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Finding an interior designer is like finding a soulmate &ndash; it will change your life, for better or worse. Only one will involve a wedding, but both involve a long-term commitment, significant investment, and chance of constant headaches.&nbsp; The best way to avoid messy outcomes? Meet multiple designers before choosing one. This is especially important if you&#39;re planning a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/singapore-2024-renovation-budget-condo-renovation-cost-forecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">condo renovation</a>&nbsp;and want to make sure you don&rsquo;t accidentally work with a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/how-to-avoid-disappearing-contractors-and-protect-your-dream-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blacklisted renovation company in Singapore&nbsp;</a>&mdash; a mistake that leads to the worst kind of <a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/renovation-regrets-furnishing-and-finishes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">renovation regrets</a>. Why? Here are 5 reasons why.&nbsp; ChemistryChemistry is everything. In your relationship with your interior designer, chemistry also means clear communication. Regardless of how talented and world-renowned they are, if you are unable to get along with them, chances are that nobody gets what they want. Being able to buddy-up ensures that everyone is willing to spend time to understand each other. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1676616867537-Portfolio.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> PortfoliosA passionate designer is a designer that&rsquo;ll see to it that the job is done perfectly right. Ever see someone do a good job doing something they hate? That&rsquo;s why you&rsquo;ll want to know if the one you&rsquo;ll hire for your renovation has a flair for designs you like through their portfolio.A portfolio is an opportunity to see if designers know their stuff. The big question to ask is this: is the portfolio you&rsquo;re looking at THEIR work or the collective work of the firm? Experienced designers will have plenty of personal work to showcase whereas ones who have less to show for it are either: (a) still building their portfolio through internships or mentorships, or (b) are actually sales designers more focused on closing a deal than designing. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1676616896029-progress-stock-figures-timeline-concept.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> TimelinesYou&rsquo;re a busy person. So is your potential designer. Work out a schedule with each one that meet and see what works best for both of you. Discussing this with multiple designers gives you a baseline on what a sensible timeline looks like &ndash; because nobody can deliver a job yesterday. While reputable firms will do everything in their power to stick to the timeline, just remember that, like quotations, this is an estimate. Delays are inevitable. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1676617021013-front-view-house-investments-elements-arrangement.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">&nbsp;Money MattersGetting tons of quotations is a great way to get a baseline of what&rsquo;s a good deal, a bad deal, and an outright scam.Prioritise firms that give you an itemised quotation. Excessively fussy? Yes. But this gives you a sense of how familiar a firm is about spending your money well. The more quotations you get, the more realistic your expectations will be.With payment terms, you&rsquo;ll want to be exceedingly specific. Key word: EXCEEDINGLY. Make sure your potential designer knows exactly how much you&rsquo;re willing to spend and when you can pay. &nbsp;Going through many designers gives you options and ideas of what a reasonable payment schedule is. Typically, payments will be in instalments with differing upfront deposits, depending on who you talk to. However, if anyone ever demands a 50% deposit, you might want to walk away very VERY quickly &ndash; these are practices associated with shady folks or firms going under.&nbsp; One last note that quotations are simply estimates; one should always prepare 10-20% more than that in the event of the unexpected. What SHOULDN&rsquo;T be unexpected is the payment terms &ndash; once the contract is signed, no one should compel you pay outside of agreed payment period. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1676617044979-standard-quality-control-collage.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Warranty And InsuranceWarranties and insurance are assuring. However, what isn&rsquo;t is that they differ from firm to firm. Being able to compare these terms ensures that you know EXACTLY who&rsquo;s giving you the best bang for your buck. Be extremely detailed with these &ndash; anything that is promised to you needs to be in black and white before signing the contract. Nothing worse than having to bear the extra cost of poor workmanship a day after renovation. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1676617065064-top-view-colorful-letters-numbers-baby-shower.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> So, How Many To Meet?There&rsquo;s no magic number to how many you should meet but the bare minimum should at least be three, with more being better.That&rsquo;s too many weekends to vet through designers, you say? &nbsp;Then let SIXiDES help you do your homework for you with eQuote. Based on what you want, SIXiDES will recommend multiple reputable interior designers to fit your needs.

Match with up to 6 ID firms for

Match with up to 6 ID firms foryour reno needs

Find Your Perfect ID Firm

Finding an interior designer is like finding a soulmate – it will change your life, for better or worse. Only one will involve a wedding, but both involve a long-term commitment, significant investment, and chance of constant headaches.

