Kitchen Appliances

As my lovely wife pointed out - Kitchen is my favourite place.

Personally, I do not know how to describe it. Whenever I think about a kitchen, I can imagine the food that could come out from it; the scent of the different flavours will just filled the air (in my mind). I would then start imagining the taste of the dish; and then leading to making it come true. If you can follow me, you would know where I am going. Hence, a 'good' kitchen would inspire creative juices and yet not be a nightmare to clean thereafter.

When I mentioned 'good' kitchen, I am referring to functional and easy to maintain. I chose materials that would be easier to maintain and keep yet not overly priced.

Some of the appliances under consideration.


Cooker hob/stove

I have shortlisted a few brands of hobs that I rather liked (i.e. Ariston, Delizia, Techno, etc). But I would probably choose a 3 burner hob that has sufficient space.



Built-in Oven

I kind of prefer the analog knobs styled ovens.



Refrigerator

If space permits, I would probably choose a side-by-side fridge.



Sink

A double bowl sink is my preferred choice for easier washing.



Washing Machine

I would preferably be choosing a top-load washer.



I would try to keep my choice of materials/appliances to be of a similar colour and tone so to match a theme in my kitchen.

Sofa, Coffee table & Dining Set

As Ken had mentioned in an earlier post, we divided our responsibilities when it comes to purchase of furniture, electrical appliances, and fixtures & fittings. Since he's good with electronics, he would be sourcing and purchasing the tv, sound systems, air-con, oven, washer and the like. For a relatively IT-idiot like me, I'm more keen on the aesthetics appeal of the house. To me, furniture such as the sofa, coffee table and dining set must be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and functional at the same time. The definition of an aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture is one that is modern, timeless and matches the overall theme, colour scheme and mood of the design concept for my place. Additionally, the functionality of the asset is of utmost importance: a good purchase should be one that provides comfort, user-friendly and easy to maintain. A just-in-time advice by a girl friend on the need to 'baby-proof' my house should we have kids in the near future gives me more ideas on what type of furniture I should be purchasing. As such, I am on the lookout for furniture that preferably do not have sharp edges, particularly furniture that 'sits low in height' such as the coffee table. It just takes a figment of your imagination to picture a toddler in his walker getting all the hard knocks from sharp corners of furniture as he/she manoeuvres (so he thinks) around the house.

I haven't really been to furniture shops so far but I've been 'window shopping' online and I like a few pieces from Boconcept, Lorenzo and Courts. Undeniably, the former costs much more than the latter two and thus I really have to make a more informed decision by visiting more shops over the next few weeks and months. Below are just some furniture that really caught my attention:



Source: Boconcept
Damage: $3195

Source: Boconcept
Damage: $3295



Source: Courts
Damage: $949



Source: Courts

Damage: $599



Source: Boconcept
Damage: >5000 (with table, bench and 4 chairs)



Source: Lorenzo
Damage: $2599 (I like this one but preferably with a bench from elsewhere)



Electrical and Electronics for our new haven - Living Room

For the building of our own haven, my wife and I have basically decided that she would be dealing with 'Design related' stuff on the house; and I would be handling with all the Electrical and Electronics for our new home.

It was pretty much my forte since I am pretty much into such stuff.

Through my not so intensive searching for all the necessary items, I have classified them into different groups (i.e. Living Room, Study, Kitchen, others).

Lets start with the Living Room. First up, I must admit that I am quite of a Sony fan. Hence, you will notice that the stuff in my living is mostly made out of Sony stuff.

Television - Sony BRAVIA EX710 46" (Model No.: KDL-46EX710)



It still depends on the actual size of our living room before I decide what size of the TV I would be getting.

All-in-one Home Theatre System - Sony 5.1ch Blu-ray Disc™ Home Theatre System (Model No.: BDV-E370)



I have read a number of international reviews on the system above. For its price, I understand it is one of better ones in the market. For those who are intending to get a 5.1 or higher system in their home, you may need to look into how are you going to route your wires for your rear satellites (unless yours is wireless systems). It would be good to work with your ID on the routing.

Game Console(s) - Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii




We had these bought some time back and finally I can fix it up as a complete setup in our home.

Internet - Singtel or Starhub (still undecided)

Internet is a must of my wife and I. It would probably be done in the living room with a wireless hub setup.

3D Drawings for our new haven

After a few rounds of discussion with my ID and hubby, here are the long-awaited 3D drawings. Some details still need to be finalised when we receive the keys to our flat in April. As for the tentative drawings, I must say I'm quite thrilled and look forward to the reno works! Here are the pictures...enjoy!

Living & Dining areas - One of my favourites! We simply love the brown and grey tones. I like this design because it's  contemporary and timeless. The mirror you see next to the TV feature wall is tinted brown cabinet for storing CDs/DVDs. I love the dining area as well. I intend to purchase a dining table with chairs and a side bench like the one shown in picture. So far, of all the furniture I've laid my eyes on, I just love those from Boconcept! I hope I could find something similar at more affordable prices! Crossing my fingers...

Here's the kitchen! It's Ken's favourite. If Ken can cook, why should I right? You wouldn't find me here often in the house so not much comments from me except that it's really a functional kitchen with stainless steel near the stove for heavy cooking and what you see here is based on our assumption that the wall to the service yard could be hacked. Again, keeping our fingers crossed...anyway, I like how the same floor and wall tiles are used here! :)

Master Bedroom - I have a hand in designing this! My ID had a very good design for the wardrobe at first but it was a pity that I couldn't appreciate it. I prefer something simpler and timeless. Afterall, this is going to be a pathetically small master bedroom so it's best not to have complicated designs. How was I involved in this design? I suggested to have this nice velvety (or suede? can't rem) full height headboard and the side mirrors with a dresser. Flooring will be ash timber. The spaciousness of the room is deceiving though. Just imagine a much more constrained area, alright?

Study Room - not one of my favourites in terms of design but certainly very functional! For my work, I need lots of storage and a long long table and there you go! Ken will occupy the shorter table near the window. I like the ID's suggestion on painting the 'inner wall' a different colour. :)

Master bedroom bathroom - again, the space you see here is highly misleading but I really love the design, especially the mirrors, separate shower area with different floor tiles and the accent (that 'highlights' the toilet bowl). I like how the same floor and wall tiles are used here too. Lightings are wrong in the picture though. There will not be any downlights here.

Common bathroom - looks equally good that I think I can bathe here too if Ken's taking a little too long in the other one. Different material and design used for the accent here. All separate shower areas do not have doors for opening due to space constraint. We prefer not to have. :)

If you're keen to find out about the ID we've engaged and the general quote, feel free to email me. Frankly, we are going to spend quite a bomb on renovation because we really hope to have a comfortable haven for a good night's rest, entertainment for our souls, functional study room to work in and a fully equipped kitchen to whip up a good meal on weekends.