Home Series: Lights, camera, action!

The correct lighting options can brighten your home style. Planning your home lighting is an important step. The hubs and I spent several hours thinking of what sort of light to use and what mood we wanted. We had to consider what tasks were going to be carried out in that particular room. Both design and function have to gel. The kids' rooms for example had to have ample lighting whilst our master bedroom needed something softer. There are various other factors to consider when choosing lights:

• Floor and surface may reflect or swallow your lights. 
• Ceiling height impacts the way you illuminate the room as well. Should you be lucky enough to have high ceilings, brighter lights can be spaced out. 
• Colour of walls. If you have a dark-coloured wall like our master bedroom, keep in mind that that tend to absorb light. Similarly for textured walls made of stone or brick. White light on the other hand reflects light hence the room would look brighter.

What do you think of this baby? Gorgeous right? It is meant to be a night light but I am planning on using it as a bedside table lamp. It didn't come cheap though considering that it is from Taobao. It cost me close to $40 per piece? I probably have bought the last two as the link is no longer working. 

We got this LED light for our master from Taobao. Many would probably shun at the thought of getting lightings or anything electrical from Taobao. We know how unreliable that may be. However, I tried to get it from a store with better ratings and more diamonds and crowns. Also, according to the hubs, who deals a lot with electricity in his job, such ornamental lights in Singapore didn't come with the safety mark anyways, so no diff. Biggest diff is in the driver of the lights. So fingers cross that that doesn't catch fire! *Gulp. The size we bought was of 52cm however, I kindof regretted it as it isn't as bright as we wanted it to be. Should have gotten a bigger one. Nevertheless, a nice designer piece like this would probably set us back easily by triple its price in Singapore. I got this at approximately $60 with shipping. Great deal right?

Here is the link to it: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=39817163391&toSite=main

I didn't want my house to be filled with boring old downlight hence here's another beauty for my study room to give the room a bit of an industrial look. A good an big lighting can be the talking point when guests come so I am hoping that its prominence would bring some chatters. Also, gotten from Taobao. I couldn't find a nice and decently priced one here and whilst browsing randomly one day, this beauty caught my eye and I had to get it. Cost me approximately SGD60 (inclusive of shipping). 

Here's the link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?ft=t&id=527913145018&toSite=main

Track lights have been in vogue of late. It can be used as mood lighting or general lighting. It goes really well with a industrial or Scandinavian  modern theme.

These boring lights are well, boring, but essential. It gives the place a minimalistic look. Too many pendant lamps will kill the feel of the place. Cove lights and downlight go hand in hand. To achieve a continuous glow effect, the strips of cove lighting has to be installed well. Be sure to cater enough width for overlapping.  We got these from a wholesaler at Kahki Bukit.

Switches are an integral part of the house. It is of utmost importance that you plan the position and the function of each switch. Like where would you like a two gang or a three gang to be? Would this switch be able to be controlled at another part of the house? Which lights do the switch control? Where do you need the sockets to be -- this depends highly on the things that you go about doing in the house which require a socket e.g. vacuuming. All these information has to be discussed and communicated well to the electricians because trust me, there are some out there who would simply not take initiatives and will have several lights controlled by one switch, thereby turning your house into a stadium! The hubs is particularly fond of Schneider's switches. He says it's the designer piece amongst switches. I have to agree with him as it has a softer touch than its cheaper counterparts. When turning off and on, it doesn't make the loud click click sound. Also, when it is switched off, you would see a small blue light which is enough to be my my night light. You may be wondering why is my switch placed horizontally but well, that's the design! Most switches would be vertical but ours are horizontal. Perhaps I'm a frog in the well, but this is pretty interesting isn't it?

Apart from Taobao and local brick and mortar stores lining Geylang and Balestier, we did check out a couple online lighting stores. Below are some of my favourites in no particular order of preference:

http://www.hipvan.com

http://www.lightsandco.com

https://www.castlery.com

The entire renovation journey thus far has been an exhausting one. From choosing laminates and flooring to lightings and furniture. However, one thing's for sure, the hubs and I got to bond more over this project and we have been talking about things other than kids! You know how you tend to loose yourself when you have kids? So this is a refreshing topic. That said, I wish things would move a tad faster! The wait is an arduous one!

Loft living magnified

The morning was grey and wild. Rain came with such velocity that it struck into my flesh like cold needles. The heavens was a pale blue dome. It's been raining incessantly for days, but my mood -- SUNNY :)

Just last Sunday, the gals and I visited S at her new place. A cool zephyr was blowing; it brought with it an aromatherapy that filled the air with a soothing scent of freshly cut grass. I didn't know I was in for a visual treat. S is probably one of the more successful ones, who married early and have 2 bundle of joys, with one more on the way. Now, to add to her milestones, she's the proud owner of a landed property! For those who know, Singapore's property prices are insane. It had been fueled by investors who were trying their luck at flipping (that is until the government stepped in with several cooling measures). Coupled with the fact that Singapore is just a tiny dot on the map, land scarcity is a major problem and push factor for crazy prices. Thus, to own a landed property (without parental backing) at this relatively young age is to the envy of many. Or at least me.


Was greeted by this beautiful foliage the moment I entered. With a huge custom door that allows light to flow out to the patio (or vice versa).

A swing cleverly installed for the kids. Clever. Radiant-heated concrete floor -- SWOON

The clean lines of the living room's furniture juxtaposed with the designer's art and that incredible colourful chair (below) demonstrate that when designing interiors, opposite tastes can truly make for a great thing.


One of my favourite feature! Noooo not Mohammad Ali! The wall! The taste is marked by a minimalistic aesthetic feel. THe artwork and accessories seem to stand out against the subdued paint colours.


Another love! The gorgeous dining table made from recycled teak. Vintage + urban & contemporary digs..all in one!

The spacious and inviting space is further enhanced by this to-die-for island! The kitchen provides a great space for entertaining! Pity the owners don't cook often! The cabinets were of interest. They were in fact filing cabinets! Functional yet sophisticated. Space was further created by concealed storage and that activated visual cues and connection.

Upon ascending to the second floor, a new horizontal composition of windows reveals a new heaven. Though not much of a view, I would love to have a little balcony, just to be rejuvenated by the fresh air every morning.

The designer created exceptionally subtle manipulations of form and space. The long line of wardrobe didnt look that bulky, yet was able to store a whole lot, because its width span across two rooms! Talk about ingenuity!

kids' room.
The couple celebrates parenthood by letting bright, kid-friendly elements dominate the space. Due to the high ceiling, a playroom was created.


The little ones have to climb up in order to go up to their "tree top". A perfect hiding place when mommy wants them down for homework! The place is simply an aesthetic treasure hunt.

The piece separating heaven and earth, is made of tampered glass, thus the kids' safety is assured.

A board just for graffiti




The designer's keen sense of design flourished into fruition.



On to the master bedroom. On first glance, the gals reaction was that this place is in fact two rooms! Boy were we wrong! We could probably partition three rooms from this! talk about posh living! Definitely posh, after spending a bomb at renovation (approx SGD180k)

Love this shelf!!!! + the books! So sleek and organized!



The stylish connection to the world beyond. Every girl's dream. A wild dream for most. Left: His clothes; Right: Her clothes. According to S, the contractor couldn't help giggling when he was building the wardrobe. He felt that this couple's in the retail scene.

After the tour, we sat down to chill. Cakes from Cedele and pastries from all over. It was great fun with great company!


Soon the setting sun set pale streamers of purple and orange across the blue of the heavens. It was standing in the saffrom west sky. The day had ended as beautifully as it started. The rain simply perks me up!