5 Reasons To Meet Multiple Interior Designers For Your Dream Home

SIXiDES is an interior design tech and renovation platform that uses tech to change the way people renovate their homes. Conceived as a means to safeguard aspiring homeowners in realizing their space with ease and peace of mind. SIXiDES unique features provide an integrated solution that guides the users right from the very beginning till the end of the renovation journey.

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The thing about renovating homes is that, unless you&rsquo;re in the industry, everyone&rsquo;s a novice. Admit it &ndash; you can count all your renovations with only one hand. With that little experience, with a dash of inattentiveness, you are ripe for the picking by scammers.So how would you know if someone&rsquo;s trying to pull a fast one on you? Fortunately, if you know to look for, most scammers have pretty obvious red flags. Always check whether the firm is legitimate, whether they understand <a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/7-things-you-ll-need-permits-before-you-renovate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">residential renovation permit</a> requirements, and whether they&rsquo;ve ever appeared as a <a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/how-to-avoid-disappearing-contractors-and-protect-your-dream-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blacklisted renovation company in Singapore</a>.Without further ado, here are the top 7 red flags you should watch out for before you get scammed by an &ldquo;interior designer&rdquo;. 1. They Sound Good... Almost Too Good...&hellip; then it&rsquo;s most likely a scam. Just like all good things in life. There are two ways how an ID scammer would go about after sweet talking you into a &ldquo;great&rdquo; offer:1) &nbsp; &nbsp;They&rsquo;ll ask for a larger than usual deposit (usually over 30%). When you pay it, POOF! They&rsquo;re gone.2) &nbsp; &nbsp;They&rsquo;ll actually do the job but they&rsquo;ll a) use cheap materials unless you &ldquo;upgrade&rdquo; them b) slide in hidden charges, and/or c) charge for &ldquo;unexpected&rdquo; material costs.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Whatever they do, it&rsquo;ll snowball into a larger bill.&nbsp; What to do?Get many quotes. The more quotes you get, the better the idea you get of what is a reasonable price to pay for your renovation. And always insist on a tiered payment for deliverables achieved. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1677220829825-engineer-team-discuss-working-construction-property-site-inspection-village-project-estate-building.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> 2. They Don&#39;t Visit The SiteThere&rsquo;s no regulation that says interior designers HAVE to visit the renovation site. That said, it&rsquo;s still industry practice to do so. If the ID shows no interest in the site, chances are, they&rsquo;re after a quick cash grab. Proper firms WILL be interested in hearing concerns and understanding the floor plan before showing their ideas to you. What to do?Ask firms about their processes and ensure that there&rsquo;s a site visit prior to committing a deposit. Of course, unless you have not collected your keys.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1677220867365-office-worker-with-tablet-pencil.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> 3. They Give Vague QuotationsIf getting a detailed quotation is harder than getting a confession from a money-laundering politician, give the &ldquo;interior designer&rdquo; a pass. Quotations should include:&bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Cost by rooms or scope of works&bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Itemised material and service cost estimates&bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Payment schedule (see #1)&bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Timeline with key milestones (see #1 again)&bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Exclusions What do to?Insist on a detailed quotation and quiz the firm about difficult or vague terms for clarification. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1677220893946-creativity.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> 4. They Don&#39;t Have A PortfolioWould you see a doc without credentials? Same thing applies to interior designers. Their portfolio is their proof of work. It pretty much gives you an idea if the interior designer you&rsquo;re talking to has the chops to turn your ideas into reality. If their sense of style jives with yours, great!&nbsp; What to do?Ask for their portfolio. If it&rsquo;s a firm&rsquo;s portfolio, ask for the interior designer(s) responsible for the work shown in it.&nbsp;To be extra sure, do a Google Image search of the images to see if the photos hasn&rsquo;t been stolen from somewhere else. 5. They Over-Promise On TimelinesEverybody wants everything yesterday. However, perfection cannot be rushed. Even more so with renovations. Everything is a process; from the planning to the building to the finishing. Skipping or rushing any of these steps is a recipe for disaster. If supposed <a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers">interior design firms</a> too eagerly promises quick turnaround, you probably should turn around and look for a new one. What to do?Get quotations and timelines from multiple agencies. Don&rsquo;t be shy. These timelines will allow you to make comparisons so you know what counts as a reasonable renovation period.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1677220931717-glasses-documents.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> 6. There&#39;s No DocumentationIt ain&rsquo;t a promise &rsquo;til it&rsquo;s in black and white, AND signed off. Verbal agreements are only as good as hot air and even less useful in court if things take a turn for the worse.&nbsp; What do to?Because documentation involves legal matters, there&rsquo;s a lot to do:&nbsp;1. &nbsp; &nbsp;Get a contract for every little promise that the interior designer makes.2. &nbsp; &nbsp;Get itemised billing with a list of materials and services used/to be used.3. &nbsp; &nbsp;Take photos of defects and ensure they&rsquo;re fixed before making full payment.4. &nbsp; &nbsp;Be positively clear on termination clauses. 7. They Have Lots Of Bad ReviewsReviews are the end-all be-all to any business. It&rsquo;s fine if they&rsquo;ve got a couple of bad reviews. But, if it makes up the majority of the whole lot, buyers beware!&nbsp; <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1677220995961-medium-shot-young-people-with-reviews.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> What to do?Always check interior design firm reviews from MULTIPLE sources. Just because they&rsquo;ve got glowing reviews on Facebook, doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;ll be the same on Google Reviews.&nbsp; Be Alert And DetailedIt&rsquo;s a little harsh to tell you to distrust every interior designer you meet. And you shouldn&rsquo;t. However, you&rsquo;ll need to be very detailed and insistent about information so you don&rsquo;t fell prey to opportunistic scammers out there looking for a quick buck. Stay safe, be alert, and be mindful.&nbsp;

