In progress.
Hello hello just dropping by with a quick update on how the flat renovation's going! Progress was a little slow because the CNY work hiatus took about two weeks (and various other reasons too), but now I'm finally moving in!
Note: There won't be detailed progress descriptions nor a clear timeline here as I am horrible at making dailies and keeping track of things. Just know that there's tons of tedious, boring duties behind the scenes too that I left out like buying lights, sinks, hob, miscellaneous home items, fixing the mirrors, flooring, shower screen/curbs blah blah blah. /sob
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What the living room looked like before the break:
Part of the original wall was hacked to make way for a small open concept kitchen with a granite bar top counter!
Ceiling work on the living room and bedrooms.
Mhm I didn't want a false ceiling that makes the already low ceiling appear lower so instead of the usual square/boxy looking ones, we opted for something simple that doesn't take up a lot of space.
Freshly painted walls!
This is supposed to be a shade that's more or less lilac but I've had a friend ask me why I painted it "pink". Confession: I have a problem with distinguishing colours sometimes. It's not like I'm colourblind, just that I don't see as wide a spectrum of colours as others. Like, maybe you can spot a hint of two or three shades in a colour and I can only see one if I squint? ╮(´﹏` ╮)
Gosh it looks so blue here but that's really supposed to be violet. The green in the study/guest room turned out perfect though, so bright and cheery! Hmm I feel like my photos don't justify how the colours really look like, they're much more pleasant looking irl.
View from the passageway.
Hey now, can't say I didn't try to make the colours compliment!
Here's the ceiling and wall light in the uh, I-don't-really-know-what-to-call-it-yet room.
Oh my god, the hunt for light fixtures was way more tedious than I originally thought it would be. My poor feet.
No seriously, I had to travel all the way to Malaysia to get all 27 T5s and some other miscellaneous things. Now imagine me physically lugging them over the customs because I have no car and have to carry them around like some pack mule. (╥ω╥)
Got a platform built in so it can be used as a lounging/reading corner too. ♡
Aw yeah I took my Craftholic babies along with me! Aren't they precious? ;3;♥
The wedding set's a limited Valentine's day edition! It comes in pure white too!
Close up of the multipurpose suspended desk.
R: Concealed dressing table for makeup storage.
L: Lightbox that can be angled up.
Contemplating fixing some string curtains over the open concept wardrobe here to give it some semblance of privacy, what do you think?
...yeah iunno how I'm gonna fit all my stuff in man, looks like I have to start packing more clothes to give away. ╮(´︵` ╮)
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the awesomest of them all? щ(✧ω✧щ)
Oooh that mini island cabinet there has hidden roller wheels beneath it so it can be moved around easily and maybe used as an ironing board too shhh.
Some more lights.
Light no.2's a hanging light I found in IKEA's children section. It turned out to be a little too low to fix in my service yard so we had the electrician take out the extra cord and fix it as a ceiling lamp instead.
And here's my key light fixture!
See how versatile it can be!
I nicknamed it 'Spidey'. :D :D :D
Carpentry work's about 90% done at the time of this pic.
Day curtains are scheduled to be installed here after all reno works are done and the whole place has been acid washed. The rest of the rooms will be using roller blinds instead because I'm lazy and you don't need to wash roller blinds. <- IMPORTANT!
LMAO I think I bought like 65% of the decorative items in my house from IKEA. All hail IKEA, ruler of the cheap and chic! \o/
The rest are mostly a mishmash of items from Francfranc, Typo, Monoyono etc. Gdi, these places are sucking me dryyyyyyy.
Some are souvenirs from trips, like these mini oil paintings from France!
Idk, I just like having little bursts of colours here and there to help brighten up an otherwise black and white theme. Makes it look a little less sombre methinks!
Waiting for the gas to be installed in the kitchen, which is why the hob is still sitting around in its styrofoam packaging.
The shoe cabinet!
It's different from my original design for it because we added an extra section to make it bigger.
How it looked like originally:
Had it built behind the door to try and save on space but then it came out a little too shallow for practical use. ;n;
...Still a little iffy on whether it can store all my shoes though hmm hmmm.
But hey, it could be a good incentive to stop with my stupid obsession with shoes if it doesn't. God knows I don't have the money to continue fueling it anymore urghhh.
Since the main carpentry work is done, it's time to bring in all the main electronics and big furniture!
Got this particular set because it gives you 3D depth adjustment and you can have stuff flying out at you from the screen just like a 3D movie theater experience! /EXCITE
What's a movie night without pizza right?
My brand new washing machine!
Idiot-proofed for housework challenged people like me HAH. I got nagged at for it because it cost almost as much as the fridge I'm getting but then it has a four tick on water saving so in the long run it's actually better right? We have limited natural water resource here, I'm doing my part for the country! YEAH!
Bedroom furnishings are all in too! Surprisingly simple I know. (*´ω`*)
That secretaire over there is probably going to be used as a nail painting/crafting table. It's really cute when you open it up with all its adorable little drawers and compartments!
Lookit what came along with the bed and mattress♥
Depending on the salesperson, you can actually get a lot of freebies (like mattress protectors, pillows, bed bench, extra discounts etc.) with your bed/mattress purchase so it's always good to shop around a bit before you decide on who to buy from!
[Oh yeah if anyone living in Singapore's interested, I got most of my decorative furniture pieces at this warehouse for classic french furniture in Ubi near the OSIM building.
They have a lot of cute furniture going for up to a few hundred cheaper than what's selling in retail shops. Like a long bench might set you back around S$300 compared to the usual S$500~S$700. Also, delivery's free and the after service is pretty good. I broke a leg off the bench a few weeks after the delivery and they were still willing to let me exchange it for a new piece! ]
Say, don't you think the tinted black mirror really does make a difference in how the living room looks?
All it needs is some nice matching bar stools now!
Hehe house mascot reporting for duty! lol he even fits the color scheme
It's amazing what a few decorations put in the right place can do huh?
/bounces on the sofa
Overall I'm pretty pleased with how the place came out; I wanted something simple, spacious-looking, with a touch of modern classic look in it and that's what I got! Ngl, there were definitely hiccups along the way (which was to be expected), thankfully nothing too major though.
What caught me by surprise was the cost of furnishings, everything was way more expensive than I bargained for. Maybe it's just that I'm so ignorant of the market price but wow I honestly did not expect something like a simple rug to cost this much?
Granted I bought it on sale for a much lower price but STILL.
I'm personally very averse to taking loans unless absolutely necessary so every bit of cost here is covered by my savings; can I just say it's like watching a horror movie to see it deplete so freaking fast ahhhhhhhh. (ﾉ;︵;)ﾉ 彡 ┻━┻
Glad to see that someone appreciates it at least. /grumble
Oh wait, make that two.
I swear, if they pee on it...
If you're wondering, the bunnies are usually kept in the balcony; I only let them run about in the living room when I'm home. DAMAGE CONTROL.
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Hey hey if I missed anything you post recently I'll be sure to catch up in a bit, just let me survive this month first! Gonna have to find the energy to wade through everything because I've been moving the whole week and my everything hurts. And then there's still a housewarming party to plan for WHHHYYYYY I didn't even want a housewarming but then I've already gotten GIFTS for it and now it just seems rude to not have one AUGH.
Sorry I haven't been around for anyone much, my hermit status tends to level up exponentially when I'm stressed out. Just pretend I don't exist for the time being, I'll come crawling back and shamelessly begging for forgiveness as usual after I've dealt with the final boss! Peace out, and take care!