Shopping For Sanity

Photo credit: The Strand Suite bathroom

I never thought I'd scrutinise toilets and sinks as much as I did last weekend with L. We were shopping for our 3 bathrooms - which we already spent more than expected - on the gorgeous honeycomb black and white floor tiles and white subway 3D wall tiles. We were rather inspired by our luxurious bathroom at The Strand's Suite in Yangon (see pic above). It was so roomy, classic and full of character. Of course, it's impossible to have a toilet THAT big in Singapore but we can only dream and repackage that idea and make it our own in our tiny master HDB bathroom. 

On Saturday we went to the flagship store of Sim Siang Choon at Changi South Ave 2 (walking distance from Changi City Point at EXPO). I heard a lot abt this sanitary specialist and had high expectations (my sista recommended this but my bro doesn't). At a glance, the mega store is impressive, brightly lit and divided into various sections; taps, showers, mixers, bath tubs, sinks, accessories, toilet bowls etc. There is a lot of variety so there is surely something for everyone. However I'm not very impressed with the toilet bowls selection when it comes to the cheaper ones at $200+ to $300+ (our budget). There are not many good designs for the more affordable brands like Sims and Dahll to choose from (as compared to Hoe kee). Similarly the rain shower sets are also expensive (we found better and cheaper ones at Watertapz and Spazio at Balestier). They got fancier expensive toilet bowls from Italy and Germany. What we like here are the bathroom sinks / washbins which come in many styles and are reasonably priced. A good brand is Galassia; their sinks have a quality feel and sleek design. The Sims basins are also ok at $88 for a corner sink and $202 for a big oval bowl one that we picked for our master toilet (see pics). I was eyeing the ornate tap in chrome ($200+) to match our kitchen ceramic double sinks from IKEA but L prefered the long extendable gooseneck spray type (yucks). 
*Variety: 4/5  *Price: 3/5  *Service: 3/5

On Sunday we went to Hoe Kee flagship at 8 Genting Road (in the Macpherson area) - this was recommended by my colleague Ming. The minute I exited the cargo lift, I already saw a couple of toilet bowls that I liked and within budget! The store is not big, maybe only 1/6 of SSC but there is enough variety. Sometimes less is more, so there is less junk to sift through. We like the Roz range with sleek flat flush buttons and bought them at $229 and $368 for our 3 toilets. (Do remember to get your contractor to measure the length from the wall to the center of the bolts at the base of the existing toilet. This will give you the rough-in measurement for your drain location. Ours was 11 to 12-inches) We also got the 30L Ariston central heater at $239 and an instant Ariston heater with shower set at $168 (it was the best design we can find to match our tiles). The mirror cabinets are also nice and affordable $143. HK also has a section for kitchen stovetops and tecno is on offer at $440 - $49 cheaper than Courts. Plus they have the tecno range in 8 colours. We opted for the gleaming mirror finish at $460 (it costs $20 more because it's more premium). The store is a bit cluttered and less accesible but it's more intimate and the service is better.
*Variety: 3/5  *Price: 4/5  *Service: 4/5

Showerheads from Grohe

After HK, we zoomed to check out more rain shower sets and mixers at Watertapz (purple facade) at 393 Balestier Road. They got a good middle to high end range from $380+ to $700+ under brands like Inspire and Grohe. The service is terrible though; the 2 sales ladies look bored and didn't offer to ask if we needed help. They don't even look concerned when the traffic police came and L rushed to grab his motorbike. And I found it irritating that the store didn't display the prices for items like the sinks and toilets. Hello, customers want to work their maths so prices are much appreciated, especially if we have to contend with this kind of lukewarm service. They don't have a website (very important these days) and they don't bother to put up prices on their Facebook page too.
*Variety: 3/5  *Price: 3/5  *Service: 2.5/5

Watertapz

We decided to trod down the street to Spazio at 513 Balestier (recommended by my friend Fiona). This was our second visit and the sales girl recognised me. Now this is a proper sales person! We promptly decided on a simple 2-way rain shower and mixer set from Nobel (Italy) on offer at $199 and at her suggestion, bought another basic Nobel shower and mixer set at $128. There is an additional cost of $50 for 2 sets of shower brackets to connect the water pipes to mixers (our pipes are not concealed). She was also eagerly showing me the accessories like toilet paper holders and railings but I couldn't decide on the spot. Even then she didn't pressure me. They also have a good variety of sinks and taps, espcially the Victorian ones in chrome and brass. No website or Facebook.
*Variety: 3/5  *Price: 4/5  *Service: 4/5

After Spazio, I walked a bit down the street to Adamas Bathroom at 555 Balestier (next to Sim Siang Choon) to see the ceramic laundry sink that my brother has too. It will go in the kitchen because I like to handwash my clothes and I can try to bathe my cats in it haha. It's a sturdy sink with stainless steel legs ($380 before 10% discount and GST, delivery is extra $20). They also got the whole works for bathroom and kitchen, and the friendly sales lady showed me a catalogue of sinks including a double ceramic sink for $370. Also no website or Facebook.
*Variety: 3/5  *Price: 3.5/5  *Service: 4/5

Tip: don't be afraid to ask for discount. If they don't give you, just ask your contractor if they get preferential rates. At SSC, our contractor gets 10% discount. At HK, there are promotional prices so they can't budge on the prices. At Spazio, they are happy to give a discount if you ask nicely.

Refer to this Guide on buying toilets - knowing what design you like and how much to pay is important!

Ikea Domsjo double bowl ceramic sink

 

I also went to Ikea to make sure they have enough stocks for the DOMSJO double ceramic kitchen sink as the kitchen tiling is completed, earlier than I imagined. I couldn't find the traditional large butler's sink so this sink from Ikea was the best option for a rustic feel and the price is ok at $389. The only thing is they charge $70 more for delivery so I had to rope in my uncle and parents to help me lug the 50kg bugger onto a truck and into our flat! Also sorted the kitchen cabinet with the chubby jovial carpenter and we picked out the laminate in a light shade of white distressed wood called Ramshackle.

I also told him I wanted mostly Blum sliding system for the bottom drawer units beccause it is such a pain to look inside the cabinet. Blum stuff is not cheap but I see it as an investment for the kitchen. L and I also finalised the power points and lights with the electrician, and the aircon guy came to make changes to the trunking and installed the units. Everything is moving along - tres exciting indeed!