The Local INN.terior 新家室

From the start of our renovation journey, we knew that we wanted someone with strong project management skills and forward thinking capabilities, as well as being able to advise on aesthetics. With this in mind, we took a leap of faith with JJ from the local innterior as he was one of the rare few IDs that left a good impression on us during the exploration stage. True enough, once we conceptualised the layout and design of the place, the renovation process moved very quickly and took only effectively 8-9 weeks to complete which is almost unheard of. Moreover, we never once felt that quality of workmanship was compromised in any way, and if there were any instances where we were not the most happy with the outcome, he rectified this at a speed that we weren’t even expecting (there was an instance where this happened on the very working day we raised our concerns). The efficient renovation process was really only possible because of his project management skills. After working with him over these intense weeks, it was blatantly obvious that his project management skills are stellar - the overall timeline was set out clearly for us, key milestones specified, and not only was he always ahead of his own plan, we can confidently say that there was no days in between where the house was left in idle mode and no work was done. Every single day was optimised, where we noticed that he scheduled a couple of contractors working on different parts of the house, yet ensuring that the process was seamless and there was no disruption to any of the other work streams. We were also very impressed by the fact that there were hardly any hiccups to the project - he knew exactly the right order that things have to be done and we never had to experience crisis management in any step of the way. Other than his project management skills, it is also worth calling out his attention to detail, meticulousness, as well as quick response to all our queries (he replies us even at wee hours) and these were all the traits we were looking out for in an ID. His good relationship with his contractors was also demonstrated in the many instances his contractors responded quickly to our work requests and all of the above is only possible when one has a wealth of experience in this field as well as continually exhibiting humility and professionalism. Project management aside, we were much more involved at the design stage rather than leaving it up to him as our view is that preferences can really vary from individuals, so we cannot really comment on his aesthetic eye but we depended on him to be the decision-maker whenever we were at crossroads re aesthetics and he hasn’t failed us so far. Overall, would highly recommend if you are looking for an accountable and responsible project manager for the possibly biggest ever purchase you will ever make in your lifetime.

Our experience in working with Lydia for the renovation of our home has been a rewarding and positive one. Lydia proposed several designs to begin with, they served as good platform for discussion. Along the way, she gave us a lot of flexibility on implementing our own wish list. She helped turn our ideas into something tangible through her design knowledge and experience. When designing the space, Lydia was incredibly efficient, she came up with innovative solutions to make the most out of our limited square footage. It was almost like a ‘bigger house’ transformation as everything seemed to fit perfectly into place. The way Lydia communicating and follow up were particularly impressive. She was assertive and honest with us about the timeline, costs and how she would go about planning and organizing the renovation. The team which she brought in were mostly meticulous and produce good quality works. In some rare cases which things did not go as per plan, we see she used her strength in communicate-with-assertiveness-and-tactfulness well to bring back team on track. We were never left in dark and she was able to provide solid answer to our questions. We see no excuse but sincerity to provide solution. Overall, Lydia’s professionalism, assertiveness and knowledge were invaluable to the success of the project.

JJ was very helpful right from our first meeting, even though we have not confirm him nor the firm, he met us 4 times to address questions that we had. We also found him to be very practical and genuine who looked to help us cut unnecessary costs, contrary to what many perceptions of IDs are like. He was also very prompt in his replies to us and was, at times, chasing us along the process instead of the other way round, underlining his strong project management skills. We also like that he was very proactive, instead of reactive, booking and stacking our contractors so that no time was wasted and we can proceed with the journey smoothly. I would say that we are not the easiest of clients to deal with but JJ has managed us and our expectations well through the process.