The thing about renovating homes is that, unless you’re in the industry, everyone’s a novice. Admit it – you can count all your renovations with only one hand. With that little experience, with a dash of inattentiveness, you are ripe for the picking by scammers.

7 Red Flags That Scream "Designer Danger!"

No homeowner has the benefit of hindsight when it comes to renovating their very first home. That comes much later AFTER you&rsquo;ve made mistakes and regret everything. However, hopefully, with this list, you&rsquo;ll be well prepared to avoid 9 of the most common mistakes first-timers make,&nbsp;especially if you&rsquo;re engaging&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">interior design firms</a>&nbsp;or starting a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/singapore-2024-renovation-budget-condo-renovation-cost-forecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">condo renovation</a>&nbsp;project. Doing It AloneEveryone thinks they are expert designers after a couple of YouTube videos. If that were true, the interior designer profession would have died a long time ago. Except they haven&rsquo;t. They have a particular set of skills that makes them indispensable: 1) they understand how different households interact with their homes,&nbsp; 2) they have experience with what does and doesn&rsquo;t work, and&nbsp; 3) they know how to communicate what&rsquo;s needed to contractors.&nbsp; Hiring one early can help you avoid irreversible mistakes from the get-go. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1678955429095-man-assembling-white-round-table-furniture-home.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> DIYEverything is doable. However, not everything can be done well. Experts make it look easy because, well, they&rsquo;re experts. And even if you&rsquo;re quite handy, do you really want bog yourself down with DIY work AND manage the renovation? Pro tip: let the pros do it. Save the DIY effort for smaller projects. Wrong Interior DesignerAlright. You&rsquo;ve been advised over and over to get an ID. Now you need to vet your interior design firm. What do they specialise in? Homes? Shops? Villas? Offices? The right professional is crucial; they will know what works for each person and function. And don&rsquo;t just fall in love with the first ID you meet &ndash; go through a list of firms THEN make your decision. That way, you&rsquo;re more likely to get someone who &ldquo;gets&rdquo; you, instead of someone who&rsquo;ll just promise a low, low, price of one badly renovated home.&nbsp;Also make sure they&rsquo;re reputable &mdash; nobody wants to accidentally hire a <a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/how-to-avoid-disappearing-contractors-and-protect-your-dream-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blacklisted renovation company in Singapore.</a> <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1678955461414-top-view-messy-full-moving-boxes-room+%281%29.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Rushing DecisionsIt might be cute. Or it might be a bargain. But it&rsquo;ll most likely just end in tears if you buy that piece of furniture right this moment. PUT THAT WALLET DOWN! Love is patient. And if you want to love the home you are going to live in, take the time to pick everything out. One by one. Matching sets are overrated anyway. The best part of doing this way? Your home will be uniquely yours and not something out of a catalogue. Not Measuring AnythingHumans are universally terrible at understanding the scale of things. Even the pros are no better. However, that&rsquo;s why they measure everything. So, when it comes time to get furniture and furnishings, it won&rsquo;t be oversized or undersized, but just right. Design Over FunctionLet&rsquo;s be serious &ndash; we all love beautiful things. But what good is a kitchen you can&rsquo;t cook in, a bedroom you can&rsquo;t relax in, and a living room you can&rsquo;t live in? Your home should work for you, not something you work around. Design your home in the way your household will use it first. Pretty it up later.&nbsp; Painting Before PlanningPaint is a lot like shopping for clothes; you&rsquo;ll only know it fits once you put it on. Paint colours have a way of looking quite different in the showroom than on-site. The best way to match paint to a room? Bring a paint swatch or a painted board to see if the colour works with the space. Far simpler to choose a new colour that way instead of having to repaint everything.&nbsp; Bad Lighting PlanningLight. The single most important thing at home. Especially since many spend most of their waking hours at home AT NIGHT. Light affects everything from your mood, to room utility, and even the colours of your wall paint. Plan it well and your retinas will thank you. Skimping On QualityQuality and price go hand in hand &ndash; a good dollar will last a good long time. However, that doesn&rsquo;t mean you have to splurge on everything. That&rsquo;s plain irresponsible. What is responsible is prioritising difficult-to-replace items like built-in cabinets or a kitchen island. Don&rsquo;t sweat the small things. Those can be replaced later. After All That&hellip;To be honest, even with this list, you&rsquo;ll probably still make some sort of mistake renovating your first home. It happens to the best of us. On the bright side, with this list, you&rsquo;ll avoid the worst of them, they should be fixable, and still end up with a home you can proudly call your own.

