For a fresh and modern look to your home design, embrace the ‘less is more’ rule. Clean and simple designs make a stylish statement. If it is elegance you’re after, this minimalistic and contemporary look may just be what you’re looking for.

A neutral colour palette, straight lines and stylish practicality give this home a stunning appeal. The beauty lies in the uncluttered look and the key to achieving that is holding back on excessive furniture and accessories.

Simple Design

The living space breathes comfort and space with simple design elements. No room for fifty odd accessories and bulky furniture here! Chocolate and white work well together to give the room its classy look. A comfortable couch, a coffee table and a simple entertainment unit are all that are needed to achieve the contemporary look. Sheer curtains, a plush rug and a few pieces of complementing accessories complete the look.

 Monochromatic Kitchen

The kitchen reflects functionality and style with ease. A monochromatic theme really opens up the space and the contrasting splash back in chocolate adds a delightful touch of colour, while drawing the colour inspiration from the living room. It’s always a good idea to tie the different rooms of the house with continuity in the theme. Here, in the kitchen, the contemporary feel continues with the frosted glass cabinets, white bench tops and appliances in a steel finish.

 Neutral Colours

The bedroom is a haven for relaxation. Again, unless you want to have some wild fun with decorating each room in a different theme, stick to one basic style that runs through your home. With its neutral colours of white, beige and chocolate, this bedroom blends in with the rest of the house beautifully. The main features are a comfortable bed, a large display unit and a reading/relaxing nook. A feature wall is a great idea to add interest to a room. Here, the gorgeous chocolate brown wall behind the bed adds a stylish touch.

 Optimum Storage

The bathroom complements the theme with a functional yet stylish appeal. While decorating a bathroom, keep in mind that for practical purposes you need to plan for optimum storage. Cabinets under the vanity are a great idea to store extra towels and other utilities. The continuity of the colour scheme is reflected in the cabinets, the tiles in the shower area and the panelled mirror that runs across the wall above the vanity. Mirrors create the illusion of space and who doesn’t like a large mirror in the bathroom? A bit of luxury and indulgence.

If you like simplicity, this crisp yet inviting look is easy to create –

• Choose a neutral colour base
• Pick simple and practical furniture and use them as your main features
• Accessorize to complement, not overpower
• Keep in mind the functional aspects of every room and avoid filling up spaces with unwanted items

Contemporary, minimalistic, classy and functional – a theme that works for many. With just a few basic guidelines in mind, bring this modern look into your home design. Remember, ‘less is more’!

I came across this youtube video which shows how interior designer Luke Clark Tyler designs his apartment in Manhattan New York with only 78 sq ft (much smaller than the smallest studio apartment you can find in Singapore) but complete with basic amenities like storage, furniture, kitchen and bathroom. I believe we can take something from this video and implement some of the space saving solutions in our own home.

Luke cleverly places the couch against the wall in the living room, acting also as his bed at night to save space. In the day time, his friends would be able to sit on the couch chatting and staring at the wall! His working desk comes with a mirror making the work area looks much bigger and not so boring.

Who is in the world would placed his oven in his closet? Well Luke did it in the name of saving space! All his toiletries are arranged nicely by the side with his little towel. Surprisingly, Luke has been staying in his apartment for 5 years, an amazing feat….. How happens if his girlfriend were to come and visit him?

One of the most popular interior design company in Singapore is Chew interior. You can often spot their advertisements in newspaper and even some TV programs which the company sponsor. Their designer’s portfolio are often featured in local home decor magazines like Lookbox. The company started in 1999 and have completed many projects from residential to commercial that won praises from home owners.

It currently have 2 showrooms which are located in Toh Guan Road near Jurong East MRT station and Kallang Avenue near Kallang MRT station. You can visit their website at www.chewinterior.com for more details.

Because of it’s long history and satisfied customers, Chew interior have been accredited with

1. BCA Contractor License

2. CASE Trust License

3. RADAC License

Of worthy note is the CASE Trust License which is awarded to less than 30 interior design companies in Singapore. One of the requirements of getting the CASE trust license is that the company must not have more than 5 complaints from customers in a year. This means that the company must always maintain high quality work and excellent after sales support before their license can be renewed for the next year.

One of the most common way of renovating your home is to find a main contractor who will be in charge of getting the right people for jobs like fixing doors, tiling, electrical wiring, wet works, painting etc. Though the main contractor do not normally provide 3D drawings, they are cheaper as compared to hiring an interior designer, who will do space planning for you based on your floor plan.

If you do not have time and don’t want to have the headache of supervising the main contractor, then you should get a good interior designer who will liaise with the contractor himself. You just need to communicate your ideas to your interior designer and he will do the rest.

