop us a quote request today and we can connect you with 5 trusted interior design firms, based on your renovation requirements.
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