Any Interior Design Firms to recommend?

[Amber2012]

Space Define.
You can read reviews there.
I've used them twice.

 

[Xiaojiji]

Anyone has experience of changing ID halfway? My id is mia and very slow in responding, 2-3 weeks no reno works ongoing and floor polishing, plumbing, windows, electrical half way also not even done. Been 4 months since reno works going on for a hdb. Right now carpentry is ongoing, but also no schedule when to install. Any recommendations also what to do?

 

[Xiaojiji]

I have the exact same problems with both of you too. Defects picked up by me, and I suspect my ID didn't do any site visit inspection too. The industry is damn cow boy. Personally Im not going to let my ID off so easily. I hired those professional inspection firm to inspect the renovation and they picked up some stuff that a layman consumer like me wouldn't know is defect. And if I dont hire professional defects inspector to check, I wouldn't even know these things, and if my ID dont tell me all these, I take it as they are mis-selling me, a fraud. Stuff like

- The rubber lining around the window panel having a gap and not end to end
- hollow floor tiles
- kitchen cabinet doors not aligned
- kitchen cabinet drawer not even
- kitchen cabinet soft close doesn't close fully
- The Blum drawer system bar installed inverted
- Oven installed slanted
- Oven switch causes power trip
- Wall plastering badly done
- Painting job missed out some places
- Shower screen handle bar installed slanted
- toilet floor tiles uneven
- not to mention the project is severely delayed
- and quite a bit of poor workmanship here and there

These are just some things. We are all working people, if they are professionals, I really cannot understand how these kind of things can happen.

Im also going thru this now my id is slow n mia.. can share the inspection company u used? This sounds like a good idea

 

[sherica]

hi sir, would like to ask your advice on this since you have years of experience in this industry.

am still deciding if we should go with just contractor or an ID.
so far, a number of people telling me we should go for contractor only since we already know the kind of design/concept we want. we have been marking out on the floor plans what we want to do, doing mood boards for each rooms and also been shortlisting the furniture/appliances etc). have been doing quite a bit of research but i feel like we dont know enough to just go with a contractor?

but like you said, nowadays there are a lot of salesmen ID which is not what we need.
what we need is for someone with experience to reduce margin for errors, tell us if something works or doesnt work, or if something is impractical or if there is a better way to do things and why. bonus if able to help narrow down design choices like should we go for this/that and any pros/cons that we might not see etc (i say bonus because i feel maybe this is something we can still research on and ask in a forum like this if necessary).

would a contractor be sufficient? or still better to go with an ID? i still see the value in hiring an ID but im not sure if it's worth the extra cost.

thanks in advance for your advice!!

what you have done so far still have longggggggggggg way to go before you can consider hiring a contractor.

you still need someone to help you draw 3d and most importantly technical drawing(for carpentry)

lighting and electrical layout are both area which is very hard for normal people for us to conceptualize.

some time contractor or those people who help you draw 3d and technical drawing they are able to help advise on multiple areas but if you find those that only know their core job well one when you start your reno you will be in for a lot nasty surprises and you will feel that you left out a lot of details.

i understand people are very skeptical about hiring ID because you are paying all those extra fees and they might still not be doing all those so call site management and coordination on your behalf but if you hire a correct one your reno journey will be a breeze. the ID i hire for my BTO 5.5 years ago once the reno commence I only visited the site once and that is when its already about 80% done. everything else i just leave it to my ID all the stuff i bought online or from tabao i just deliver there and he settle everything. really is hands free mode

and recently i sold my BTO and bought a resale immediately i went back to our group chat 5.5 years ago and the ID and his assistant still haven't left the chat but fast forward 5.5 years now he is much more establish but also become too expensive($15-$20k more expensive vs our 2nd favorite ID) for us to engage lol! although i must admit he is still the one that provided us the best layout and design concept among all the 6-7 IDs we visited.

