Interior Designer Reviews

We had the pleasure of working with Roy when we renovated our house in two phases from 2020 to 2022. Roy listened to our needs and provided useful suggestions and advise. He was transparent and honest in communication and from beginning to end, was patient and accommodating. When we shared the scope of the renovation works with Roy and that we would continue to live in the house during the renovation period, he suggested that we split up the work into two phases to reduce inconvenience. He focused on the bathroom renovations on the 2nd floor of the house and tiling and painting of the porch area in the first phase. This allowed us to continue to use the kitchen and the common bathroom on the ground floor near the kitchen during this renovation period. In the 2nd phase, the whole kitchen and ground floor bathroom were cordoned off for renovation works but the family could still live relatively comfortably in the rest of the house. His experience and professionalism helped to reduce the discomfort of living in a house undergoing renovation. That decision was also very wise during the pandemic. After phase 1, there were problems with labour shortage and in the end, phase 2 started nearly two years later. We were thankful as we were not stuck in a massive abandoned project. What touched us also, was that Roy honoured the quotation for phase 2 which we agreed on two years earlier despite the escalating manpower cost since then. Renovating a house during the pandemic, posed challenges especially in manpower arrangements but Roy was able to ensure that in both phases, the main works were completed on-time with careful planning and scheduling. He remained helpful throughout and even went out of the way to visit the tile showroom to select tiles on our behalf when we were busy to do it ourselves. There were even some parts of the reno which he completed himself when manpower was not available or when he thought the workers could not handle well. We greatly appreciate his commitment and professionalism throughout the project. Thank you Roy!

My family is extremely elated with the final outcome of our new home which is in a dark modern theme. For the design, we worked with Edwin from Areana Creation and he did not disappoint us at all. He delivered a modern grey for us which is not too dark and at the same time soothing to the eyes. For the carpentry and TV console, a darker laminate was selected to bring out the contrast. He also suggested using a darker tone for the master bedroom main wall to accentuate it and make the wall the focal point of the room. Using a pair of trendy side lights, we were able to bring out the wall nicely while playing with lightning. Everything were well curated, handled properly and we were able to move in on schedule. Apart from the design, service and execution, Areana is also one of the ID firm providing fair and competitive pricings in their quotations which is greatly appreciated by consumers. Highly recommended for people to at least visit them at once during the sourcing phase for ID firms to at least furnish your requirements and get a quote. If you want a specific ID, then Edwin is the one you can request for. Design Always wanted a dark and modern theme for the home and chanced upon some good works done by the ID firm. Enquired via Hometrust and Edwin was assigned to take my enquiries at AZ for our first meetup. Edwin gave good and constructive feedback on how we can maximize our space (given that our space is small). He gave very good ideas for dark themed homes, how we can use lightning to bring out the dark theme and also how we can have a darker than normal wall for our MBR to accentuate it better. Workmanship The storage cabinets, TV console with feature wall were crafted as per expectations. Painting and electrical works were done well too. Service Edwin gives his 100% during his course of work and there is nothing we more could ask for for the great service that he has provided. He is a very hands-on person and if there are small issues like touching up of painting, silicone certain areas or even drilling some minor holes, he will definitely help. Maybe he can learn how to use Taobao so that he can help his customers better by recommending things to buy that matches their design ;) Value for Money Extremely value for money. Areana Creation provided the lowest quote out of a few IDs visited when sourcing for ID. Will consider them as one of the choices if looking for renovation works for another home.

