We share with you the renovation journey people usually go through from getting your keys to the completion of your home to help you get a better idea of what you need to do and what to take note of.

#1. Requirements & Needs

Assuming that any liaising with the interior design firm happens only after getting your keys, the interior designer will usually sit down with you for a quick consultation to find out more on the needs you have – number of people moving in (are there any old folks, children or pets), your lifestyle, how much storage you need, what do you need each room for? 

This will help the designer to plan and propose a design that best suits you, your lifestyle and your needs.

Before you get to this stage, it’s best for you to have a few design inspirations in mind, including some of the details you wish to include in each part of your home, or certain considerations you have, e.g. I want lots of wardrobe space within my master bedroom, but still have space to place a kind sized bed.

#2. Proposal

After the consultation, the designers will head back to do space planning.

This is when they do up a floorplan to give you a rough idea of what they will be doing to the space to suit your needs (e.g. extension of bathroom walls, hacking of walls, adding of feature walls, furniture placement).

You don’t have to worry about much at this stage unless you’d like to make any changes to the layout they proposed, such as not hacking a certain wall, or placing a certain furniture in a different spot.

#3. 3D Drawing and video walk-through

For better visualization of how your new house will turn out, the designers will do up a 3D drawing to show you exactly how each corner of your new house will look like.

At this stage, you are able to give comments to change anything you don’t like about the design. From there, the 3D design will be able to help you understand what the designers are quoting you for. You will be given an exact and detailed quotation based on the things that will be done to your house. No hidden costs!

If you have any changes or comments about the design, it is best to voice them out now to ensure you get exactly what you want. Designs, colours, basically everything can be changed now, but not when the work is done.

We are also one of the few interior design firms that offer a 360-degree video walkthrough of the designs. This will allow you to get an even clearer idea of how your new place will look like, schedule a quick consultation with us and we will help you to achieve your dream home!

#4. Material Selection

After signing the contract, the designers will recommend the materials that best suits you and your lifestyle based on your needs and budget.

You can either go with what your designer suggested, or select something else you fancy, a variety of materials will be shown to you, so get ready to take pictures and notes to bring home to consider.

A little tip: get your designer to bring you to the supplier’s factory or store to look at the larger piece of material. Your kitchen countertop is going to be 10 times bigger than the sample piece you’re looking at, the actual block of material will be much accurate than a tiny sample piece.

#5. Renovation work commences

At this stage, any tiling, wiring, hacking, fabrication works and all renovation work will take place. You can choose to head down to the site to check on the work done occasionally, but at Design Story, we provide a hassle-free service by regularly updating you with photos of the work progress, so that you can sit back and relax at home with no worries.

All carpentry work is also done in-house, this will allow us to ensure that all raw materials are of high quality and work is done properly before installation.

#6. Inspection

You’ll be asked to head down to inspect your new house when all renovation work has been concluded. This is when you can do a thorough check to ensure that there are no defects before the house is handed over to you.

#7. Handover

Your new home is done! Now you can start getting your furniture delivered, by then, you should have already gotten most of your household items purchased and your things packed and ready for you to move! 

Worried about all the things you need to take note of and not sure if you have the time to oversee everything? Schedule a quick consultation with our professional designers and we’ll help you handle most of the work throughout the journey to getting your dream home!

Check out our home tour video below:

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Maybe a few of us are able to spot the difference between both styles, but if you’re not attentive enough to the details, you could get confused as both of these styles spot similar characteristics and could give off the same vibes and confuse many homeowners.

In order to help you achieve the style that you really want, we share with you more on the characteristics of each style and what you can do to achieve each look. You can even play things up a little to achieve a minimalist-contemporary home for yourself!

What is the Minimalist interior design style? 

The minimalist way of life has been in trend for quite a while and many of us would roughly know what it means to be a minimalist.

Defined as a deliberate lack of decoration or adornment in style or design, Minimalism is an exercise in restraint, where space, lighting, and other furnishings play equally important roles and contribute to the entire flow and feel of the house.

Sounds complicated?

Let me break it down for you:

• Clean designs
• Lots of white space
• Cut down furnishings to the bare essentials
• A simple, clean and uncluttered space, a comfortable atmosphere for you to rest and relax in while delivering maximum impact

Colours used in a Minimalist home

Many of us assume that a minimalist home means having to paint the entire house white, cream or beige, if you like that colour scheme, go ahead, but we would suggest going for other colours as well to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere as a monochromatic home with only whites could make your home look more cold than comfortable. 

When selecting colours for your Minimalist home, go for soft and neutral shades that you like, if yellow is your favourite colour, then pick different soft shades of yellow. 

Furniture used in a Minimalist home

Take into consideration form and functionality when picking out furniture and the kind of carpentry work you want done for your minimalist home. 

You want to keep all your furniture sleek and simple while ensuring that they serve their purpose. If an item doesn’t serve its purpose, then eliminate it and make space for something that’s worth the space. 

The lines, form and shapes of each furniture should also flow well and blend in with one another, selecting furniture with clean and defined lines or curves and flat surfaces, cabinets without handles will also contribute to an even cleaner and soothing look.

What is the Contemporary Interior Design Style? 

Contemporary style homes are influenced by the modern interior design style, it focuses on the architectural elements, decorative details and makes use of a concise colour palette, achieving a calm and serene atmosphere similar to a minimalist home.

Here are its characteristics:

• Use of mirrors
• Clean lines
• Glossy and bright furnishings
• Large windows for lots of natural lighting
• Simple, comfortable, cozy and sophisticated

One thing to note is that most HDB flats and Condominiums do not allow the replacement of windows to larger ones, so you’ll have to make do with what you have.

Colours used in Contemporary Design

There is a wider range of colours and flexibility for contemporary designs – they spot very neutral background (wall) colours while the furniture and furnishing they use can be bright and earthy colours that complement well with each other. 

The style also usually includes the use of metals, leather and other monochromatic colours.

Instead of matching black, white and gray together like what they do for modern style homes, or the whites and creams in minimalist homes, go for bolder colours to brighten and liven up your home.

Furniture used in Contemporary Design

Contemporary style homes incorporate whimsicality by including the use of a few interesting pieces of furniture, too many extraordinary furniture could turn your space into a mess though, so do try to pick out only a few items to add novelty into your home. 

The style also pays attention to furniture and decorative objects made of leathers, steel, chrome or glass and other furniture with polished and glossy surfaces.

To make things simpler for you, here is a list of differences between both styles:

If you’re still confused, click here to discuss with one of our experienced designers on creating your dream home!

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