 

[cookiemonstereo]

what you have done so far still have longggggggggggg way to go before you can consider hiring a contractor.

you still need someone to help you draw 3d and most importantly technical drawing(for carpentry)

lighting and electrical layout are both area which is very hard for normal people for us to conceptualize.

some time contractor or those people who help you draw 3d and technical drawing they are able to help advise on multiple areas but if you find those that only know their core job well one when you start your reno you will be in for a lot nasty surprises and you will feel that you left out a lot of details.

i understand people are very skeptical about hiring ID because you are paying all those extra fees and they might still not be doing all those so call site management and coordination on your behalf but if you hire a correct one your reno journey will be a breeze. the ID i hire for my BTO 5.5 years ago once the reno commence I only visited the site once and that is when its already about 80% done. everything else i just leave it to my ID all the stuff i bought online or from tabao i just deliver there and he settle everything. really is hands free mode

and recently i sold my BTO and bought a resale immediately i went back to our group chat 5.5 years ago and the ID and his assistant still haven't left the chat but fast forward 5.5 years now he is much more establish but also become too expensive($15-$20k more expensive vs our 2nd favorite ID) for us to engage lol! although i must admit he is still the one that provided us the best layout and design concept among all the 6-7 IDs we visited.

oh wow, thank you for your long reply! yes i was pretty much going to go with an ID but then i felt very conflicted after being told by a number of friends that i could/should just go with a contractor. if you dont mind, could you share with me who was your ID back then?

i do intend to buy several items from TB as well, and am wondering if there are cases some IDs might not be keen on that, since i think they do take a bit of commission or something if they get items from their own contacts/affiliations)..

anyway, when you say he settled everything, do you mean like he helped opened the packages and quality check for you also? and even things like furniture or cabinets that need assembling, he helped you as well? cos some taobao items need to ownself assemble all the parts.

thanks in advance

 

[airzound]

Hi,

Anyone ever use Mesh Werk Studio? They are not on Qanvast but have very solid Facebook reviews..

If got any info, please share!

 

[yeahbeatitscrub]

Hi everyone, is there any comments or feedback on Chapter 13 Interior Design?

Thanks.

 

[RedElmo]

Hi all! Can i just ask if anyone uses Triple Three Interior before?

 

[RedElmo]

Just to share about my ID company

This is the third time renovating my house but it is the worst experience ever. We approached them for quotations as they were having promotions in August 2020. Before we signed, the ID were all smiles and friendly and kept pressurizing us to sign. we went ahead with them as their was the lowest quote among the few we went too. However, it seems the attitude changed after we signed the contract. The ID could not even give us ideas on the design after telling them what we wanted for the house. All the designs were from us and even when choosing the laminates, he could not even give recommendations. We thought being such a reputable company, their quality and workmanship will be good. I guess I was wrong. The laminate grains were done wrongly, there was uneven in the laminates, screws were missing from every hinge. Worse of all, they drilled into my water pipe while installing the kitchen cabinets. Ended up, more restoration works to be done to my unit. ID was slow in responding and as compared to when we first met him, he didn't even bother to say "Hi" or "Bye" to us anymore. He will just walk off after meeting us. Until now, still doing rectifications.

Hi! Able to pm the ID details?

 

[kameldesert]

Hi there, not sure if any one ever consider Mr Shopper Studio before? Any reviews on this ID?

 

[zackontherun]

Hi, anyone know if I can just hire an ID and use own family sub contractor for HDB renovation? As this is a full renovation of an old hdh, I think there is a high risk of screwing up if we just do it without an ID. If anyone knows any contact for this please recommend.

 

[albertchan659]

Hi guys! Anyone use Swiss interior before? Any reviews??

I think they are average, did a quick background check on Hometrust and they have some mixed reviews https://www.hometrust.sg/interior-designers/swiss-interior-design-pte-ltd

The number of negative reviews from bad workmanship and shoddy contractors recently is through the roof man

 

[huattillbinqiqi]

Hi, anyone know if I can just hire an ID and use own family sub contractor for HDB renovation? As this is a full renovation of an old hdh, I think there is a high risk of screwing up if we just do it without an ID. If anyone knows any contact for this please recommend.

