White Space Living

[noriko_sy 0]

i used them in 2004 for my 5rm flat, very pleased with their design / service and project management

now i just got my dreamhouse (that's why i searched and found this thread) - they are automatically shortlisted.

manage to meet the same designer who did our flat, feel quite comfortable so far...see how it goes...

can u share who is the designer?

[Veracity 0]

Hi Noriko_Sy

Is it ok you share which designer you met? I just met them recently. Must s

[Amyk 0]

My new place reno was done by them last yr. Good quality, professional n creative. Alot of my frens had positive feedback after seeing my place

Hi Lise,

I'm thinking to get White Space Living for my new house reno too. Can share who is the ID that did your house ?

Thanks.

[chibijan 0]

Hi there, new member here. went to white space living yesterday and quite impressed with our first meeting. Anyone who has done recent projects with them and are very satisfied? I think no doubt their designs are good, but i am wondering if it comes with a hefty price to pay... anyone to advise?

[puppet 0]

Hi there, new member here. went to white space living yesterday and quite impressed with our first meeting. Anyone who has done recent projects with them and are very satisfied? I think no doubt their designs are good, but i am wondering if it comes with a hefty price to pay... anyone to advise?

anyone can share their experience with whitespace? no clones please

[barbie88 0]

anyone can share their experience with whitespace? no clones please

White Space handed over my house in Jun 10 but they still have a whole list of items outstanding till now, almost 3 months since I moved back. I had experienced a change of more than 4 designers / project executives during the course of my 5 months renovation. For my 4-room HDB, the renovation came up to $53,000. Replaced practically everything from floor, wall to cabinets. Their design is just above average and I had to give them a lot of inputs through my own research. Their carpentry workmanship is good though for the price I am paying, I am expecting nothing less. Their project management skills sucks, be prepared to do a lot of follow ups and keeping tabs of outstanding items on your own. Because of their high staff attrition, I had to repeat my requests at least 2-3 times to different people before it gets done. I had a small window at my walk in wardrobe area and moved in when it was just boxed up using a plank as either the window maker was not available or the project exec did not get down to fixing an appt. I stopped believing their excuses. About 2 weeks after I moved in, my walk-in wardrobe "flooded", found a big puddle of water in the centre when i returned back from work. This happened not once but twice before the window maker finally came to house to install the window. Just last week, I discovered that the window leaked again and water again seeped into my laminate floor causing a section to warp.

It appeared that White accord more attention to the landed property owners because my friend renovating her newly acquired landed house was given the Project Manager and the Senior Designer.

Overall, there are still some nice desginer touches here and there but i wonder if I still have acheived the same results with 3/4 of the cost.

[deanl 0]

White Space handed over my house in Jun 10 but they still have a whole list of items outstanding till now, almost 3 months since I moved back. I had experienced a change of more than 4 designers / project executives during the course of my 5 months renovation. For my 4-room HDB, the renovation came up to $53,000. Replaced practically everything from floor, wall to cabinets. Their design is just above average and I had to give them a lot of inputs through my own research. Their carpentry workmanship is good though for the price I am paying, I am expecting nothing less. Their project management skills sucks, be prepared to do a lot of follow ups and keeping tabs of outstanding items on your own. Because of their high staff attrition, I had to repeat my requests at least 2-3 times to different people before it gets done. I had a small window at my walk in wardrobe area and moved in when it was just boxed up using a plank as either the window maker was not available or the project exec did not get down to fixing an appt. I stopped believing their excuses. About 2 weeks after I moved in, my walk-in wardrobe "flooded", found a big puddle of water in the centre when i returned back from work. This happened not once but twice before the window maker finally came to house to install the window. Just last week, I discovered that the window leaked again and water again seeped into my laminate floor causing a section to warp.

It appeared that White accord more attention to the landed property owners because my friend renovating her newly acquired landed house was given the Project Manager and the Senior Designer.

Overall, there are still some nice desginer touches here and there but i wonder if I still have acheived the same results with 3/4 of the cost.

Hi, a wonderful day to you! Had been sitting in front of the desktop for almost a whole afternoon! So decided to end my day with the forum instead... Am wondering if you are able to PM me your ID's contact no? I am in the midst of searching for a potential ID to renovate my resale flat (5rm) at Woodland district but am in suspense on the procedures, pricing rate, concepts, etc? So, would like to seek anyone here who could provide any relevant information for me? Thanks!

