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nirvani

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Posts posted by nirvani

  9. Posted

    I went to those places you mentioned as well but the prices were prohibitive.

    The Japanese pieces although nice, don't seem to work very well for HDB scale. It looks a bit strange in a HDB, I can't put a finger on it. Also the they are rather pricey..

    We didn't like Ethnicraft at all, as the furniture were all so expensive and the surface has that rough unfinished feeling. It might be designer or environmentally friendly, but its not for us.

    We also went to Hommage to check out their Japanese oak wood furnitures. Another place which you can consider is Ethnicraft. But all their prices are steep.

    Scanteak choice is good, I think it will last generations when furniture are taken care of. We bought Scanteak pieces too.

  11. Posted

    Bought a home automation controller, a door sensor and a smart plug to test out. Intending to automate my new home, like having the lights come on automatically in the evenings or go off when we go to sleep or go out, knowing when someone opens the door or Windows as security measure, etc. The possibilities are endless! No more slapping your forehead when you forget to swith off the lights when you go on vacation..

    Managed to setup a simple scene for my current bedroom. Can't wait to get more sensors and devices when I do my renovation.

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  12. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    Paid deposit on LG Artcool Platinum white color with Best Tech. Yes heard many bad reviews about this company but I signed up anyway due to their competitive pricing and flexibility in allowing me to change to other brand aircon whenever I want, as long as I give advanced notice. They are also using the Yamato denki contiguous piping that doesn't need to be connected with masking tape like traditional armaflex. Masking tape is a point of failure, no matter how thick or good quality the armaflex insulation is. Sounds logical to me.

    LG Artcool Platinum White System 4

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    Should I change to Mitsubishi instead? Sitting on the fence on this one.. If I change I also get a discount as mitsubishi is 200 cheaper than the LG

  15. Posted

    Purchased the following items for kitchen from Hoe Kee..

    Blanco Metra 9 Composite Sink

    Also got a metal sponge tray and a bamboo chopping board which integrates nicely with the sink. Can't wait to see it installed.

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    Blanco Mida Composite Sink Mixer

    Goes well with the sink.

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    Bosch Serie 4 90cm Slimline Hood

    Its a telescopic hood which slides in to be flush with the kitchen cabinet. Extraction rate isn't really good but we don't plan to cook much anyway and its on offer.

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    Bosch Serie 2 Gas Hob

    Also on Bosch year end offer.. ok price for a branded appliance, similarly priced to regular brands. The knobs are stainless steel and the trays are fully removable to make cleaning easy. Only comes in black tempered glass.

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  17. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    Hihi, may I know where did you purchase your bidet and how much does it cost you? Everyone looked at me with a look of disapproval whenever I mentioned abou my intention of having a bidet!

    You can get it from Ideal Merchandise near lavender. It's 300+. They specialize in bidets and even have the Toto ones. I would get but I'm not planning to run power to the bathrooms so can only go for manual or battery operated one.

    Bidet is common in Japan and Korea but somehow people don't take to it here.. I think you can save a lot of toilet paper by using it and it's cleaner too.

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    Paid deposit on Hunter Douglas replica sheer fabric blinds, by a brand called Woorichang. Price is reasonable and actually comparable to if I do higher end curtains.

    The picture shown below is from Hunter Douglas but it looks exactly like it. Style can be chosen when the guys take the site measurement and according to the salesperson he will advise us on style and colours when he view our place.

    Woorichang WIN.US Blinds

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  19. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    How can a house be Japanese themed without an electronic bidet? This is one of the must haves for me, and it was actually the very first purchase I made. I cash and carried and its now taking up space in my bedroom. :wacko:

    After checking with a number of IDs and contractors (all of whom say different things!), I thought that my dream of having an electronic bidet would never materialise... until I saw this battery operated one. No power supply is needed, and it comes with all the functions of a powered bidet, except for seat and water heating and a dryer. Good enough for me.

    Coway BA17 Bidet

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  20. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    Bought more stuff. Underestimated the budget we needed and the purchases just keep piling up. Before we know it we have spent 20k, and renovations haven't even started yet!

    I am highly particular about water quality, therefore I decided not to compromise on the sanitary fittings. Additionally, it is a pain and will cause more to fix leaks from a lousy tap. Mixers are something you use daily and I think it pays to get a good one.

    Grohe Euphoria shower system with thermostatic mixer

    For the master bathroom. Promo price quite good, so I grab :)

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    Grohe New Tempesta Shower and Eurosmart shower mixer for the common bathroom

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    Grohe Eurosmart Basin Mixer x2 for the basins

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  21. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    Allure Vinyl Flooring from Evorich

    Paid deposit to overlay flooring for the entire house. Currently the flat is laid with HDB original homogenous tiles. Will be overlaying with Allure brand Markham Oak Light. Still undecided on whether to have skirting or not, as that is a difference of 1k. I don't like skirtings as I can't place furniture flush to the wall and there is always a gap where dust and little critters can hide :wacko:

    Any opinions on whether we should do skirting?