No homeowner has the benefit of hindsight when it comes to renovating their very first home. 

9 Mistakes To Avoid With Your First Home

Windows. Portals that let you see out. And lets the sun, and prying eyes, in. The latter two are good enough reasons to cover those windows up ASAP. But how, you ask? Brick up the windows, you say? Don&rsquo;t be silly. With curtains, drapes, shades, and blinds, of course! &nbsp; And while you&rsquo;re thinking about window treatments, it&rsquo;s also worth considering how they tie into the rest of your home &mdash; whether you&rsquo;re going for a calming&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/wabi-sabi-is-not-wasabi-design-la">wabi sabi design</a>&nbsp;aesthetic or figuring out practical spaces like your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/bomb-shelters-to-dress-or-not-to-dress">bomb shelter design</a>. So, whether it&rsquo;s because you&rsquo;ve got a body to hide, or sun-sensitive vampire skin, or habit of spying on your neighbour&rsquo;s cat, here&rsquo;s a guide of the what, when, and how to pick between the 4 types of window treatments.&nbsp; <img src="https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/sixides/uploads%2F1754388854156-Drapes+article+image+1.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Photo by:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/design-of-schatz" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Design of Schatz</a> CurtainsWant an ultra-unique look? Look no further than curtains. Typically sold in pairs, curtains are essentially fabric panels that is customisable in every way, shape and form. Pick your choice of width, length, fabric type, colours, patterns&hellip; the options are practically endless. For that reason, curtains are at home in any room.&nbsp; And it&rsquo;s not just the fabric choices that&rsquo;s endless; the rods and hanging alternatives are too! Rods designs can range from plain vanilla to garishly decorative. The manner of hanging them? You&rsquo;ve got metal grommets that are super slide-y; rings or hooks to attach to the rod; or even fabric tabs that hide the rods (think floating curtains). &nbsp; Because of their versatility, curtains are often paired with other window treatments shown in this list.&nbsp; Works best in: Any room&nbsp; Made of: Fabrics &ndash; silks, organza, linens, cotton, poly-cotton, acetates, nets&nbsp; Light control: Sheer to blackout&nbsp; <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1679555478372-DSC00248.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/medina-design-interiors">Medina Design &amp; interiors</a>&nbsp; Drapes&nbsp;Drapes are like curtains but&hellip; extra. On most fronts, the two aren&rsquo;t really that different &ndash; come in pairs, lots of hanging options, and myriad of colours and patterns. The extra is in the choice of fabric. Heavy, stiff and, usually, lined. &nbsp;Velvet, damask, and silk the most common and are so dense that they block most, if not all, external light sources.&nbsp; Where curtains typically hang just below the window sill, drapes prefer to hang all the way down to the floor. Whether it ends just above the floor or puddles into it is a matter of preference. Either way, it&rsquo;s all very formal and elegant. Want more formality? Add pleats. &nbsp; Incidentally, its thick and heavy nature also makes drapes excellent thermal and sound insulators. Home theatre, anyone?