Dean

[inuyasya83 0]

White Space handed over my house in Jun 10 but they still have a whole list of items outstanding till now, almost 3 months since I moved back. I had experienced a change of more than 4 designers / project executives during the course of my 5 months renovation. For my 4-room HDB, the renovation came up to $53,000. Replaced practically everything from floor, wall to cabinets. Their design is just above average and I had to give them a lot of inputs through my own research. Their carpentry workmanship is good though for the price I am paying, I am expecting nothing less. Their project management skills sucks, be prepared to do a lot of follow ups and keeping tabs of outstanding items on your own. Because of their high staff attrition, I had to repeat my requests at least 2-3 times to different people before it gets done. I had a small window at my walk in wardrobe area and moved in when it was just boxed up using a plank as either the window maker was not available or the project exec did not get down to fixing an appt. I stopped believing their excuses. About 2 weeks after I moved in, my walk-in wardrobe "flooded", found a big puddle of water in the centre when i returned back from work. This happened not once but twice before the window maker finally came to house to install the window. Just last week, I discovered that the window leaked again and water again seeped into my laminate floor causing a section to warp.

It appeared that White accord more attention to the landed property owners because my friend renovating her newly acquired landed house was given the Project Manager and the Senior Designer.

Overall, there are still some nice desginer touches here and there but i wonder if I still have acheived the same results with 3/4 of the cost.

Really sad to hear this. This actually tells people that even designers can't be trusted. For $53k, i would really expect quality finishing and good prompt service from the ID or contractor. But for the price you paid is not really worth the trouble you have been getting. Maybe you can ask for a 'FREE GIFT', and tell them that you are not happy with their service. In the mean time, i will inform my friends, relatives to beware of Whitespace. Thanks for sharing!

[barbie88 0]

Hi, a wonderful day to you! Had been sitting in front of the desktop for almost a whole afternoon! So decided to end my day with the forum instead... Am wondering if you are able to PM me your ID's contact no? I am in the midst of searching for a potential ID to renovate my resale flat (5rm) at Woodland district but am in suspense on the procedures, pricing rate, concepts, etc? So, would like to seek anyone here who could provide any relevant information for me? Thanks!

Dean

My ID has already left the company.

[jobin 0]

Anybody engage this company to carry out interior design ?

Impressed with their intro carried out in their office.

However worried about workmanship and speed of their work & workmanship etc..

They told me that if i do not need to shift in urgently - they can take up my project..

What is that suppose to mean ? Meaning they will take their own sweet time doing up my place?

[edenstrauss 3]

Hi jobin,

Although I have never engaged Substance Living aka White Space Living as a home owner, my impression of White Space Living is that they are a very reputable and responsible ID firm who works very closely with their partners i.e. a regular team of contractors & vendors.

If there are common grounds of understanding between yourself as a home owner & White Space Living's ID, then U are already in good hands.

Please allow me to explain that in view of their impressive portfolio & cumulative skill sets in the ID industry, their hands are very full throughout the year. Business has always been good & more than sustainable for this ID firm becox they get plenty of support through referrals and clients who return to them for other renovation assignments.

Based on my observation of reputable ID firms, they don't just use any tom dick or harry to take on these renovation jobs. To speak plainly, the reputable ID firms will never risk their own reputation or jeopardise their business in any manner by engaging any unknown contractors & vendors to finish up additional renovation assignments.

Doing so might help generate short-term profit margins but on the long run, it hurts their bottom-line as they have already jeopardise their ID business becox of substandards in quality.

As such, the ID firms also depend very much on the workmanship of their partners who are very important stake-holders (not shareholders) in their business becox they are part of an equation in delivering a positive outcome during renovations.

From a business person's perspective, no business entity, especially an ID firm, would take their own sweet time in getting things done. The longer they delay, they don't get their $$ and u know what happens next if u r a boss yourself.

And if an ID firm cannot provide their clients with good workmanship, what's the rationale for rushing through and passing the flat back to you on time?? I'm sure that you wouldn't want a shoddy job or feel disappointed since you're paying for the renovation.

If you are still interested in engaging White Space Living, please clear the communication channels in pressing on as to how soon you'll be expecting a completion of your home renovation. Get them to commit an expected date of completion if this is a concern. Never assume that the IDs are able to relate to a client's unspoken thoughts because communication is essential for all business transactions to be successful.

