At Home With
Han Ming, Wei Qi and Puffy
A Scandinavian-inspired 5-Room HDB home in Ang Mo Kio
Cost of Renovation $60,000, Project by Roy
The road to achieving their dream home was not an easy one for Han Ming and Wei Qi; with many delays faced due to the Covid-19 situation last year, it was an arduous journey before they could finally start on renovating their 5-room home in Ang Mo Kio.
Thankfully, once the storm had passed, it wasn’t long before the easy-going couple could finally start making their dream home a reality.
Come Chill with Us
Upon entering the home, the first thing that catches one’s eye would be the balcony. “We wanted a place where we could read and chill,” Wei Qi shared. “We shared our initial idea with Roy, who turned this space into everything we wanted.”
With an arched entryway leading up to two plush beanbags, this designated chill area is an absolute favourite for the couple.
The balcony is open to all members of the family, including their four-legged friend, Puffy. “We have a dog house specially designed for him,” Han Ming said. “But he refuses to go in!”
A Puffy-friendly Home
A dog door, in the form of a door flap, was incorporated into the wardrobe in the couple’s bedroom to make it Puffy-friendly. “Puffy would wake us up every night whenever he wanted to go to the toilet,” Wei Qi shared. “There is a cupboard that links two rooms to each other, so we decided to cut a dog door through it so he could go through it without having to scratch at the door and waking us up.”
With the help of this door flap, Puffy can stroll in and out at his own leisure without waking up his pawrents.
Dining on a Pool Table
“I had to convince my wife on this one!” Han Ming laughed. “She was afraid that it would become a white elephant in our home, but thankfully it wasn’t the case.”
Once the cover is removed, the dining table takes the form of a fully functional pool table. Surprisingly, this duo-concept table was actually purchased off the shelf and was not customised. “Before Covid-19, we enjoyed having friends over,” Han Ming said. “It was actually one of the many factors that influenced the design of our home.”
The open kitchen concept was also designed with the couple’s lifestyle in mind. “Han Ming likes to cook and interact with our friends,” Wei Qi said. “That’s why we decided to go for an open kitchen concept so he can chit-chat with them while he’s in the kitchen.”
The Perfect Designer
The amount of trust placed in Roy was plenty. “We were actually warned by friends that it was a risk to hire an independent designer, compared to one that works in an established firm,” Han Ming said. “But we trusted our gut feeling and engaged Roy anyway as we really liked his vibes.”
The results? A very happy couple (and furkid) who couldn’t have asked for better. “We presented some pictures to Roy and told him to work his magic,” Wei Qi said. “He actually chose the majority of the designs, like the arches and colours and we love it.”
Apart from an outstanding portfolio, Roy’s character and nature was also something that the couple clicked with almost immediately. They shared that he had actually proposed his ideas to them and was not just solely a middleman between them and the contractors, all the more reassuring them that he knew what he was doing and had their best interests in mind.
In fact, the friends who initially cautioned against the couple’s decision ended up engaging Roy as well. “They saw our home and were really impressed with his work,” Han Ming shared. “In the end, they decided to engage him as well for their upcoming home!”
A Little Advice or Two
“It’s very important to know what you want and to go through your ideas with your designer,” Han Ming advised. “You also need to feel comfortable and to have room to express your ideas; of course the designer has to be open to them and to listen and advise.”
One final advice from the couple would be to also ensure that you plan out your timeline during your renovation journey, in the event of any delays. “This also reduces any tension between yourself and the designer should there be unforeseen delays,” they shared.