I engaged Don from Areana Creation after many consults with different IDs. Don was friendly and gave his suggestions on how we can maximise the space according to our needs. He also went through the costs with lots of transparency which is good so I know what I'm paying for. He was patient and would contribute to ideas when we shared with him some designs that we researched on - his designs were practical and he would explain the pros and cons. I would recommend Don to anyone who's looking for a patient ID and who is willing to go the extra mile to check on the progress of reno. Design We shared our ideas and Don would build on it and give us his advice. Each time there was a change in design, he would show us the various versions on 3D which helped in decision making. Practicality was of importance to us and him and he would give appropriate advice. Workmanship Quality of materials was excellent. Carpentry was really good. Don is very meticulous and looks into every minor detail. Even if we spotted something he would immediately rectify it. Service Customer service exceeded our expectations. There was no hard selling even when he came for site visit. He is very responsive and promptly answers all queries. He is very accommodating when we request for some changes. Value for Money I believe the price is competitive and for the service and quality, it definitely is value for money!

We have engaged Shynn as our ID in Dec 2021. Due to delay in key collection, we have only obtained our keys in Q3 2022. Throughout the whole reno journey, Shynn is prompt with her response and is able to resolve reno issues in a satisfactory manner. We are also able to move in within the timeline agreed upon. While there are some post-reno touch-ups required, Shynn was quick to make necessary arrangements. All-in-all I consider my reno journey to be a relatively pleasant experience. Design We came to Shynn with the 2D layout we wanted. Shynn was patient in the colour and material selection process. Workmanship Workmanship is acceptable, however, some minor ratifications are required post-reno. Service recovery is good with necessary ratification works arranged in a prompt fashion. Service Service is great, with Shynn providing prompt responses to our concerns. Service recovery where needed is also arranged in an acceptable manner. Value for Money Based on our limited budget, we rate Areana Creation highly on the value for money scale. Shynn as our ID has also exercised some goodwill during our reno journey.

We read good reviews about our ID, Krino Lam from Hometrust and started engaging him for the major renovation of our 2nd matrimonial home. It is an old 5 room HDB which had been rented out for many years by the previous owner, and thus was far from the condition to becoming our dream home. From the start of engagement, we felt very comfortable discussing our ideas and needs with Krino. He has initially proposed some themes and design features, but as we are more inclined towards practicality & ease of maintenance, he modified his proposal to suit our requests without compromising on the aesthetics. Overall, we are very happy and satisfied with the service provided by Areana and Krino, and would not hesitate to recommend them to other homeowners. Design Krino is very knowledgeable not only in design but also the practical aspects of home renovation. In addition, he is very patient and collaborative. In many occasions we changed our minds about the design, and never for once he showed a sign of being frustrated or impatient. Instead, Krino genuinely tried to find ways to enhance our requests. He also has no slightest qualms about helping to liaise with my own suppliers like aircon contractors, appliance suppliers, etc. Workmanship Great workmanship, and we can tell that Krino has good relationship with his contractors. Our total renovation lasted for four months in 2021, when COVID restrictions still applied. Yet, both the duration and quality were not compromised. Even when a supplier for kitchen tabletop was unable to deliver due to staff shortage, Krino managed to get us replacement supplier with similar design with similar quality and without additional cost. Service Krino provides impeccable service throughout our renovation. He always return my call/whatsapp and is very open about sharing ideas and when faced with challenges. Now, a year after we moved in, we can still count on Krino to assist us in our renovation issues. When a neighbour complained about water leaking, Krino offered us to personally meet the HDB officer during inspection, and convinced her it was not from our unit. Sometimes he even drops by to do some touch up himself. Value for Money Absolutely. Areana may not provide the cheapest quote in absolute number but considering the amount of time we spent discussing the design, choice of materials, trouble-free renovation and excellent service support from Krino after we moved in, it is definitely money well spent.

