GUIDE TO: designing your own home? 💡

Before I throw my ID skills into a bin, here’s how I have been designing and styling homes for other people for the past six years! ʕ̡̢̡ʘ̅͟͜͡ʘ̲̅ʔ̢̡̢

❃ Stage 1: Conceptualisation

Choose what design concept you want for your house - scandinavian, muji/ japandi, contemporary design? Pinterest will be your best friend! Look for inspirations there and take note of what type of laminates you’d like to incorporate in your design (+ how to mix and match different laminate patterns)

❃ Stage 2: Planning out your layout, carpentry, doors and tiles

Which areas do you need carpentry? Do you want to cover your DB box/ bomb shelter door with connecting storage cabinets to make your entrance more appealing? Are you planning to replace windows, doors and tiles at any area? At this stage, consider all costs even though you have no idea about the pricing. Thus, it is important to note on the MUST-HAVEs and NICE-TO-HAVEs so that you can cut down/ add stuff when you are liaising with your ID or direct contractor in the final stage.

BTO projects come with floor and wall tiles (if you didn’t opt out) and some owners keep the original tiles to save cost and only do the necessary carpentry works e.g kitchen top+bottom cabinets. Your house can be aesthetically pleasing with just furnitures as well! Think of how you’re going to place your furniture (tbh, there’s not many ways to play around with furniture placement in BTOs) - you can draw your floorplan online or play SIMS to experiment your ideas.

❃ Stage 3: Choosing laminates and tiles

This is the fun part! Choose your textures from our local brands to play mix and match for your carpentry and tiling works. Don’t forget to choose your paint colours as well! These are some local laminate and tiles suppliers that our IDs use:

Laminates:

▹ Lamitak

▹ EDL

▹ Keminates

▹ Panaplast

▹ Admira

▹ Arova

▹ Jennings

Tiles/ Vinyl flooring:

▹ Hafary (popular)

▹ Soon Bee Huat

▹ Lian Seng Hin

▹ Ecopluz

▹ Evorich

▹ Bigfootflooring

❃ Stage 4: Adding your furniture/ furnishings/ home decor

If you’re planning to do minimal carpentry, this step might be the fun part for you! Find your furniture (sofas, dining tables, chairs, study tables, lightings, kitchen/ toilet fixtures) or home decor from local shops or taobao, and put them together to see if they fit well. Again, Pinterest will be your best friend.

❃ Stage 5: You are ready to start your renovation journey!

If you’re very serious about your home design and don’t want to engage IDs, engage a professional interior 3D visualiser instead (you can find them on carousell) to put together your proposed furniture and layout for you to visualise your ideas. IMO, a professional 3D render can cost from $60 to $150 per view. (you can try to negotiate!) With the 3Ds, find your direct contractor!

If you are going to engage an ID, tell them your ideas and chosen furnitures to go with your design. They will provide the 3D to you and try their best to include similar furniture in the renders to help you better visualise your ideas.

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Let me know what other tips you have in managing your own design/ renovation journey bc it’s my turn in 2026! 😛

#hdb #bto #interiordesign #renovationsg #hdbsg

#homerenovation #HomeReno #idwithmin