Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Contractor Confessions

After waiting for CNY to be over, we finally met the 2 contractors whom friends and family have recommended for the quotations. I was a bit worried that they won't meet our budget of $50k (and this is only for wet works). Fortunately my sister's contractor Patrick came close to $50k while the other quote was $70k. Hoorrray! Still, we have to budget another $10k to 20k for the fittings, furnishings and furniture.

Hand painted Viet cement tiles at An Huat, Zion Road 
Every day I'm learning a lot about renovation - what the whole progress entails, what should come first, what's the best way to work out the layout in terms of practicality and design - and terms like wet works, screed, varnishing wood, tempered glass, PVC pipes, pot belly grills, aluminum powered coated grills haha. Ultimately I think it's important to be a snappy decision maker and be able to communicate your ideas to the contractor in English, Mandarin or Hokkien, especially in my case without an ID.
 
Love these gorgeous tiles at $4/pc

The quote doesn't include tiles, sinks, toilet bowls, etc - fittings that we have to buy ourselves because we want to be able to pick what we want. And for starters, I'm really obsessed with the TILES - which is the no.1 thing I have always wished for in my dream home. An ID friend had showed me a picture of ornate cement vietnamese tiles that she found in Spore and eversince I hadn't forgotten them.

And by chance, I passed by this old-school tiles shop, An Huat at Zion Road and there they are again - my dream tiles in all colours and designs. I made a mental note to return and spoke to SS, the young and unassuming marketing director (who happened to be helping in the family biz). My mind was racing as I stared at the wall of tiles - cubanism, peranakan, moroccan, granada, mediterrean. They could work in different styles of decor. L liked them too but wanted to compare prices with another place that his contractor recommended - Sin Lek Building at Eunos - which has quite a large array of commercial tiles (I don't fancy any) but they do have some nice tiles that look like timber. 

Sin Lek Building at Eunos

So we went back to An Huat and happily agreed on the 3 viet tile designs for the kitchen, balcony, staircase landing upstairs and also these cute retro-looking honeycomb tiles ($5/pc) for the 3 toilet floors. A tip: the best way to avoid a conflict between you and your spouse is to let the taste-maker (aka me ;) shortlist the choices and then consult the better half on selecting the final ones. This way, both parties are happy! Anyway we ended up spending $4k on the tiles (exceeded budget of $3k) but it'd be our main design feature so it'd be worth the splurge.


I picked these lovely retro honeycomb 'Hexa' black/white tiles for our toilet floors
So for our floor and wall finishes, we are hacking all the old tiles and laying cement screed for most parts of the flooring, except the kitchen which will be fully tiled with these gorgeous blue-white-grey tiles at $4/ pc. As L and I love cooking, la cucina will be our playground. To balance the ornate tiles, we are keeping the rest of the kitchen minimally white but playing with lots of texture from the white glossy 3D subway tiles (70cents/pc) for the walls and choosing white distressed wood laminate finish for the cabinets. We are also hacking the walls so it's a semi-open kitchen where we can interact with our guests in the dining /living room.

Here are some ispirazioni per la cucina - don't you just love tiles!



Idea for our fully tiled kitchen floor - along with white cabinets and walls

Idea for white glossy subway or metro brick tiles in the kitchen
Subway tiles are so gorgeous in a modern kitchen! 
See the idea for the black and white floor tiles against the white subway wall tiles

Also found this in a local interior magazine and will replicate the idea of sewing mahcine and basin! 
Love love these geometric tiles which I chose in blue, grey and white for the staircase landing!
Tiles are great to dress up the hall or corridor

Modern tiles can be used to jazz up a contemporary home especially if you like old and new together.
Do you know your tiles by their names? We need and love the modern roman holiday! :) 
 
Tiles play such an important design role in ancient civilisations and cultures from Cuban Art Deco apartments to Moroccan harlems and Peranakan mansions.  
You can find tiles in countries around the world like China, Italy, Morocco, India, Cuba etc



Sunday, March 03, 2013

Carla's Casa Directory - Useful Resources

Crate n Barrel at ION Orchard
Eversince I started on our humble casa project, I've been surfing and shopping as part of my initial research. These are leads from magazines and websites, and from friends with the same taste in decor and design. I hope you will find these resources great for inspiration too!


