After just over 4 months of searching and discussions, we finally decided on an Interior Designer and committed (i.e. signed off) on the project last evening. It was a bit of a relief to finally be able to make this big decision, for better or for worse!<\/p>\n
Numbers-wise, we received quotations from thirteen Interior Designer companies, had back-and-forths with several, and by early December, had decided that we would be going with either of two shortlisted designers. Both designers were invited to our apartment over the last fortnight to take measurements, do visual checks on our requirements, and work towards a final quotation.<\/p>\n
It was an extremely tough decision to make, as Ling and I each wanted to go with the other designer – with Ling’s preference eventually prevailing. My preferred designer had been supremely meticulous, conscientiously read through all the rules of what was allowed in the residents’ handbook, very good on communications, and patient in revising quotations over the months. I would had been very confident that our project would be in safe hands had we gone in that direction, and the project would have sprung no surprises since all the homework had been painstakingly done in the project preparation. The quotations and its revisions provided were also consistently the most detailed and complete of all thirteen I poured through over the months, and very competitive.<\/p>\n
Ling favored the other shortlisted designer, who was also very experienced but somewhat less accessible on my preferred mode of communication (i.e. email) which meant I had to adapt. And perhaps because he hadn’t been as quick to volunteer little details (e.g. the unit’s several built-in network ports) which were pointed out by the other designer, I’m just a little worried that there are things we’re missing out that will only get surfaced along the way. Still, Ling was very confident about this designer’s skill and she was convicted that he understood her desired Scandinavian concept for our home, and he did strike both of us as someone who knew what he was doing. Moreover, he was the co-owner of his own company, which made quotation revisions easy since he was, well, the decision-maker in the company. And in the couple of days just before we decided, he showed us rendered 3D concepts that he’d prepared – a very pleasant surprise since most designers seem unwilling to work on 3D visualizations until the project is signed-on.<\/p>\n
Since both designers had their strengths, what it ultimately came down to in the last 2 days was, of all things, price<\/em> – and the difference wasn’t huge but not trivial either. Most homeowners will caution that it’s practically impossible to do a pound for pound equal comparison between designer proposals (e.g. material selections can greatly affect prices, as with also the actual designed items). And with that in mind, the price difference was ballpark around 10% lower for the designer we went with on an item basis, though still bearing in mind that I’m not absolutely certain we will get surprised along the way going with this package.<\/p>\n Alright; Ling will add too that the chosen designer had an unfair advantage; he’d done up those visuals too, which Ling was very happy with. After we got back home in the early evening, I spent a good amount of time writing an email to the designer I’d been hoping to go with, informing of our decision. It was a hard email to write, as I felt pretty bad – especially considering all the hardwork on that end that had gone in the previous months.<\/p>\n For those of us who’re looking for IDs, I think both designers are well worth consideration, and who you’ll want to go with will depend on what you’re looking for, what’s important to you as a client and homeowner. Do email me if you’d like their contacts and referrals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After just over 4 months of searching and discussions, we finally decided on an Interior Designer and committed (i.e. signed off) on the project last evening. It was a bit of a relief to finally be able to make this<\/p>\n