Don't you think that White Space Living has already demonstrated their sincerity & honesty in being candid with a potential client like yourself? That's when they told you very frankly that they will be able to take up your renovation assignment if you are not in a great hurry to get it completed.

At least, there aren't any surprises! And this probabbly meant that this ID firm has their planning & scheduling well mapped out - chances are the reno process is systematic & unlikely to be chaotic.

When I interview ID firms, these are definitely my criteria. So what's yours?

[GrandReno 0]

Hi edenstrauss,

I'm just curious... If you didn't engage White Space Living, how come you know so much about how they work or that they are very good?

Actually, I'd like to disagree that the so-called "reputable" firms (not targeting White Space Living in particular) will produce excellent results, in terms of workmanship, timeliness in handing over homes, etc.

Initially, I thought that would be the case too. Why not right? We pay so much, we expect good customer service, high quality furnishings, etc. WRONG.

And I'm shocked too. There have been many incidents reported of high charging companies with nice portfolios producing sub-standard works. Or that the IDs are very slow in responding or worse case, quitting the job midway in the reno. Of course, some may be fakely reported. But others are detailed enough for one to sense they are real. Already I am in communication with one home owner who engaged a "reputable" ID who us giving him problems.

I guess one has to be very very careful. I feel it's a minefield out there. You can choose the safest route in getting very safe tried and tested IDs out there (actually, they are really sales people than IDs). But the designs may be so-so only. (If you have tight budget but want decent/basic designs, that's good, which is what many Renotalk home owners are).

Ironically, you want very nice works, you got to pay more, BUT also take the risk of getting your job delayed or poor workmanship.

To conclude: There's an element of luck involved in going for the uncommon ID companies. Don't always trust the media. Everything looks nice. It's advertisement. Remember! Eg: Look at the KFC chicken in the pictures. Always look so steamy hot, with smoke coming out from it, looks juicy, fat and tempting. when you go to buy it at the counter, does it resemble what you saw in the picture? NO.

Edited April 27, 2011 by GrandReno

[edenstrauss 3]

I'm just curious... If you didn't engage White Space Living, how come you know so much about how they work or that they are very good?

Hi GrandReno,

I was expecting fellow members questioning on the credibility of my review on White Space Living. It's understandable especially when I do not have photographs to substantiate my claims.

There are many avenues of learning of their performance as an ID firm even though we are not HOME owners who engage them for renovation.

If you are well-acquainted to people who are part of the editorial teams of ID firms, business owners who had engaged them for renovation both at home and in their offices, or even have had relatives and friends who had engaged them for renovation, it wouldn't be difficult to ask them to give an objective view of this reputable ID's workmanship and level of service (while on-going & post-reno).

And of course, I do agree with you that not all who bills a hefty price is good as that is not an objective criteria for ascertaining if they are good or not.

From my perspective, say if I would like to engage a service/ content-provider, the comfort level between myself (as the user AND the payer of course) and the provider has to be there and they must be able to convince me that they are able to deliver. Not with boasting becox I prefer dealing with those who r big players & humble at the same time.

As I'm an outspoken person, I would also see how the provider responds to my concerns and relate to my thoughts when I voice out.

If they "talk-big" without credible explanation or say things that didn't make sense to me, or have a nonchalant attitude, then these folks are out for good. Same goes for those who bad-mouth competitors & their clients.

And I also like the provider to be frank in highlighting any issues/ problems that we users would be expecting should we engage them - it shows that we are in for an honest bargain, not a roller coaster ride!

Edited April 28, 2011 by edenstrauss

[gimz63251073 0]

frankly, asking for opinion/feedback on this section is useless in my humble opinion.

some fan club contractor also has unhappy clients.

The ways to gain from this forum:

- see tblogs to see true reviews of house owners (may not be represntative though)

- see tblogs to know the process, market rate, design, materials...etc

- see tblogs to know problems faced and how contractors try to smoke people

- see tblogs to know that for every satisfied customer, there may be 2 unsatisfied customers

so my conclusion is see tblogs, take time to do so and it will go a long way. This particular section is largely advertisment in nature.

*note: some tblogs looks fake as well, read enough of them and u will realise*

Cheers!

[El LoCo 3]

Agreed with ya on this. Some tblog is very dubious, esp one who did not show the reno process but juz the end products and spell out their ID name big big with direct contact somemore. haha