Floorplans..

Even before we got the keys to our place, we have started the ID search with the floorplan given by HDB. The floorplan is pretty much to scale, and does indicate which are the structural supports in the unit. ie. no hacking of support beams.

I've also done a 3D mockup using Google Sketch Up


However, it does not contain the electrical, water supply and other structural layouts.

Only upon entering our house do we realise that some stupid architect has managed to place unhackable support beams at the most awkward places..grr.. that's one of the cost of buying HDB. No nice condo designs :(

Mags..

Along the course of our ID search and seeking ideas, we've amassed quite a small library of interior design magazines. Some bought, some borrowed.

Thanks to a kind colleague who was also doing reno just around the same time, and an ex-colleague whose dad has access to some publisher, we had a wealth of design information (sometimes, a bit too much -- the more ideas we see, the more confused we got..hehe).

Here's our reading list:
- Home & Decor
- Squarerooms
- Homestyle
- Style Living
etc..

Eventually, we realised that some of the "featured homes" tend to be repeated over several publications around the same period as well.

Personally, our favourite tends to be Squarerooms somehow :)

Interior Design Search

Our interior designer/contractor search started off with a casual enquiry one day while walking around Toa Payoh Central. Seeing Living Art round the corner where we had dinner at a usual kopitiam (the jie-mei's will remember this as the one we used to frequent after pilates classes), we popped in with our floorplan just for fun. This started off the visualisation of how we would want our new home to be like.

After Living Art, we also dropped on a branch of Unimax Creative a couple of shops away as well. There was going to be a Home and Decor fair at Expo the following week and we decided to head down there since we figured there was a collection of IDs in one location that can make our search easier.

These first steps started our long journey of seeking an ID that will suit our needs and budget.

Here's a list of our conquests..

Baroque @ Joo Chiat
Vogue Design Place @Balestier
Orange Cube @Kaki Bukit
Cissern @ Macpherson
Rezt n Relax @ Joo Chiat
Living Art @ Toa Payoh
Unimax Creative @ Toa Payoh/Balestier
Boon Siew @ Bishan
United Team @ Thomson
Wide Angle @ Thomson
Hulk Friend @ Thomson
D'Espirit @ Clarke Quay/Jurong
Ideal House @ 780 Upper Serangoon
A & D @ Upper Serangoon
Earnest Interior Frankie @ Sims Ave
Art Trends @ Balestier
IntraDesign @ Bedok


Eventually, we went to no less than 18 different places and met a wide variety of interior designers from the Phua Chu Kang types to the kiddos and wannabes..