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  22. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    Due to the constant year end sales, we have gone ahead to purchase most of our appliances!

    Hitachi R-SF45DMS 6-Door Fridge

    Always wanted to have a cool Japanese 6 door fridge and now I bought it. Bought during Harvey Norman sale and came with a Hitachi rice cooker and a Hitachi stand fan!

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    Hitachi MRO-AV200E Superheated Steam Oven

    Bought during Harvey Norman sale for quite a good price. Also came with a free Hitachi vaccum cleaner.

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    LG WD-14A8FDS5 9KG Steam Washer

    This comes with steam wash which we want for the ability to kill germs.

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    EF FDR-106S Dryer

    We were told this is exactly the same as the Elba branded one and is made in England. We got this as we just want a simple and cheap dryer.

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    Spin Savannah Fan

    When we went down to the showroom, we were told that they are out of stock and we have to wait for 2-3 months. No issues since we won't be needing it anytime soon so we just paid the deposit and booked it first for delivery next year. Apparently its quite popular?

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  23. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    We got most of our stuff from Scanteak. I know teak isn't exactly in line with our theme, but we just couldn't pass up solid wood furniture at those promotional prices. Besides, its really hard to find light oak furniture in Singapore. I came across Hommage Lifestyle and would have gotten the complete set of their Japanese furniture, if I had not already bought all of these! Argh... :bangwall:

    Scanteak Flip TV Console

    The only piece we bought from Scanteak that isn't solid wood. Should I change this for the Prologue range TV console? We still have some time to decide...

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    Scanteak Slank Dining Table 150cm

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    Scanteak Kontour Chair

    Bought 2 pieces, comes with free seat cushions.

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    Scanteak Prologue Duo Bench

    Originally intended to get all Prologue range, but after seeing it in person, decided that some of the items like the sofa were too small. If we had a 3 room BTO I would probably buy the range.

    In the end, the bench was the only thing from Prologue that we got.

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    Scanteak Lifestyle Display Unit

    Intending to place this in front of the main entrance, since we have no more budget to engage ID to do a customised partition. This was bought on promo price. We'll see what happens.

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    Coria Sofa

    Excellent sofa which is 1m deep for some lazy lounging in front of the TV. The sofa can be completely re-upholstered by yourself, and we paid $100 for an extra set of fabric in a different colour.

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  24. Posted · Edited by nirvani

    We approached quite a number of IDs, but in the end we decided we will probably not engage any, as most of them are not able to provide any innovative ideas or design. There is only one ID whom we feel satisfies our criteria and understand the concept we are going for, but regrettably due to budget constraints we have decided more or less to do it ourselves and engage a non ID renovation contractor for our works. Hope this is the right choice. **Will post our shortlisted ID at a later date**

    Below is a review of the IDs we went to, in no particular order. I will update this post as I remember them so do check back frequently for updates.

    Contacted through Renotalk RFQ

    Artisan Space (KIV)

    Extremely affordable quote. Went down to see their workmanship and it is alright to me. Only downside is the ID is not really an ID. The design is done by an in-house designer. Also, design is quite standard, not really very modern sort. Components used also not exactly the top notch kind. If we were going for basic no frills renovation, this will be our top choice due to the excellent price. KIVed for minor renovation works.

    96 Degree (KIV)

    Not bad, ID stayed back alone on a rainy Sunday afternoon to meet me. Quite a fair quote and might explore further if I need to do minor works and cannot get a satisfactory contractor.

    9 Creation

    Went down to a flat they completed. Workmanship ok, but I noticed paint splotches at the edges of their built in carpentry. The owners are already staying inside and how they can accept that is beyond me. Didn't the painters mask the carpentry before doing their painting? Quote wasn't exactly the cheapest as well.

    S.K.Y Creation

    Got a canned message from their CEO saying we can go down to their showroom anytime to get a quote. When we went they didn't seem particularly interested in serving us. We communicated our requirements anyway and got a quote. Not exactly the cheapest, although they do list down all their itemised pricings in a huge pdf file.

    Urban Design

    Postponed our appointment two times in a single day, wasting my precious Saturday. I shudder to think what would happen if I engage such an ID. Decided not to meet.

    Contacted by ourselves

    Meter Square

    Met up with the ID and communicated our requirements and budget, which I said was 40k. Was told I would get a quote the following week but didn't hear back at all. Messaged the ID 3 weeks later but she never bothered to even reply to that. I guess our budget and project is not worth her time.

    The Design Practice

    Sent email, didn't reply back to me at all. Maybe they don't do HDB flat?

    Rezt & Relax

    The ID spent a lot of time with us and worked on the quote to try to match our budget. We like the quality and workmanship as well. However, the quote was just too high. Moreover, ideas presented seem to be 90% like the other units in their portfolio. Didn't see any new ideas they can offer.

    Ciseern

    Always at the home shows. Quotes are not really cheap, although quality (at least their showroom) seems fine. Don't think this company is within our budget.

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