Choosing The Right Interior Designer

I will like to start with the fact that everyone is different and therefore what your friends or relatives find a certain theme is appealing to them may not be nice to you. The first step of choosing an interior designer is to bring your floor plan down to the company or exhibition halls and ask the ID to do the space planning for you.

If you are comfortable with what the designer have planned for you based on the floorplan, the next step is to check out his past portfolios. Go through them seriously, taking note of what you like and dislike so it can serve as a reference to your final design. Some of the common photos featured will be the living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Here, you will discover what is the style of the designer and you should be able to determine if both of your style can be matched.

If after the space planning and reviewing of the designer’s portfolio, you are not still not comfortable and cannot find a common ground, then you should move on and find the next interior designer that matches your style. Most people will shortlist at least 5 designers and comparing their prices before making the final decision.

One important thing to note is that never choose a designer based on the cheapest price quoted, many home owners suffered because the cheap price meant cutting corners, poor workmanship and poor communication all leading to a bad experience. Since you are already investing a substantial sum of money, you don’t want to have a nightmare just to save that couple of hundred dollars.

Also if possible, try to contact the home owners of finished projects and talked to them to see whether they are satisfied with the interior designer and how’s their after sale support. There are many cases of poor attitude from designer after they hand over the project and you definitely don’t want this to happen to you.

Finding Contractor’s Contact

One of the easiest and popular way of finding a good contractor is to ask your relatives and friends who have just recently renovated their HDB flat for contacts. This is because you can have a first hand account of whether their contractor have done a good job after visiting their flat for house warming. You could also check out whether their contractor is responsible, has good workmanship and reasonable price. However, if you do not have such situation, then the next best thing is to check out the RADAC’s list of accredited renovators.

RADAC is known as “Renovation and Decoration Advisory Centre” and it’s job is to protect consumer’s interest and ensure high quality home renovation. Renovation contractor listed under RADAC have to meet stringent requirements and in the event of dissatisfaction or dispute with the contractors, RADAC will be able to help you to mediate the case. It is important to note that you should deal with only RADAC accredited HDB contractors directly and NOT their associated companies or firms which maybe not be listed under RADAC.

Shortlisting Contractors

It is important to have at least 3-5 quotations from the renovation contractors before choosing the final one. Never choose based on the lowest price since there may be some compromise on workmanship or quality but compare the different quotations and also the personality of the contractor since they are the one you will be liaising with from the start to finish of your flat renovation project.

Once you have selected the best contractor to work with, you need to have him list down all the requirements you want to have for your flat renovation and ultimately sign the renovation contract, taking note of the fine prints on the agreement. Do not rely on verbal agreements since this may lead to complicated disputes. If your chosen renovator is accredited with RADAC, then you can simply request to use the RADAC Standard Contract which contains the guidelines and contractual obligations between you and your contractor.

Before & During Renovation

Once the contractual agreement is signed, your contractor may need to request for approval of certain tasks like hacking of walls from HDB. In order for your contractor to get the renovation permit, he must first be registered with HDB. It is your job to watch your contractor and all the renovation works that are carried out according to HDB renovation guidelines. It is important to communicate any dissatisfaction to your contractor as early as possible and you should request for progressive payments and insist that they give you receipts for the job done.

In the event of any disputes with your contractor, you should discuss calmly with him for a possible solution instead of pushing blame and allow enough time for your renovator to rectify his work. Should you need RADAC to mediate the dispute, you can call the consumer relations officer at 6565 9929.

There are several interior design ideas that are capable of helping you to come up with a very comfortable living space. Any individuals need to ascertain several things in order to make their home the most and safest place for their family, especially for their children. You need to consider a lot of things, like wall paints, the furniture you utilize, carpets, durable flooring, the choice of appliances, fabrics of your furniture and a lot more.

Furniture Placement

Your furniture and its placement play a very essential role on how you can maximize the space of your home. Try to choose furniture that is very simple, yet undeniably functional. You can place it closer to walls, so that there is more space for your child to enjoy. You can buy multipurpose furniture, like dining table with storage shelf, cabinets with drawers and spacious space to put some pictures or other little things like vases and antiques. You can utilize innovative ideas in interior designing to maximize the space of your home.

Choosing The Right Carpet

You need to choose the right carpet for your flooring. Choose carpets that are easy to wash out stains and other dirt, like wine and juice spills. You need to be practical in dealing with things in your house for easy cleaning. The type of fabric for your furniture is also important. Choose a kind of fabric that is easy to clean, such as machine wash fabric for your own convenience. Look for those dull color fabric, which is a kind of non-staining fabric.

Choosing The Right Wall Paint

When you are looking for a kind of wall paint, choose a kind of water based paint. The paint color also affects the atmosphere of your room. Choose paint colors that appear airy and comfortable. For your kids, the color of their room will depend on their preferences. Ask them what color they want, so that they are comfortable with their room. Let them express their own personality with the kind of color they want.