Almost all contractor can give better technical advice than average ID, they are the ones who teach ID how things work but you'll probably blunder as you've to do the coordination.

Almost all ID you meet in big companies can't do design, design is done by real designers who work behind the scene, the guy sitting in front of you is a salesman who visits site most of the time.

Larger ID firm doesn't necessarily mean the ID is experienced, you can go on Jobstreet and type in interior design. You'll quickly realize most if not all ID are salesman with 0 knowledge that learns the trade along the way.

Go for contractor for technical skill
Go for ID for design
Go for high end ID for real ID service

 

[sherica]

Hi,

Anyone ever use Mesh Werk Studio? They are not on Qanvast but have very solid Facebook reviews..

If got any info, please share!

Hi all! Can i just ask if anyone uses Triple Three Interior before?

Hi there, not sure if any one ever consider Mr Shopper Studio before? Any reviews on this ID?

All never hear before

 

[albertchan659]

I think it would be better to check Hometrust. I see Qanvast like a lot of fake reviews all submitted one lump shot one. The way it is written it is obviously submitted by the id themselves. Whoever you choose do be careful. Lot of negative feedback these days https://www.hometrust.sg/latest-reviews/lowest-rated

 

[TeamUSA]

I think it would be better to check Hometrust. I see Qanvast like a lot of fake reviews all submitted one lump shot one. The way it is written it is obviously submitted by the id themselves. Whoever you choose do be careful. Lot of negative feedback these days https://www.hometrust.sg/latest-reviews/lowest-rated

Yes. Need to be a bit more discerning.. I find that many of the so-called Interior Designers are really just contractors in diguise since the industry is not really regulated here and they upsell "standard packages" with tons of exclusions. If possible try to go for those designers who are certified architects as they think about the use of space/layout flow holistically. In my case I actually engaged the ID (who provided design and project management) and the contractor through a separate RFQ/quote process, and not part of a bundle. Please don't believe it when a firm tells u design is free, since you are paying for huge mark-ups in the overall renovation package anyway.

 

[KnobKnob]

is the above demolition works too expensive?


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

 

[sherica]

is the above demolition works too expensive?


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

after going through 2nd appt with 6 different IDs to run through quotation i can tell you if they charge you cheaper on some area they will carrot you in other area so if budget is your number 1 concern just go with the cheapest and hope for the best. since i assume whichever IDs you have shortlisted you have done your homework they are not gonna suck even if they are cheap.

 

[albertchan659]

is the above demolition works too expensive?


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

It looks still ok, but hacking and demolition is very dependant on the amount of area which the works has to be done.

Like some hacking can even go up to 12k if you see the pricing breakdown here:https://www.hometrust.sg/interior-designers/design-avenue/project/holland-grove while some hacking only cost 4k https://www.hometrust.sg/interior-designers/design-avenue/project/holland-grove

You would need to see what is the area of works that will be done to make a more fair and accurate comparison.

 

[albertchan659]

Yes. Need to be a bit more discerning.. I find that many of the so-called Interior Designers are really just contractors in diguise since the industry is not really regulated here and they upsell "standard packages" with tons of exclusions. If possible try to go for those designers who are certified architects as they think about the use of space/layout flow holistically. In my case I actually engaged the ID (who provided design and project management) and the contractor through a separate RFQ/quote process, and not part of a bundle. Please don't believe it when a firm tells u design is free, since you are paying for huge mark-ups in the overall renovation package anyway.

Yup the line between contractors and so call ID is very blurred now. In fact a lot of so call IDs are more like "project managers" more than designers who actually design the place. Better to check on their portfolio, ask them questions about how they design the works in the profolio to see if they can answer.