&nbsp; Works best in: Bedrooms and home theatres&nbsp; Material: Heavy fabrics &ndash; velvet, damask, silk&nbsp; Light control: Moderate to blackout&nbsp; <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1679555506269-WhatsApp+Image+2021-09-29+at+16.04.39+%287%29.jpeg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/much-room-interior">Much Room Interior</a> Shades&nbsp;Shades. Mostly made of fabric and covers windows just like curtains and drapes. And that&rsquo;s where their similarity ends. Unlike their cousins, shades prefer single life; they are normally sold individually, not pairs. And while they also come in fabrics, they come in vinyl and bamboo varieties too.&nbsp; By and large, shades confined to fit within a window frame, not below the window sill the way curtains and drapes do. &nbsp; These cool covers don&rsquo;t just come in one flavour &ndash; they come in four:&nbsp; &nbsp;● &nbsp;Roller shades. The most inexpensive, these roll material around a rod at the top.&nbsp; &nbsp;● &nbsp;Roman shades. A step up from rollers, these pull up material into fancy pleats.&nbsp; &nbsp;● &nbsp;Balloon shades. Determined to one-up roman shades, balloon shades poof up into balloon-ish shapes when raised&nbsp; &nbsp;● &nbsp;Tie-up shades. A real classic among shades, these are fastened with a fabric tie to hold them up.&nbsp; While dressy on their own, many choose to pair them with curtains for more lighting options.&nbsp; Works best in: All rooms&nbsp; Material: Fabric, vinyl, bamboo&nbsp; Light control: Moderate to blackout&nbsp; <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1679555560744-T0803+041+FSI+Sumang+Walk+1.jpeg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/free-space-intent">Free Space Intent</a> Blinds&nbsp;Blinds are similar to shades in the way drapes are similar to curtains. They are raised and lowered like them and occupy the same space within the window frame. The real difference is in the form of the material - slats (a.k.a. louvers) in 1/2 inch, 1 inch, and 2 inch in depth.&nbsp; A fun feature for blinds is their ability to tilt the slats open and closed for more visibility or more privacy, without raising or lowering the entire thing. For this reason, blinds offer unparalleled light control that other window treatments can only dream about.&nbsp; With a name like &ldquo;blinds&rdquo; you&rsquo;d think they&rsquo;d be excellent at blocking out light. But, alas, there are gaps between the slats. That less than perfect seal means that some light tends to seep through. Homeowners often pair these with curtains to mitigate the problem. It also has the added benefit of softening the look of the room; blinds tend to look rigid&nbsp; Blind slats are often found in the horizontal position, but vertical ones exist too. These work best with sliding patio doors or large sliding windows.&nbsp; While blinds come in a variety of colours and materials, then rarely ever have patterns.&nbsp; Works best in: All rooms&nbsp; Material: Vinyl, wood, aluminium&nbsp; Light control: variable from moderate to high &nbsp; ConclusionNow that you&rsquo;ve got the lowdown of how to get those windows treated, it&rsquo;s time to get these windows covered.&nbsp;If this is part of a larger home upgrade, make sure you&rsquo;re also aware of the key <a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/6-facts-about-renovating-in-Singapore" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">things to know before renovating a house</a>, so every decision aligns with your overall design vision.

Windows. Portals that let you see out. And lets the sun, and prying eyes, in. The latter two are good enough reasons to cover those windows up ASAP. But how, you ask? Brick up the windows, you say? Don’t be silly. With curtains, drapes, shades, and blinds, of course! 

