FINDING INTERIOR DESIGNERS: RENOVATION LOG #4

In my previous post, Renovation Log #2 and #3, I've written that I contacted 5 interior designers and only 2 replied. However, did I mentioned that they also didn't follow up on making their so called appointment? In their mail, they mentioned that one of their guy will give me a call for an appointment but it didn't happen. Well, maybe they are too busy.

Anyway, I engaged in Qanvast to help me in finding IDs. 

I love using Qanvast app for research so was thinking why not just let them do the hunt for me right? 

Qanvast gave me another 5 IDs. 

As a side quest, we also took the chance to visit other interior designers along Joo Chiat Place since the visit to The Interior Lab was unsatisfactory.

1. Halls Interior
2. I-Bridge 
3. Interior Lab
4. Third Avenue (no reply)
5. And a studio which I don't remember. (no reply)
6. Design Chapterz
7. Summit Design Studio

Previously contacted,

1. DHOME Studio (no reply)
2. The Upper Room Design Studio (no reply)
3. Third Avenue Studio (no reply)
4. Voila Design Pte Ltd (Replied. No appointment follow up)
5. Mong Design Studio (Replied. No appointment follow up)

Qanvast is very good in doing their follow ups.

They would call me to check if the interior designers had contacted me. 

If they don't, Qanvast themselves will give them a rating.

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I-BRIDGE

ID: Moon

http://www.i-bridgedesign.com/

https://qanvast.com/professional/5624aa80de6d58cc5472f21c/i-bridge-design

I first met up with Moon from I-bridge design. 

Moon came up with her idea of how we can do our space planning and suggested how to implement the ideas from my moodboard. Very pleasant experience. 

I-bridge design showroom was quite homey too. I find this studio really special because they actually put in the thought of fengshui effect when implementing their design. 

Really good 2-in-1 package, isn't it? No need to hire your own fengshui master!

INTERIOR LAB

http://www.theinteriorlab.com.sg/

https://qanvast.com/professional/55b05030971e95bd69d0ab1b/the-interior-lab

THIS. Absolutely no good impression right from the start. 

First advice（微妙ですが）if your work requires any bit customer service, don't reply with "<insert text>..." "Ok sure..." "Hi Rini..." 

However, this wasn't what made me tick. 

This was what happened.

In the same week Tuesday, I had made a request for an appointment in the weekends, Saturday. 

ITL told me 3pm. 

So alright, I replied with 

OK =) See you on Saturday 3pm!

Friday, a reminder was sent. A reminder. It wasn't any RSVP or a message that requires me to confirm with anything with regards of the appointment.

At that point of time, I still didn't have any severe bad impression on ITL. The reminder was good. 

On Saturday, on the day of appointment, however, 

A message told me that another appointment will be slotted in instead of mine because I did not make my confirmation on my appointment. 

I was already on my way there. 

From Jurong West, all the way to Joo Chiat place. 

(Made me regret for not driving that day.)

I had to message the ID back to secure my slot. 

The ORIGINAL appointment for her that day.

Anyway, after reaching ITL studio, it felt even more ridiculous.

The moodboard, blueprint that I had sent, she claimed that she had not seen it because she couldn't open the file. 

I guess at this digital century... for ITL to not know how to open a zip file, they are going to seriously lose out to the rest of IDs. I actually tried extracting my zip from the mail I had sent to her and it works fine over at my side. So it's either ITL is too ancient or I don't know, you name it. 

Unlike Moon from I-bridge, she had nothing, nothing at all prepared at her side because → "she couldn't open up the zip file" remember? So after getting a piece of our hard copy blueprint, she literally asked what we want our house to look like. OK, so end up, in the end, we are the designers.
There is no space planning input from her nor innovative ideas on how we can be creative with our new apartment. 

Please tell me she is a interior designer... and if so, what exactly is her job? Just recommendation of materials? 

HALL INTERIORS

ID: See Ying

https://www.facebook.com/HallInteriors

https://qanvast.com/professional/52d6ab48723c43ab5c00007b/hall-interiors

Like Moon from I-bridge, See Ying is another professional whom we had our night appointment with. She was the last ID we visited, after Design Chapterz and Summit Design and also the ID we eventually want to go with. 

SO WHY HALLS INTERIORS?
Among I-bridge, Design Chapterz and Hall Interiors, it is really hard to make a choice because all are equally good! These 3 really have their own X Factor but what made us chose Hall Interiors is because of their creativity on space planning and design. 

See Ying actually had 3 ideas prepared to pitch. 

Like what Moon from I-bridge did, she printed out my moodboard so that she can refer me back to the inspirations I had for the design. 

Just the 3 ideas alone, one can judge how much effort Hall Interiors actually put into their work. 

Very much like the gaming industry, whenever we are pitching an idea, we MUST make variations. This is reduce the checkbacks from the client. With more choices, we get a closer idea to what the client wants and thus, we can derive with a better solution for them.

Not only does it work in the design field, in economics, when we are analyzing the effects of supply and demand and substitutes etc, we NEED variations.

See Ying was the only ID out of 3 who provided us with variations.

She further impressed us with her creative ideas. Good job See Ying~!

I'm so excited to have her work with our interior design in the near future. 

DESIGN CHAPTERZ

ID: Jason

http://designchapterz.com/main/contact

https://qanvast.com/professional/54fb07b4c99e1c01112a20f8/design-chapterz

Design Chapterz showroom looks like a cafe! I feel that if you are going for a cafe look, just look for them. Jason was a really really good salesman. Lol I think he can quit his job and go into sales instead! We walked into Design Chapterz as walk-in customer but he handled us professionally with lots of ideas. The place we sat were seats with storage place and the cushion was so comfy! We want something like this too~ 

Most of the time, we don't have to say anything. Just let him fill you in with his thoughts and ideas. Really, just let him do the talking haha. 

As we walk around the studio, he introduced us the materials they provide. I think I learnt the most about Kitchen cabinet materials and Blum mechanics from Design Chapterz. Really entertaining and friendly bunch~ 

SUMMIT DESIGN STUDIO

ID: Kenny Cheng

http://summitdesignstudio.com.sg/

https://qanvast.com/project/52d41c5deffdf429360000a8/the-design-practice-the-summit

Again, we were walk-in customers of Summit Design Studio. 

Kenny Cheng was the one who served us. 

I think he offended some netizens.... but I find that he's quite a fine guy to work with! 

He had a interior designer ruler thing that he use to judge for space planning.

I don't think he is good with english but his recommendations were satisfactory. 

I think he should be given another chance to work with more potential customers...

Wish him luck!

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See Ying from Hall Interior gave us a heads up on the rough estimate she had in mind.

Zen and I both think that amount is reasonable for this idea to be visible.

We will have a really unique Singapore HDB unit~!!

So excited!

Waiting for a more detailed quotation to be done

=D

Till then!