My only comfort is knowing that there are so many bad experiences like ours that we can share in. That's a real shame that there is not a proper accreditation body for interior designers in Singapore and there is no quality benchmarks and proper training and ethics in this field... which you would think necessary, for an intimate job as handing someone's home. We reported our interior designer to the police for fraud and cheating and the police said they receive more than 100 calls a month regarding renovators alone. Our mistake was to put too much weight and value on the reviews, the "amazing photography" and the number of Facebook likes. Good reviews and likes can be bought. Go by word of mouth. Do your homework thoroughly. Be suspicious if they haven't done a job for a while. Check in the CASE website for resources. Don't be afraid to spend time interviewing Ids and dropping those that seem "nice". They are doing a HUGE job for you! I made a mistake to ignore some bad 2016-2017 reviews about Flipside Design (about their low quality renovation, i.e. doors fell apart, and rude communication, refusal to rectify renovation work) and hired them. I have too many dissatisfactions to list. Their contract terms are vague from the start and did not include many of the recommended aspects of a good contract, as listed in CASE, such as clear timelines, and spaced out instalments. They had demanded full payment upfront, which CASE had indicated as a big red flag. Please go to CASE for some ideas on what makes a good renovation contract. Their design work was poor and unfinished, resembling a template of sorts, despite our repeated feedback. Obviously, it was not only money gone down the drain for us, and lots of time and mental health spent chasing them. It was a horrifying experience and I would highly recommend that no one would use them. They are a terrible business in every way, and has no ethics whatsoever.
