At A Glance
- Benny and Karen, sales and marketing, 30 and 28
- Home to two adults
- Area size: 92 sqm / 990 sqft
- Location: Punggol Drive
- Cost of Renovation: $31,000
- Cost of Furnishing and Appliances: $15,000
- Interior Design Firm: Posh Home
- Interior Designer: Robin
While a $30,000 budget might seem daunting, Robin from Posh Homes was able to work around it to give Karen and Benny the spacious Scandinavian home that they desired. By cutting down on certain furniture and spending in the right places, Robin made the most of the budget and helped the young lovebirds to build a beautiful love nest.
We sit down for a chat with the pair and find out how much they managed to achieve with their tight budget.
Qanvast: How did the Qanvast app ease your renovation journey?
Karen (K): The app facilitated our research process since it was easy to scroll through other homeowners’ apartment. I decided on a white colour scheme for my home precisely because I came across quite a few homes where the white colour scheme helped to make the house look bigger.
Besides using the app to source for design ideas, I also relied on the provided budgets to shortlist interior designers who could fit our budget.
Qanvast: Out of all the interior designers that you shortlisted, what made you choose Posh Home?
K: When we met up with Robin from Posh Homes he was able to explain his plan for the layout of our home. That is something which I highly value as I believe that the layout of the house is one of the more important aspects of the home renovation.
Robin also brought us to visit one of their showrooms at Punggol Waterway Terraces and we were really impressed by it. The home looked big and uncluttered, and there were many special space-saving features which Robin designed. His workmanship was stunning.
Benny (B): We observed the built-in furniture in their showflat and the wood furnishing reflected an attention to detail. That convinced us that we would be making the right choice to go with Posh Home.
Qanvast: Was there anything in particular which you wanted for your apartment?
K: I wanted an L-shaped cupboard in my master bedroom. As I have a lot of clothes, I wanted to have sufficient storage space to store my clothes. We also told Robin to leave a one metre gap within our bedroom so that we could put a single bed there in future if we decide to have children.
For the kitchen, I wanted a semi-open design so that the whole house would look bigger.
Qanvast: What was some good advice that Robin gave you for your home renovation?
K: Going into the renovation, I was deliberating between a few themes such as modern, minimalist and Victorian. Robin was straightforward and told me that a Victorian look would not be possible with the budget of $30,000 that I had set. He suggested that I consider a Scandinavian home as it would go well with a white colour scheme and help to achieve the spacious feel which I wanted.
Qanvast: How was working with a $30,000 budget like?
K: It was challenging. Robin recommended that we take a renovation loan and he introduced somebody from the bank to help us with it. On his side, Robin was accepting of our budget and he found ways to work around the budget to give us the features which we wanted like the feature wall.
B: In light of our budget, he also helped us to source for more affordable materials and furnishings.
Qanvast: So, Robin was quite helpful in helping you all to cut costs?
K: Yes. Initially, we wanted to do built-in cupboards and wardrobes for the guest rooms. However, Robin advised us against it and suggested that we leave those rooms alone first as we have no plans for them. His practical advice helped us to save quite a bit.
Robin also advised us against building unnecessary features such as the tile base for the washing machine. He said that not many homeowners use water to wash the floor tiles so a tile base is redundant and that we could save money by not building that.
Qanvast: What else did Robin do which impressed you?
K: We felt that he is very responsive. There was this time where our air-conditioning contractor needed to speak to Robin about the piping. Despite it being a public holiday, Robin travelled all the way down to discuss about the piping with the contractor. We appreciated that.
Speak To Trusted Interior Firms
Unsure how to plan and implement the same chic and functional design for your home? Let us recommend you several experts for the job. All you have to do is 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 $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.