Coming up with a theme for the house was easy and in fact, it came naturally. Our house is blessed with good natural lighting and this sets the tone for a Scandinavian-inspired theme with white and wooden elements. This also explains the reason for our purchase of a solid wooden dining table eventually. We have never wavered from this theme once it was decided. As our unit came complete with flooring, cabinets and sanitary fittings, the renovation works we have in mind were not extensive.
Scope of our renovation works:
1) A display/shoe cabinet at the entrance
2) TV feature wall
3) Storage bench for dining area
4) Kitchen cabinets in WC toilet
5) Study table in master bedroom
6) Electrical works (whole house)
7) Plumbing works (kitchen sink/WC toilet)
7) Painting (whole house)
What kept us from progressing in the initial weeks were actually our choice of contractor (a story for another day) and the ever-changing ideas for the TV feature wall and the master bedroom. For the rest, once decided, they were never changed.
I was really keen on having a TV feature wall because I always see it as the focal point of the house and I felt having one helps to enhance the theme of the house. While this is not an important factor, the TV feature wall can help to hide unsightly wires from a wall-mounted TV. And I never had one in any of my previous houses and I really wanted to have one when I finally and eventually can have a say. And I cannot be more grateful that my wish was granted in the end. Coming up with the design of the TV feature wall was challenging for me as well. I used Google images and the 3D drawings of the other ID firms as reference, and very importantly, I used a large chunk of visualization and imagination along the way. And I finally decided on the traits of my feature wall. It won’t be anything fanciful, just a simple full ceiling to floor feature wall with wooden laminate and a suspended console.
Our ideas for master bedroom is constantly evolving. Initially, we wanted to buy a mini table (width ~90cm) so that there will be sufficient walking space around the bed. Then after speaking to a contractor, we were sold on a built-in wardrobe/study desk idea, but eventually decided against it fearing that it may be too claustrophobic. Next idea was to build a 5ft study table perpendicular to our wardrobes instead. And that’s what we are sticking to at the end of the day.
There was also the debate on whether to have a fireplace next to the feature wall. Here I was feeling proud and hopeful of this amazing idea and childhood dream but it was mercilessly shot down by the contractor in less than 1 minute. Yes, mercilessly shot down but I will let it slide because he does make some sense on hindsight.
Most of the major defects have been rectified by the developer after repeated chasers in the past week. Our contractor came by last weekend and we have communicated our choice of painting and laminate. Works will be starting this week and hopefully everything will turn out well. *fingers crossed*