At a Glance
• Eugenia and Derrick, and their son, Jedidiah
• Size: 110 sqm / 1,184 sqft
• Location: Sumang Link
• Cost of renovation: $33,000
• Cost of furnishing and appliances: $22,000
• Interior design firm: Project Guru
• Interior designer: Shawn
Having lived in five different homes previously, Eugenia and Derrick knew what they liked and didn’t liked and needed an interior designer who could work with their requirements and customise a dream house for them.
We sat down for a chat with the couple and find out about the pleasant time that they had working with their designer, Shawn.
Qanvast: What was your vision for your home?
Eugenia (E): We wanted a home that has a minimalist design and that is easy to maintain. Since we have a child, we also wanted the space to be baby proof which is why we kept furniture to a minimum.
Derrick (D): That way, our home can be spacious. We wanted our son to have a space to run about and to have an environment which he has the freedom of exploring.
Qanvast: How did the Qanvast app ease your renovation journey?
E: It helped us a lot when we were coming up with ideas because we could browse through many projects and identify the types of designs that we liked or did not like.
Qanvast: Tell us how your search for an interior designer led you to decide on Shawn?
D: We assessed the firms that we met up with based on their quotation, design and communication skills, and we felt most comfortable with Shawn from Project Guru. We felt that he understands our requirements and we could also see where he was coming from.
Qanvast: What was one area in which Shawn distinctly stood out from his competitors?
E: He listens to what we want. As compared to him, one of the other interior designers that we had shortlisted was quite pushy with her ideas rather than coming up with designs that fulfilled our requirements.
Qanvast: Why did you decide to have the quadrant platform by the window?
D: We initially wanted a cosy corner that would double up as a play area for our son and Shawn proposed erecting a quadrant by the window which we felt was a nice idea.
Qanvast: How did Shawn help you during the material selection process?
E: Shawn went shopping for tiles with us and he helped us to select tiles that would match the design of our home. Originally, I was concerned that the matte floor tiles which he chose looked a bit cold and raw but Shawn advised us that it would give more character to the house so we decided to go with his suggestion. In the end, it turned out to be one of the best design decisions we made during the renovation and we really liked the look of the flooring. Furthermore, it feels very clean and is easy to maintain.
D: Shawn also helped us to select the material for our kitchen countertop. We were only considering quartz initially but he showed us the KompacPlus catalogue and shared with us about the benefits of choosing KompacPlus. He even did up a 3D drawing to show us how the material fits our theme.
Qanvast: What was one area in which you baby proofed your home?
E: We baby proofed the kitchen. We put our switches for the oven, the hood and the hob above the hood and concealed it because we do not want our son to play around with the switches – especially because our oven is at the bottom section of the kitchen counter.
Qanvast: Was there any instance where Shawn went above and beyond for you?
E: Yes. We told him from the beginning that we wanted to hang some guitars on the walls and he asked us to get the hooks for them. When the renovation was complete, he helped us to do the measurements and worked very closely with us on how we wanted the guitars to be placed on the wall. He also got his carpenters to help us to drill in the hooks. We were thankful that he went the extra mile to help us with this.
Qanvast: Were there any hiccups and how did Shawn handle their rectifications?
D: The silicone seals on our ceiling fell off a couple of times and Shawn was kind enough to send somebody over for the rectifications each time we told him about it.
E: Some of the cabinet doors in the kitchen also weren’t perfectly aligned so we alerted Shawn to it and he got the carpenters to come back almost instantly to rectify it. We appreciated that whenever there were rectification works to be done, he sent somebody on the same day or on the very next day.
Qanvast: What advice do you have for future homeowners who are looking to renovate?
E: Homeowners should find an interior designer who is open and honest. When shopping for furniture, they should be realistic about their ‘needs’ and their ‘wants’. For example, if they are thinking of having a rug in their home, they should consider whether they are willing to allocate extra time to clean the rug.
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