At a Glance
- Adele, 38, personal assistant
- Home to: 2 adults and a child
- Location: SkyTerrace @ Dawson (DBSS)
- Size: 85 sqm / 915 sqft
- Cost of renovation: $40,000
- Cost of furnishing: $20,000
- Interior design firm: Hue Concept
- Interior designer: Aclester
Being new to the interior design scene, Adele and her husband were extremely fortunate to have Aclester from Hue Concept help them out with their home’s interior design. Though there were plenty of space constraints within the home, the three worked together to overcome these challenges and many innovative space-saving ideas were implemented throughout the home. Read on to find out more about the creation of this modern home that is perfect for the family’s lifestyle.
Qanvast: Is there a design concept you were after for your home?
Adele (A): We wanted a simple design, nothing that is too complicated. Initially, we planned on having a Scandinavian home but after deliberating, we were unsure how long the Scandinavian trend would last. Hence, we went for the safer option - a black-and-white theme. As we have a small child at home, we needed to take him into consideration too when designing our place.
As our floor area is pretty small, we decided to do away a dining room as it might end up confining the place even further, plus we hardly dine at home due to our busy work schedules. Instead, we got the convertible coffee-to-dining table at Molecule.
Qanvast: The open bar is another interesting concept. How did you come up with this idea?
A: It was actually Aclester’s proposal [laughs]. Knowing that we didn’t have a dining room, he suggested that we build this kitchen counter which can be extended to form a bar table. That way, on days when we do have meals at home, we can simply pull it out and push down the panels to form a table.
Qanvast: How was it like working with Aclester from Hue Concept?
A: It was very good! When there were things that we wanted, we could easily communicate them to Aclester. He has been accommodative to all the requests put forth by my husband and I.
Qanvast: Were there any complications which arose during the renovation?
A: There was a need to re-do the platform in our son’s room because it was higher than what we intended it to be. Nevertheless, putting that aside, the renovation went pretty smoothly.
Qanvast: How did you go about sourcing for furniture?
A: Aclester gave us suggestions to check out some stores in Kaki Bukit to shop for furniture. As we had to take care of our kid, it was difficult for us to go out of our way to source for furniture, so we decided to browse in places that are more convenient for us.
As first-time homeowners and considering the fact that we are both not familiar when it comes to home décor, we just walked into various furniture stores and kept a lookout for the furniture that we needed. We are not too particular when it comes to the brands of the furniture. For us, practicality is the most important factor when selecting a furniture. If we needed an extra opinion, we would take pictures of the furniture that we like and share them with Aclester for his professional advice.
Qanvast: Do you have any tips for first-time homeowners?
A: First-time homeowners should anticipate how the carpentry dimensions in the 3D drawings would translate into real life. For example, a feature might appear small in the drawings but ends up being larger than your expectations. That was what happened to our storage feature wall in the living room.
It’s important for homeowners to engage an interior designer whom they have chemistry with so that they can share their ideas across comfortably. Additionally, homeowners must be firm with what they want. I have friends who wavered and kept changing their minds throughout the entire renovation process which potentially make it a frustrating process for interior designers. This might end up affecting the working relationship between the homeowners and interior designer.
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