mummymantras

Pomelo Home also has some really cool posters. And they carry amazing stuff from Blu Dot and Established & Sons too!

Welcome to RT! I guess, based on the above, that your reno is already well underway? How has the journey been so far? I like your layout though (admittedly it's like no flat that I've ever seen before, however!) and I'm interested to see what your ID has done with it.

Was checking out the Goldhill website and I think that the Xpede system does look good! How much did you pay for it? I've been checking out motorised clothes hanging systems, and the cheapest I've found so far is from Woei Li. It's $790. But it's made in China and is rather ugly, to be frank.

Welcome to RT! Based on the above, I guess your reno is coming to an end, huh? How has the journey been so far?

Very nice! But actually there are also tiles and laminates that look like cement screed... so you could still have the look of cement screed without the bother or fuss. See pic below of an example of a kitchen with faux cement screed floors and walls.

Nope. They're too expensive for me too! The ID I mentioned above is a nice guy who runs his own interior design company and provides highly personalised service. Of all the IDs we've spoken to, we spent the longest amount of time with him. I think that says it all...

Take it from me, you can never have too many bedsheets or towels! Good call on the Scanpan knives. I've got a set of three and they work like a dream. I cut everything from whole chickens to stubborn root vegetables with those same knives! I'm a cheap chef!

I agree. I think a dark red (say, close to burgandy?) would look very inviting and delicious...

I agree! Truly lovely! I've always been very impressed by the quality and skill of the workmanship in Thailand.

That's why it's so refreshing to meet an ID smart enough to think of these things beforehand! I have so many friends who've had to suffer at the hands of illogical IDs. Their home is pretty to look at but impractical to live in. My fave example of this is a friend who can't open her fridge door fully because her bar counter is in the way! Sigh...

No worries. I know a lot of IDs get stressed over coming up with a quotation for their clients really quickly, but for a client like me (i.e. the sort of person who comes up with a 10-page design brief!), it's clear that my main criteria for selecting an ID is skill, creativity and common sense. The budget simply delineates the size of the playing field with which they have to play, so to speak. And my timeline is fairly flexible. IDs who have asked me intelligent questions are always the ones who interest me the most (and are the most likely to get the job!). And I doubt I'm the only one who thinks this way... So far I've been most impressed with an ID who: (1) asked me whether I was left-handed or right-handed when he set out to do space planning for my kitchen. A very good point! I hadn't realised how crucial this was! (2) asked whether my husband also wore glasses and whether he needed to put them on a side table next to the bed in the master bedroom at night (just like I do). An important consideration when space planning for a bedroom for a married couple! (3) asked for pictures of my current bookshelf and those posters which I intend to hang in the living room, so that he could select an appropriate colour scheme that would not clash with these 2 vital components of my home. Very smart! Anyway, I've been meeting quite a number of very interesting IDs over the last few days and I'm waiting to hear back from a lot of them too. Meanwhile, I'll be taking a short break...

Newnyew: You secret identity has been revealed!

Congrats on having almost exactly the same layout as us! I'm not kidding... The only difference is that the windows in your master bedroom are in a more sensible location.

We'll see... Hmmm...

Trust the Japanese to achieve something like that...

You should have told her that someday they would be worth a fortune if they are in pristine condition. She wouldn't have even dared to breathe on them after that!

Saw this on prody's t-blog and I totally agree to the complete awesomeness of LED tracklights. Yes, they are pricey. But it's just a short term pain for long term gain.

Good choice! LED tracklights are our favourite too and we intend to have them throughout our living spaces.

I'm strictly 'old school'. I never use an acronym unless the complete phrase is far too long to type out in full, or if it's already a commonly accepted phrase (e.g. ECP, CPF, HDB). In fact, when I was a teacher (ages ago!), my students used to joke that they always knew whether SMSes they received were from me... I was the only person they knew who wrote grammatically correct messages, constructed with whole words! And the funny thing was that they grew to like it. And insisted that I should not change the way I wrote. And slowly they started to reply to me in complete, grammatical sentences too. I started a mini revolution...

Ahem... and, of course, newnyew! Will try to take dimensions of my posters / artworks tomorrow. Mummy a bit busy...

I also find it entertaining how Singaporeans just love to create acronyms for everything! Which can leave people who aren't in the know, more than just a bit bewildered... For example, when I first started reading Renotalk, I'd come across phrases like "FSM" and "MSB" and I seriously wondered what on earth these acronyms stood for and whether Renotalkers were up to a lot more than just home improvement!

Admittedly, I only thought of trying Henry and Alan 'cos my budget is so tight. So, I was hoping that if I could tell either of them exactly what I want, maybe they might be able to manage to carry it out cheaply... Anyway, there's no harm asking! Neither of them has gotten back to me yet, after my initial phonecall and email to them. I think they are having difficulty going through my 10-page design brief. They probably keep on falling asleep after page 2... Maybe I'll try Jaskel... We'll see...

Thailand really has some of the best and most creative young designers in Southeast Asia. And they have a great deal of pride in and local support for homegrown talent. In other parts of Asia, we pride ourselves on buying fake designer knockoffs... I'm not surprised that of all the countries in Asia, it is Thailand that has a local edition of Wallpaper*. They really do enjoy and celebrate original design.

Hi All, Just an update on the IDs / contractors whom I'm (still) talking to: (1) Loyd Pek of D Home (a Renotalk fave): Had a facinating meeting with him. He really does have some amazing ideas! Still waiting for his final design proposal and quotation. (2) The Carpenter's: Still waiting for their final design proposal and quotation. (3) The Design Practice: Will be meeting them soon to discuss our design needs. (4) Brick & Tungsten: Just happened to pass by their office one day and fell in love with it! Will be meeting them soon to discuss our design needs further. (5) Free Space Intent: They seem enthusiastic. Still waiting for their final design proposal and quotation. (6) Interdesign: Will be meeting them soon to discuss our design needs. (7) Bara Interior: Will be meeting them soon to discuss our design needs. (8) k* Interior: Had a moderately interesting meeting with them. Will be meeting them soon to see their final design proposal and quotation. (9) Henry of ID Note (also a Renotalk fave): Nice 'uncle' type. Still waiting for his quotation. (10) Alan Furniture & Renovation (another Renotalk fave): Nice but slightly forgetful 'uncle' type. Still waiting for his quotation. The search continues...

Wow! At 149 sq m, that's a lot more than just reasonable. That's huge! Have you selected an ID to work with yet or are you still hunting?