Lighting Selection

The selection of lights for your home is also important. An average chandelier in the midst of the wall ceiling can create a cozy ambiance when it is dimly lit. On the other hand, appliances should be put on their proper places with their cords properly fix to avoid any untoward incident. It is ideal that you should use lights attached to walls to avoid accidents concerning electrical cords. You must be very careful with that aspect because it might harm your children.

Family Safety & Security

The implementation of the proper management system in a space through furniture, wall paints, lighting, durable flooring, fabrics used, carpets and other factors can bring out astonishing results. Every home has a specific interior design to achieve, and that is very important. You really need to determine first your family’s safety and security and also your comfort and convenience when designing your home. Always keep in mind that your priority is the safety of your children roaming around the house. Look and use for those things that will provide you with useful benefits.

This article is about how a good HDB interior design can help to maximize small spaces. Interior design can be implemented in the simplest ways in a person’s abode. Many homeowners fail to recognize how easy it is to maximize floor space with the implementation of simple interior design methods. For most people, the thought of Interior design involves both time and money. Though this is not false, there are as well various ways that can be utilized in improving space affordably and in the least amount of time possible.

For instance many HDB homes have swinging doors and these doors take up much needed floor space, simple Interior design techniques that could utilize this space would merely call for replacing these swing doors with sliding doors or panels. These simple changes will show instant results and immediately the space that was freed up can be utilized or would at least give the impression of a bigger floor area.

Moving furnishings around is also another technique when it comes to interior design. For instance floor space in a small dining area can be freed up either by using the exposed or adjacent kitchen counter instead as bar seating or dining space. The existence of a bay window seating can also prove to be useful simply by pushing the dining set towards it and making the bay window seat as part of the dining sitting area.

The most common issue in small spaces would be the apparent lack of storage area. This can easily be remedied by using multipurpose furnishings or installing custom cabinetry to utilize all spaces properly. For instance bay window seats can convert as storage for uncommonly used items such as extra pillows, blankets etc. Many premade furnishings have been designed to fit into small spaces thus the designs often include drawers or storage spaces. Beds and sitting areas are common furniture pieces that are employed to work as two functions.

Similarly furnishings that serve dual purposes also help add much needed space. Sofa beds are the most common piece of furniture that is effectively used in many Interior design projects. Apartments typically are not built to accommodate many tenants. Thus the appearance of unexpected guests often leaves home owners flummoxed especially when bedtime rolls around however with sofa beds the problem is easily solved.

Ottomans can work as both a coffee table and additional seating. Bay windows aside from providing additional light are functional as TV console or entertainment area console. Picking furniture or appliances in the home that are proportional to the size of the space is another simple Interior design tactic. Veering away from large chunky pieces and sticking to streamlined designs will work wonders in giving the illusion of space.

Interior design need not be an expensive project. There are many ways in making improvements that will not only instantly free up space but make it more user friendly. Space planning is essential if an individual wishes to use their space effectively. Some people fail to realize how important it is for the home or spaces in the home to have a proper flow. In general Interior design should not only maximize space it should be able to make movements from one space to another more efficient.

In this article, you will learn the tricks of special paint effects for renovation Singapore. Everyone wants to live in beautifully decorated house. For this, people usually decorate their house by painting, using wallpaper, using “marbling stone” and many more. Your home will look ugly if you do not renovate it for a long time. There are many ways of house renovation.

However, most important way of the house renovation is painting. You can fulfill the needs of wallpaper by the “marbling” painting effect. Soho group of companies brought a great paint Dulux for Singapore renovation and home improvement that can fulfill your need. You can use it to create marbling like effect on your house wall, wallpaper like design, as decal and many more.

Dulux is Eco-friendly paint. Dulux gain Singapore green level for all of its external and internal emulsions. Dulux’s emulsions contain less than 50 g/litre of VOCs. Therefore, it is environmentally sustainable and Eco-friendly as well. The color produce by Dulux is awesome. Now, I am going to describe the procedure to get marvel like effect, wallpaper like design, as decal with this paint.

To create marbling effect on your wall, you have to use Dulux gloss finish paint. First, you have to use white Dulux paint to be painted on your wall. Then you have to paint green color on your wall and then finishing it with other colors related to marble. You have to make many layers like marble. After finishing the paint you will be amazed to see the paint quality that it can give you look of exactly same as marbling. You will save thousands of dollars by using this paint as a replacement of marbles.

You can use this paint as a replacement of wallpaper as well. You can draw nice wallpaper like design on your wall with this paint. The color of this paint is exactly natural that you looking for. You have to use Dulux pentalite to do this. You can use this paint to create very special effect like ponging in the replace of wallpaper as well.

