I'm glad that I had chose to go with an ID instead of a contractor as I realized that renovation costs a lot of money and it's good to have a picture in hand so you know what to expect. In my case, as this is the first time we are dealing with renovation, I decided to go with an ID just because I wanted a 3D drawing, which a contractor may not have been able to supply.
And I'm glad because our style for our 5 room HDB was a "country style flat with faux fireplace" which would have been difficult to visualise and possibly difficult for a contractor to fulfil. It's hard for you to visualise also right? So this is where the ID comes in. You can tell her what elements you like, what colour scheme you prefer and viola! You can a drawing - then you can work with her to fine-tune it. As I did not want a bland designs, I challenged our ID to surprise us.
*Note: If you don't mind the usual sleek modern designs, or just want to replicate a certain photo from Houzz or Apartment Therapy, I'd say go ahead with a contractor, as they will most likely be more affordable. Be aware of replicating looks though, I find that HDB flats comes with lower ceilings, exposed wiring, piping, ugly windows and grilles which may mar your attempts to replicate the look of ang mo houses.
For example, our living room took the longest to conceptualise
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| First Drawing: The colour scheme was good, but it felt a bit bland and run of the mill for me. So I asked for a faux fireplace TV console. This proved to be quite challenging for my ID.... |
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| Second drawing: Where do I start? This was miles away from what I was expecting. The fireplace looks so stodgy and squarish. And there is the wallpaper which I have no intention of putting up. So yes, a pictures says a thousand words and with this picture it was back to the drawing board for my ID. |
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| So I sent her this inspirational look, which I thought look great! Don't you think so too? But alas! ID said that this won't fit our long living room layout and that this involved plastering, which was different from the laminated boards that were part of our package. -_- |
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| Third drawing: This looks more like a fireplace. Structurally, this is close to acceptable. But the colour scheme makes my living room look very cave-like and eerie. Not exactly the bright and airy feeling I was looking for. My ID seems to have a thing for brick wallpaper, as you can see. ^_^; According to her, the plastering is difficult to render with the 3D software. This TV console/fireplace is actually functional, in that the bottom platform actually contains drawers. |
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| Here's an example of what I mean by functional TV console |
So yes, at the moment the living room design is still a work in progress. For me, this design process highlights the importance of getting a ID for the 3D designs. With the 3D drawing, I will have enough time to evaluate if the designs are what I like and make changes before it's too late. :) Also important is an ID you can get along with. I've spoken to a few companies and you could tell that some of them were inexperienced or just trying to hard-sell you. I finally settled on this ID as I felt that I could connect with her and that she understood what I wanted. But I'd leave the final judgement on how good the company until I see the finished product :)
For the sharp ones, you might have also noticed that I've switched from "we" to "I" when I speak about designs. Yup, I'm the fussy and opinionated one. My hubby is pretty easy-going about the designs as long as its of good quality and look classy.
On a side note: When you google "hdb fireplace" you will come across this photo:
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