Issues arised after we had moved into our house, renovated by Areana Creation, handled by Jasmine and Dave. Though this is not the first issue, but hopefully the last. Kitchen light tripped 3 times but did not trip the circuit breaker at home and at the riser. (16/12/22, 10/7/23, 11/7/23) Reported to BSC on 12/7/23, that the circuit breaker may be faulty. BSC officer and their team of electrician and workers came on 13/7/23. BSC’s electrician carried out megger and polarity test, before do the test on kitchen lighting point and another 6 nos. of lighting point. They found 5 nos. of lighting point connector were replaced by owners’ contractor, Areana Creation’s electrician. Immediately, we seeked Jasmine’s clarification via WhatsApp group chat, on why her electrician had replaced HDB’s connector with their connector for the lighting point. Jasmine did not reply to this question until we called Dave on 17/7/23 late morning. Dave replied on the same day, passed 8pm. Jasmine, Dave and 2 workers came on Friday, 21/7/23. Jasmine introduced the 2 workers as their electricians. We requested for their electrician license card for verification. The 2 workers refused to show us their electrician license card due to company policy. Trusting Jasmine and Dave, we let them into our house. Expecting their electricians to reinstate back to HDB’s connector and do trip test for the lighting point as we had earlier informed Jasmine and Dave. Jasmine said that their electrician need some time to buy the HDB’s connector. Monday early morning, 24/7/23, Master Bedroom light tripped! This time, Jasmine is swift to arrange for their electrician to come. Jasmine informed that this electrician is a supervisor electrician who will come but not herself and Dave. We requested for this electrician’s name but Jasmine did not give. Two workers in polo shirt bearing “Shun Heng Yiap Renovation Pte Ltd” came. We requested for their electrician license card for verification. Again they refused. One of them requested us to take their picture for Dave’s verification. Picture was sent via WhatsApp and Dave verified. Then, we allow them in. Dave's electrician proceeded to check the light switch and lighting point. He found the earth wire connected at kitchen lighting point was not looped to the circuit breaker. He searched in the ceiling hole for the earth wire which loop to the circuit breaker, and reconnected it at the kitchen lighting point. Then, he do the trip test, and it tripped the circuit breaker. Further, he found the wire connected at the Master Bedroom lighting point was not properly tightened, which caused the trip. Although this is not the first issue but hopefully, this will be the last issue for our house renovation by Areana Creation, handled by Jasmine and Dave.

My husband and I walked in to Areana Creation's office one weekday afternoon without any appointment, and were quickly attended to by Edwin. We had a clear idea of what we wanted to be renovated, and told him our idea. Just from the first meeting, he understood our idea quickly and easily, and were able to value add by giving us his opinions on some aspects to improve the design . However, we had a tight timeline for him to complete our project by. Job scope included masonry works, glass works, window frames, carpentry, worktop, plumbing works, electrical works, painting, and washing and cleaning for a 4 room BTO, that needed to be done within 5 weeks. Knowing that we were rushing this project, Edwin gave us a quotation within 2 hours and with the reasonable pricing, it was an easy decision for us to choose Areana. During the whole project, Edwin was responsive and patient with our queries, gave us timely updates with pictures, and often went even faster than the original tight timeline. Even when there was a problem with the electricity (HDB'S issue, not theirs), his electricians were willing to stay on after the issue was resolved, to continue with their work. The house was in move in condition even before the 5 weeks timeline was up, only with some minor touch ups to do afterwards. Every aspect of the renovation met my expectations and it was a smooth first renovation experience with Edwin. I would highly recommend him as he is able to quickly understand our design idea and deliver quality and timely work. Design Proposed design was aesthetically pleasing, simple, functional, yet easy to clean and maintain. Colour scheme was well thought of. Workmanship Construction of cabinets, wardrobe, and worktop were done quickly and efficiently, with no issues detected so far. Service Great customer service! Edwin was always responsive and kept us updated timely. He would go down to inspect whenever there's an installation (e.g. install electrical stuff, carpentry, worktop, etc) Value for Money Of all the ID firms that we have shortlisted and received a quotation from, Areana Creation's quote was the most reasonable and value for money.