Dulux is now in great position for Singapore renovation. To renovate house in Singapore home designers use this paint as their first choice. You can contact with Dulux preferred interior designers to design your house with better finishing and attractive design.

Another, important thing is that you can create nice design in your wall with deluxe special paint. This paint is not permanently attached with your wall. You can remove it if you want at any time without doing any harm of your wall.

Dulux is an excellent paint and is now widely used for home renovation in Singapore. It is perfect for using Dulux paint to enhance your home outlook with lower cost. This paint is totally Eco-friendly so that it is safe for children as well. There are lots of Dulux preferred contractors whom are ready to serve you with a lower cost within the Singapore. They are professionals in painting with Dulux and know the proper way to use this paint to make amazing design and color. So, it is recommended for you to use Dulux paint for your home renovation.

Living room is that part of your home that you are actually going to show your guests in general. This means an impression of your choice and taste along with your art sense is going to be depicted through this room. That is why living room design is more important than other rooms in your house. The room is not only important because you are going to show this to your guest but it is also important for activities of your family.

This is a room where you spend time together, chat, share moments, read and do other activities. The design of this room thus needs a lot of consideration. A living room is how you describe it. For some it is just a room to sit while for some it is a place where they watch TV together and entertain the guests. The size of the room is dependent according to the requirement and vise e versa. If you have very small space in your living room you need to design the room in such a way that it looks spacious. Let us discuss some of the ideas.

Use Built In Storage

If the area of the living room is small you can use built in and a backseat within it. Storage under the back will give you more space to store things. This can increase the area of a living room considerably.

Furniture & Decoration

If your room is so small that you cannot fit anything else other than a sofa set then it is best to use furniture with wheel. For example if you use a movable center table that can be used as a coffee table too then the requirement of storing a coffee table will not be there. At the same time you can choose to decorate one wall of the room with wallpaper. This will grab the attention and the size of the room will not be noticed. You can also decorate one wall of the room with decorative items to grab attention. You can place racks on the adjoining wall and store small things. This will make you utilize the room well.

Area Below Staircase

As the living rooms of the urban homes are shrinking it is important to use every space including the space under the stair case. You can easily decorate one part of it with picture frames and use two doors to cover up the remaining. You can use as much innovation as you want in choosing the door. It will give you lots of space to store things and at the same time give your living room a new look. You can also make segments under the staircase and use the place to hang the cloths and store other things.

Big Living Rooms

If the room is big enough or you have a bid room which you need to use as living and bed room or living and dining room then you can use room dividers which are useful in storing small decorative items and they can also separate the two areas. You can use bright color curtain to give it your living room a gorgeous look and restrict visibility of the other part.
In most of the houses today the space is quite low. But with a smart living room design you can make the small space look bigger and better.

A lot of people think that having a small bathroom design is a huge disadvantage when it comes to decorating. However, the good news is that there are all kinds of ways of being able to not only make the most out of the space that you have to work with, but also to make the bathroom appear to be larger and more spacious than it is at the same time. So if you are looking for some small bathroom design tips and tricks, be sure to consider some of the ones below.

One great way of being able to create the illusion of more space in any small bathroom is to consider the color of a room. Lighter colors, for example, are a great way of making a room appear bigger, so stick to monochromatic colors such as white. Darker colors, on the other hand, are something to avoid in a small space because this can just make the entire room look even smaller and closed off.

Related to the idea of paint colors, simply adding some kind of pattern to the walls (such as horizontal stripes or vertical stripes) or even a fantastic wall mural can add a pop of color to the walls without having too much going on in such a small space. It is a good idea to put a mural or accent colors on the longest and widest wall in the room to accentuate this.

Opening up a space by adding more windows or even a skylight in a bathroom with sloped ceilings is also an amazing way to give the illusion of more space by making the room much more open. Or, for those who are looking for a less expensive way to give the illusion of more space, adding mirrors to the wall is a great way to achieve that goal without having to spend as much money as you would with adding something such as a skylight or another window.

Another way to make a small bathroom appear to be more open is through the correct use of mosaic tiling to create a sort of mural on a specific wall of the room. This can act as a focal point of the space, adding some design to the overall bathroom while making the room appear larger at the same time. Also, keeping any tiles on the sink the same color as any tiling on the wall can make the entire room appear to be larger by avoiding contrasting colors that can often make a room seem too small.

As you can see, there are so many things that can be done in order to make even the smallest of bathrooms appear larger and more spacious. And this is true even for those home owners who are looking to do small bathroom design on a budget, as all it really takes is a couple of buckets of paint and perhaps some mosaic tiling of your choice to achieve a totally different look in your existing bathroom. Have fun!