One of the reasons for starting this blog, is renovations. I have been asked by so many friends, about my renovating experiences. So here is, a step by step list of what I have gone through. (I will add more posts over the next few weeks.)
Before you get your flat, there are some things you can do to prepare for the project that is your future home.
Get to know your prices. I say know your prices is because everyone asks me what's my budget. How am I suppose to know my budget when I do not know how much that "die die must get" sofa will cost me? This is where you start ramping up your knowledge as a "part time furniture guru".
Visit furniture fairs. Singapore Expo have quite a number of furniture fairs you should check out. They have a few throughout the year. Visit and get to know them now. So that when your flat comes by, you know what kinds of deals you can probably get. e.g. the "sofa + bed + dinning table" bundle.
Check out furniture stores. There are many clusters of furniture shops around Singapore. Some places I visited includes Furniture mall, IMM, Sungei Kadut, Tradehub21. These are mostly in the west side of Singapore, so those staying in the east might want to wait for fairs at Singapore Expo where all of the stores will gather in the east.
Give IKEA a chance. I really liked IKEA furniture, just because they have really good pieces, and have great prices. My favorites are the white pieces, where I have white spaces to decorate with wall stickers. The biggest grips from friends about IKEA is "their furniture don't last long". Well, affordable + 10 years, I think that's long enough for me.
Visit Toyogo. Make at least one visit to Toyogo Toa Payoh. You can find a lot of stuff that a new home will need. Big pails. Pots. Containers. Clothes Racks... The list goes on. *edit - Toyogo have moved to it's new location - 2 Kallang Avenue, CT Hub.*
Sign up promotion newsletters. I signed up for Singapore Promotions which lead me to some of my best buys! Watch out for lots of warehouse sales that happen during the year. There are also some "fake" warehouse sales that offer even worse prices that furniture fairs. Lucky you have already know what are the prices you are looking for, right?
Visit websites. Heregotsale is another good site, thought there is not newsletter you can sign up for. So you just got to drop by their page often.
Check out renotalk forums. The Renotalk forums, have a large number of posts talking about everything about renovations. You need reviews about the store you want to buy from? Google "renotalk" "Store name". Make sure you check every furniture store you are planning to buy from. There are many complaints against many stores. Read. Learn. Know what to look out for. e.g. lousy delivery team, poor after-sales support, damaged delivered furniture.
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