I am so happy that our house looks nothing like its bare state anymore. For a start, no more plain white walls. And the lights have been installed. And yes, the grilles are up too. Not that I dislike the bare state of the house, in fact, I find it great and beyond expectations. But being able to renovate our house the way we want it to be, the feeling is just so great and amazing.
Colours
We decided to top up a small fee and opted for the Nippon Easywash series. Reason being, I wanted maintenance to be as easy and fuss-free as possible. We were told that for the ‘Easywash’ series, stains can be easily removed and this is definitely pleasing to know. That means no more grubby palm prints on the walls.
For our colour choices, I have to admit we were really bold. Maybe too bold with 5 different colours. Nonetheless and thankfully, they turned out well in the end.
We chose Barley White (8158) as our main (default) colour for the house. It is off-white with a strong tinge of yellow. While it turned out more yellow-ish than what we have visualised, the end product creates a cosy feel and is pleasing to the eyes. I have no doubts that the wood/brown furniture will blend in seamlessly.
Barley White goes really well with the Stream (8137) that we have painted as the contrasting colour for bedroom 3. I really like this shade of blue – while it is a few shades darker than baby blue, it is still bright and cheerful. Whenever I look at the wall, I can’t help but shamelessly fish for compliments from Mister for choosing this colour.
We painted the walls at the entrance and the dining area the colour Zing (8117) which is a bright orange. I read online that the colour orange lifts one’s mood and improves appetite. And I really wish that all our guests will feel happy in our house and have great appetite. I have just discovered that orange wall and warm light is one of the greatest combination of all time. And I’m not joking. It was pure ‘wow’ when we saw both in action for the first time ever.
As for the master bedroom, I would say it feels like a totally different world of its own. The pink and purple walls are so contrasting to the rest of the house. I chose Lightest Lavender (8180) with Carnation Petal (8189) as the contrasting colour. The end result, it feels like a princess’ room all in all.
Thanks to my obliging Mister, who never once doubted my colour choices even when I proposed the idea of an orange wall to him. He was very supportive and even reaffirmed me in those moments when I started to doubt myself and my choices before we saw the final product. Thankfully I didn’t disappoint and didn’t have to spend more money to repaint the house.
Lights
Our neighbours and friends have been raving about Tampoi Lightings in Malaysia for their cheap prices. We were almost set on a weekend trip to grab all our lightings from across the Causeway. Then one fine weekend (the same day we bought our Electrolux products), we came across a leaflet in on the floor about Ion Lightings. Since we were in the East, we decided to give them a chance and so glad we did. From the salesperson Wenlong, we managed to understand the differences between ceiling fans bought in Singapore and Malaysia – hooks and after-sales service. We found that the prices of the Crestar ceiling fans may be more expensive than Malaysia, it is very competitive compared to other local shops. More importantly, there was a suspend light to my liking (although I chose another one in the end). And since we wanted a one-stop solution, we decided to head back to Ion Lightings to purchase the lights the next weekend. Wenlong was really accommodating too. He allowed me to purchase a suspend light and split them up FOC into 3 individual lights for my balconies. He promised me brown base plates to match the lights and he really delivered his promise. He was also able to give good advice as to which lights are more suitable for each area. Since their rates for installation was very competitive, we arranged with them to do the lights installation as well. Their after-sales service was wonderful too. One of our track lights malfunctioned on the first day of installation and they are more than willing to do a 1-for-1 exchange with no question asked. Now the house is all brightly lit up, and we can spring surprise attacks at night now before we actually move in proper.
Grilles
This was something that we debated for a while whether to do it at this point in time, especially when we do not have an immediate need for it. But after hearing all the advices, we have decided to do it now together with the roller blinds and curtains to avoid hassles in the future. Yes, we are very concerned about hassles. Should we decide to do the grilles in the future, they will need to take down the blinds and curtains, and in the process of doing so, there’s no guarantee that the $3k blinds and $1.5k curtains will be perfect. And hence the final decision is, let’s do it now.
We got a quote from our MA-appointed supplier Specs Decor for the grilles (invisible and galvanised steel) and the roller blinds. We felt it is quite competitive as I have done quote comparison on each item with other vendors. And also, since we did the full package with him, he was able to give further discounts after we have confirmed. More importantly, he is able to coordinate his own timing such as a 2nd re-measurement of the roller blinds after the blinds have been installed to ensure higher accuracy.
One thing to commend is their service level. Before the installation date, I discovered that there is a problem with the installation of invisible grilles and blinds at one of the balconies. I immediately called the salesperson Mr Tan and he was quick to respond and did another on-site visit to explain to us the implications. While our concerns were unfounded in the end after the actual installation, I am most impressed with his customer-oriented service prior to the installation.
[Updated on 15 June 2016]
We eventually realised that the invisible grilles were actually subcontracted out to LeHome. And LeHome’s workers cracked a balcony tile during installation and kept silent on their mistake. I only realized it when I went down to inspect a few days later. I immediately complained to the salesperson to ask them to rectify their mistake. Good thing was, LeHome was willing to acknowledge and fix it despite the hassle of dismantling the grilles, replacing the tile and re-installing the grilles. Bad thing was, they created more problems along the way. There were 2 hours late for their original appointment. And for the make-up appointment, they spoilt another 2 tiles during the hacking process and replaced a total of 3 tiles, and scratched my balcony light when carrying long casings to my balcony. Very annoying indeed 🙁 Be really careful when these contractors and workers come by because they do not take care of your furnishings at all.