CARLA'S CASA Directory

I Need Furniture
I read about this online custom made designer furniture shop, apparently they work closely with the manufacturers to produce trendy copies at low cost (p.s: a home grown company in Spore some more). Quite impressed with some items and their prices but the quality is yet to be seen.
http://www.ineedfurniture.com.sg/

Stylish chairs from Pomelo

Pomelo
Pomelo came up on Home and Decor site and I was drawn to the classic yet edgy pieces they offer. This local designer furniture shop carries alternative brands from UK and US. At first I thought they don't come cheap but I met a cafe owner who bought these cute wire chairs from Pomelo at $99 each. Not too shabby huh. Will definitely drop by soon for a visit!
315 Outram Road, 10-04 Tan Boon Liat Building. Tel: 62264 663.

King and King Wong

King and King Wong


The first time I heard the name of this all-in-one lifestyle store from my sista, I was like whaaat? Don't let the name fool you. King and King Wong is trendier than it sounds. This is a 2-level store in Nex, tucked away in a corner near the Pet Lovers' Centre. It feels a bit like Muji, a bit like Lifestorey and a bit like Iwannagohome. I already saw a few pieces I wanted to buy from the sofa bed to mirrors, chairs and accessories. Prices are quite friendly especially if you're a member.
23 Serangoon Central #04-13/14 and #04-73/74/75, Nex Shopping Mall. Tel: 66344 344

Light Craft
I heard many good things about this extensive lighting shop from my friends and sister, and paid a visit to see what's in store. Light Craft carries a good range of trendy light fixtures in different styles (mod, classic etc), and the prices are friendly! I'm certainly eyeing the birdcage, glass and pendant lamps. Also eyeing this wicker lamps at Lumiere and wire lights at LC at Balestier.
131 Jalan Sultan . Tel: 6297 6658

Benares
Benares
A new Indian lifestyle store at ION that carries great lamps, ethnic-style ornate cushions, beautiful fabrics, runners etc, Benares is one of those shops where I can beautiful accessories to add a pop of colour to my casa!
#04-03, ION Orchard. Tel: 6636 5276
 

Fab India
Read about Fab India, this other Indian lifestyle and fashion store and the prices seem reasonable, even though it's located at Paragon.
290 Orchard Road #04-04/05 Paragon. Tel: 6733 4741
https://www.facebook.com/FabindiaSingapore

Galanga Living
Galanga Living
I have seen the ads and products for this store which stood out for the mix of Scandinavian design with Asian flavours - imagine clean lines and natural materials. Prices are a tad high ($280 for a large cushion!) so must wait for sale I guess. They have 2 outlets and I also saw a store at Millenia Walk which carries their stuff.
211 Henderson Road #01-02 and 7 Joo Chiat Place. Tel: 6475 2633 http://www.galangaliving.com/


Ethnic Craft
Ethnic Craft
They carry a selection of teak wood furniture for the home - natural, simple and rustic. I especially like the Burger bed frames (sans head board) and the long dining tables. You can download the catalog and make an appointment to view the pieces.
http://www.ethnicraft.com/


Lush Lush
Lush Lush
This store has a wide range of sofas, tables and arm chairs - prices seem reasonable enough for the modern designs. I'm keeping close tabs on their clearance page for great buys :)  You won't miss the large signage of Lush Lush once you reach the building.

73 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Centro Bianco, #03-01. Tel: 6858 5882 

Francfranc
This Japanese lifestyle furniture shop Francfranc also makes me wanna spend money! I love their home accessories like the Moroccan-inspired frames, pendant lights and chic furnishings. The furniture designs are quite clean and modernist. Quite similiar to King Wong and Wong.
#02-41/42, 1 Harbourfront Walk. Also at JCube. Tel: 6376-8077