I started my renovation journey by selecting three IDs from Hometrust and submitted my requirement details via Hometrust; I picked ID with the highest rating, ID with a high rating (Areana), and ID with a normal rating. I was contacted by the 1st ID with the highest rating at first and had a meeting with them. We initially thought that we would go with this ID. One day after I met with the 1st ID, Sherry from Areana contacted me and provided some design details. I was reluctant to provide all the details as I thought I would go with the first ID. Surprisingly, Sherry did an excellent job asking me to spill out all the design and details I had in mind. Without hesitation, I told Sherry all my design details via WhatsApp, and surprisingly she was very responsive and helpful. She did an excellent job explaining the details and suggesting what we could do to improve our design. Our first face-to-face meeting with 1st ID did not even discuss this kind of detail, and the 1st ID also only provided one rendered design of the kitchen. While Sherry kept providing me with the details and 3d drawing with few alternatives so we could visualize the result. Fast forward to the renovation work, Sherry again did a great job managing all of the contractors. When we requested for some changes, she would listen and were always willing to assess and tried to make it work. She would also provide useful advise when we had concerns which I really appreciate. There was a small hiccup during the renovation, but it's nothing that Sherry could not rectify quickly. She would chase the contractor to rectify the issue. The communication also went very smoothly. When we asked for details, Sherry would provide a detailed explanation with some drawing or photo to illustrate that. She also provided a regular progress update and let us know earlier if there was a hiccup or problem. She did come regularly to the site to monitor and QC the contractor's work. I could see that she really put in a lot of effort and was very professional in engaging us from the beginning, during renovation, and even after the renovation. We really had an enjoyable experience working with Sherry from Areana.

We are happy with the new look of our home that our ID, Lee May from Areana Creation(Ang Mo Kio) had created for our family. She is sincere, patient, and responsive. She focused on detail and was able to give advise. What impressed me was her design, selection of cabinet laminate and the color contrast. Definitely there was some issues during renovation, but she was able to resolve end of the day. The way she handles things is very professional. All my guest came to my home has complimented on how nice the house looks. Thank you so much Ms May and we really appreciate your great service you provided to us. Design Nice, practical and functional Workmanship Able to meet standard Service Sincere and helpful Value for Money Reasonable

I used a FB platform and sent out requests to get quotations for my simple renovation. Within the next 2-3 days, I received messages from 8-10 interior designers asking for my floor plan. Some quotations received were absurdly high in price when compared to the others. From these 8-10 IDs, I further narrowed it down to 3 IDs and eventually chose Eunice from Areana Creation Pte Ltd. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Eunice's responsiveness and willingness to patiently answer and enlighten me on my reno related queries even though i have not committed to signing up with Areana Creation. She also went the extra mile to draft a simple drawing of how the living room cabinet could possibly look like based on my requirements. Besides that, she asked valid questions like "how many shoes do do you need to store in the shoe cabinet" and "what are some of the things that would go into this storage cabinet" etc etc. This leads me to think that she understands that space is a constrain and that she needs to help create a functional & practical home and not just a showflat. All these while, I did impress on Eunice that i do not have a big budget for this project. Not only did Eunice not turn me away but patiently helped to source and think of ways to fit my reno requirements into my budget. Unlike some other IDs where they only accept bigger sum projects. Due to my previous nightmarish experience with another ID many many years ago, I have phobia that the reno worker may not do a proper job. Hence each time a worker was due to complete a certain job in my new house, I would personally take time off to check on the work done on site. And every time when a certain job was due, my ID Eunice would be there to oversee. There was one or two glitches over the installation of the different cabinets but Eunice would proactively inform me that she will settle and iron it out for me. Due to my limited funds, I bought 2 cheap bedside tables from Lazada that i had to assemble myself. As i am not a handy man and do not have the tools, I requested for my ID to check if the carpentry folks could help to assemble it for me when they come by to install my build-in cabinets. In the end, Eunice was the one rolling up her sleeves and she helped to assemble both my bedside tables for me. After the reno had been completed, Eunice assured me that Areana Creation Pte Ltd covers the works done for up to a year. I could still go to her if any issue crops up during this 1 year period (provided it is not due to wear and tear). Thank you Eunice for your service and a hassle free renovation in creating this home for us.