A Guide To Using Window Curtains, Drapes, Shades, And Blinds

&nbsp;It&rsquo;s nice to have all the pretty things at home, but if you can&rsquo;t keep it nice, clean, and tidy, your lovely home won&rsquo;t be lovely for long. In most cases, some of your design choices can make a home harder to clean.&nbsp;If you&rsquo;re planning a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/singapore-2024-renovation-budget-condo-renovation-cost-forecast">condo renovation</a>&nbsp;or working with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers">ID firm</a>, choosing the right materials and layout can make a huge difference.To help you keep your home looking great, here are 5 design choices for an easier-to-clean home. <img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1681440664079-Kaizen+Architecture.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by: <a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/kaizen-architecture">Kaizen Architecture</a> 1. Consider Smooth SurfacesTextured and porous surfaces. They look awesome. And just as awesome. But really? They&rsquo;re dirt traps and sinks. Whether they be walls, countertops, flooring, or what have you, textured surfaces have tiny crooks and crannies that dirt and dust love so much. And porous ones? These tend to be permanent homes to the first thing you spill onto them.&nbsp; On the flip side, smooth, non-porous surfaces are ridiculously easy to clean, often only needing a wipe to make it shine. There&rsquo;s nothing to stick to so dirt and spills can&rsquo;t make themselves at home. They are like the Jennifer Lopez of surfaces &ndash; they hardly age over time.&nbsp;This makes them a top choice for <a href="https://www.sixides.com/articles/hdb-living-room-unleashing-the-charm-of-singaporean-lifestyles">living room design Singapore</a> homeowners who want spaces that look great but stay low-maintenance.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1681440803438-Lato.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by: <a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/lim-ai-tiong-lato-architects-design">Lim Ai Tiong (LATO) Architects/Design</a> 2. Use Large TilesSure, small tiles make rooms look bigger. But they also increase your workload too. Why? There&rsquo;s so much more grout involved. Guess what loves grout? That&rsquo;s right &ndash; mold. This is especially true around bathrooms and kitchens, the most humid and moist parts of your home. Save yourself the work and use larger tiles. The larger you go, the less grout to deal with. That said, don&rsquo;t go too large when it comes to bathrooms &ndash; grout helps to make floors less slippery.&nbsp; If you really HAVE to have tiny tiles, for goodness sake, don&rsquo;t use white grout. Do yourself a favour and get tinted ones. And keep the place well-ventilated. That way, you keep mold from growing and, if they do grow, you don&rsquo;t have to see them. Even then, that&rsquo;s no excuse for not cleaning them regularly unless you want to turn your home into a giant biohazard.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1681444523127-Koze_New.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by: <a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/koze">Koze</a> 3. Have Less GlassNothing says sophisticated like glass&hellip; right before all the dust, watermarks, and soap scum build up. Glass is notoriously difficult to maintain &ndash; they require near daily attention if you want them to look even remotely clean.&nbsp; Any sort of negligence on your part will be evident. To make it worse, if you leave it long enough, they&rsquo;re REALLY hard to clean off. The recommendation? Aside from windows, use glass sparingly around the house, the smaller the panels you have, the less glaringly obvious your neglect will be.&nbsp; <div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/sixides/uploads%2F1754388601854-Clean+home+image+1.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/quad-r-design" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quad.R Design</a></div> 4. Reduce Flat SurfacesJust like desperate singles, dust eventually just want to settle down. And down is often whatever flat surface happens to be under it. More so in a home than outdoors simply because there&rsquo;s less air moving around inside the house. You could just vacuum it up, but that&rsquo;s just more work. Reduce places where dust can settle.&nbsp; Think about:<ul><li style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(112, 112, 112);">building or buying shallower bookshelves. Large shelves usually tend to have lots of unused space i.e. ideal for dust.</li><li style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(112, 112, 112);">opting for closed shelving. Open shelving is an invitation for dust to settle on everything that&rsquo;s uncovered.&nbsp;</li><li style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(112, 112, 112);">increasing ventilation and air circulation. This has the effect of simply blow dust out of the home before it can settle.</li></ul>&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sixides-us/uploads%2F1681440939917-Cheng+Yi+Interior+Design.jpg" style="width: 100%;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by: <a href="https://www.sixides.com/professionals/interior-designers/cheng-yi-interior-design">Cheng Yi Interior Design</a> 5. Include Ample StorageClutter is any homeowners greatest enemy &ndash; it makes it exponentially harder to clean a home. Often it&rsquo;s a sign that you don&rsquo;t have enough storage at hand. But don&rsquo;t just have storage in one room. Have storage in every room so that things that belong in that room stays there. Stuff without a home tend to wander around the house.&nbsp; Easy Peasy CleaningHome maintenance has never been fun and will be. For most of us. Either way, don&rsquo;t make it more difficult and painful than you have to. Design a dream home that isn&rsquo;t just beautiful but also a dream to clean. Banner Photo by:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixides.com/spaces/view/aois-tiong-bahru">Art Of Integrity Studio</a>

It’s nice to have all the pretty things at home, but if you can’t keep it nice, clean, and tidy, your lovely home won’t be lovely for long. 

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