Commune
My journalist friends told me that this local furniture design store is chic and cheap so I decided to pop into Millenia Walk and have a look. Indeed I quite like the dining tables at Commune (I spotted a 2m wood table with steel legs at $2,200). They also have home accessories, lights, shelves, etc. The hole-in-the-wall Commune Cafe next door looks inviting too. Will try to pop into their warehouse at Defu Lane to see if we can get better deals!
9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-51/52/53, Millenia Walk. Tel: 63383823

CB2
Crate and Barrel + CB2
I saw articles about this American home furnishings chain and popped into ION Orchard to check it out - and loved what I saw! Taking over ThreeSixty market, the 16,000 sq. ft. Crate and Barrel is filled to the block with stylish wares for the home. Of course my fav section is the kitchenware which includes rustic pizza pans and pretty plates. I'm also drawn to the huge glazed planter pots and long wooden dining tables (quite surprised that the tables are reasonably priced at below $2k). I also went to its younger and hipper offshoot - CB2 - at Peranakan Place which took over the Milieu club space upstairs. Gorgeous selection of furnishings, from the gold lamps to comfy sofas and quirky accessories such as the mini disco mirror balls that I bought. 
CB - #04-25 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn. tel: 6634-4222
CB2 - 178A Orchard Road, Peranakan Place Complex 6732 5333

Lifestorey

Love these tables from Lifestorey
This homegrown shop Lifestorey has been around for years and they bring in many chic European brands and furniture pieces. I think they also customise their own range. I'm hoping to check out their designer lamps soon at Tai Seng. 
16 Tai Seng Street #01-00/A. Tel: 6749 2422 (Also at Great World City)



Ikea brochures and stores are always so nice
IKEA
Of course there's Ikea, the one-stop wonder - we just have to be careful not to deck the home entirely with Ikea stuff! Just buy some of the classic and modern items at affordable prices such as the double ceramic sinks, kitchen fittings and furnishings to supplement other more quirky finds. My brother bought his ceramic sink, kitchen wood top and accessories from there. 
2 mega stores at Tampines and Alexandra Road.


WTP
WTP
A friend G sent me the email to check out the annual sale of this designer shop WTP which also customise stuff for the home and office. Their styles seem a bit ecletic and more mature luxe, although there are some classic pieces that I like on their website and Facebook. Sale is on from now 26 April to 11 May 2013. 
3, Kung Chong Road. Tel:  6235 2760


Hock Siong
The first time I was there, I couldn't find anything - most of the good stuff are sold but during the 2nd time, I did buy some kitsch scallop-shaped heavyduty dinner plates at $5 each - very Venus Botticelli :) The 3rd time I bought a Roman gold-framed painting at $20. I think for this 2nd hand furniture place, you just need to be there at the right time or be as sharp as an eagle and follow their Facebook or Instagram closely!
153 Kampong Ampat, #01-03 Junjie Industrial Building. Tel: 6281 8338
http://www.facebook.com/hocksiongco

Sim Siang Choon
I think everyone goes there as they got a wide range of sinks, toilet bowls, kitchen hoods, etc. We went to the flagship shop at Changi South twice and finally bought 3 sinks and mixers after comparing prices and ranges. For my review, go to my blog post - Shopping For Sanity 
21, Changi South Avenue 2, Sim Siang Choon Building. Tel: 6266 6632
http://www.simsiangchoon.com/

Hoe Kee Hardware
Another shop with an extensive range of hardware like sinks, toilet bowls, stoves, and hoods. Can't believe I'm slightly obsessed with toilet bowls now! My friend prefers the fittings at Hoe Kee than SSC due to the better finishes. I think they have the best toilet bowls in the affordable range about $200+ to $300+. For my review, go to my blog post - Shopping For Sanity
Flagship store is at 8 Genting Road, The Blue Building. Tel: 6749 4521
http://www.hoekee.com.sg/

Spazio
My friend also recommended Spazio along Balestier - they carry the 'Nobel' italian brand which is quite affordable. The rain shower 2-way mixer sets were about $200+ which we bought for our toilets. For my review, go to my blog post - Shopping For Sanity

Watertapz
My brother recommended this along Balestier (look for the purple facade). They carry the Inspire and Grohe rain shower mixers from $300+.  For my review, go to my blog post - Shopping For Sanity