This is my second t-blog. The first time I did renovations, I use various contractors but ended up spending around $30k but didn't really fancy the results - average workmanship, plain look and just average.

This time round, I am keen to use an ID as I realise I do not really know how to match colours and do not really know what I want or like.

These are some pics of my new place.

My husband refused to change the marble flooring in the living room, and the parquet flooring in the bedrooms, the lights and this preexisting victorian lookalike ceiling centerpiece & cornices. I do not know whether we can get a new look with just changing the whole kitchen & master & common toilets, and wardrobes in the bedrooms.

I bought my flat one year ago but started only recently reading on renovation. Am pretty lost where to start so have been reading pages of the postings in this forum. I was also hesitating to change or not my granite flooring. Marble and parquet can look good after being re-polished and re-vanish. My friend re-polish her marble living room flooring every few years, cost below $500. Both marble & parquet fetch higher valuation cost thus I suppose your unit is of high valuation? How old is the unit and how is the condition of the marble & granite?

Edited January 14, 201412 yr by gemini

My husband refused to change the marble flooring in the living room, and the parquet flooring in the bedrooms, the lights and this preexisting victorian lookalike ceiling centerpiece & cornices. I do not know whether we can get a new look with just changing the whole kitchen & master & common toilets, and wardrobes in the bedrooms.

Marble can be re-polished to look like new. Parquet can also be re-sanded (to a limited number of times) to look like new. I did both for my new place. (See my blog).

You did not post the pictures but I don't think you can get a new look without changing the lights and ceiling centrepiece.

Thanks Gemini and kstoh, w take pics later and post the Victorian ceiling - it is in blue and pastel flowery. The problem is that it is done by spray painting and my hubby says it is an expensive piece of work to tamper with but doesn't this clash w the minimalist style I'm thinking of? I don't know any Victorian style usually too gaudy for my liking.

The ceiling piece is inverted - I don't know how to rotate it back.

I have invited only 4 ID designers - quotations vary greatly. Very disappointed that Mr. K's quotation is so expensive! I am only doing up the kitchen, living room, & two bathrooms & his quote is $70k!! I have to skip him no choice I cannot talk over my hubby over his quotation when it is double of the next lowest quote.

Edited February 17, 201412 yr by san20sg