My husband and I have officially moved into our new flat this week! Yay!

We are now still in the midst of unpacking some of our stuff and decorating the room, but I thought it’s about time I post some update on our renovation journey because I just can’t wait until the home is fully decorated. Not that I think we’re ever really ‘finish’ decorating.

Let’s start with the floor plan.

Our exact renovation plan has developed and slightly changed along the way, but our concept remains the same: cosy, fuss-free, and stylish. I am STILL very inspired with Japanese home concept and we strive to achieve the final look that not only feels ‘Japanese’ but also matches with our personality.

Before the Renovation

A little flashback to our ‘untouched’ flat when we stepped foot into our home for the first time. This was how our flat looked like when it was brand new:

Once we engaged with the interior designer, they started marking around the house.

Honestly, it was painful to see our ‘virgin’ flat being scribbled, but I tried to keep reminding myself it was for the best!

During the Renovation

I took a lot (like literally hundreds) of photos during the renovation. It’s pretty amazing to see the transformation of our flat from empty to finish. So here’s the whole renovation process:

Week 1

The renovation officially started on 28 March 2018. On the very first day, they laid cardboard sheet across the room to protect the floor. And then on the following day, the walls of the kitchen and study room were being demolished. They took only one day to finish with the drilling. On the first week, they completed the wall-hacking work and replaced some electrical outlets too.

Week 2

On the second week, the demolished walls were smoothed up. They also put up ‘fake’ walls in master bedroom and living room, and adjust another electrical outlets that are running behind the wall. Some floor area in the kitchen, service yard, and bathrooms were being decked up too. On this week, we also arranged installation of pipings for air conditioner.

Week 3

On week 3, they polished the hacked walls that makes it looked like it had never been demolished before! They also installed shower glass panels in both bathrooms and tiles in service yard / laundry area.

Week 4

They painted the whole house on week 4, fixed all the electrical points, and removed all the construction materials. Our flat looked 5x brighter and more spacious than before. The kitchen is no longer dark after the walls are being hacked.

Week 5

On week 5, they started doing carpentry work and installing cabinets in the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom. They also installed the window panels in the study room walls that were previously hacked down. The flat looked messy all over again, but it was a big step because we started to see a lot of improvements.

Week 6

Week 6 was about completing the carpentry works. All the lightings and ceiling fans are up as well and the flat looks really nice at night. On this week, we also arranged delivery of washing machine and refrigerator so the kitchen was coming along great as the empty spaces filled up. The air conditioners for all bedrooms were installed this week too.

Week 7

The biggest transformation happened on week 7 when they finally laid out the vinyl flooring. The new floor really change the look of the whole flat. All the carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work has completed this week and basically we only left a few tasks to do before we can call it done.

Week 8

And at last come the completion week. The workers came to clean up and wrap things up while we installed curtain, furnitures, and some other accessories on this week. My IKEA delivery arrived this week as well! All renovation works has been completed and we are ready to move in.

After the Renovation

Here are some before and after photos of my home from empty to finish:

I will certainly post more pictures once the home is fully ready, but generally, we are very happy with the whole renovation process. Our interior designer has been such a pleasure to work with and we’re glad that everything went smoothly from start to finish.

We are really excited to start our adventure in the new home.