Month: November 2018

Don’t you wish changing up the looks of your walls can be as easy as changing out of your clothes? The reality isn’t far from your dreams. Wanna know how you can change the design or your wall, or in fact any surface in your home, without having to tear down wallpapers or decals?

Now you can print any artwork or photographs you like, make it part of your wall, and change it up anytime you wish. No dismantling, no tearing, no repainting! Have I got you interested yet?

Image of a magnetic wallpaper

The magnetic solution

The secret lies in simple science. The printed wall system makes use of the properties of magnets and steel to install a versatile design for any surface.

For the first layer, a 0.85mm magnet-based sheet is glued onto literally any flat surface you wish to have your designs on – your painted walls, doors, cabinets, anything you can think of. This magnet base will be where your customisable designs can be mounted on.

Left: Magnet-based sheet; Right: Steel-based wallpaper mounted on magnetic base

Your designs will then be printed on a steel-based sheet as thin as 0.2 to 0.38mm to be mounted onto the base. The best part is that it’s totally customisable! You may provide us a high-definition photograph to be printed or have our creative graphic designers come up with something you’d love!

Feature wall between 2 cabinets

Tired of that design? Roll it up and lay a new printed design! No residue, no damage and no wastage – The prints are reusable! Nowhere to keep that old design? Just overlay your new design on top of the existing one. The magnetic base can hold up to 3 layers of prints, so you can roll them off and reinstall them as you please.

Make use of existing metallic surface

If you stay in an HDB flat, the bomb shelter door would be a familiar sight to you and we all know it’s something that everyone tries to conceal. Why not embrace and beautify it with a mural or your favourite photograph?

If you have a metallic surface, your customised magnet-coated mural can be mounted directly onto it! Again, it’s removable without residue and reusable, how eco-friendly is that? You can also have it in all shapes and cut-outs for the door handle or other fixtures! There, your unattractive door just had a 180-degree transformation!

 

Display your creativity

If you’d rather be able to create a new artwork on your walls as and when you like, fret not, we have a solution for that too! Why not create a chalkboard or whiteboard wall? Notice that we didn’t say blackboard, because there is a total of THREE colours from the chalkboard to choose from! Depending on your preference and colours of our existing walls, you can have black, grey or even pink wall that you can write on! Best part is, they are erasable so put your worries aside and draw to your heart’s content! Oh, and did I mention it’s magnetic? You can even place decorative magnets or light shelves on your walls directly!

Chalkboard wall with magnetic photo frames and shelves – no nails and drilling needed!

Hold on! There are already existing whiteboard and chalkboard paints available in the market, so what’s so special about this new product, you may ask? Those who have experience with whiteboard paint might realise that it gets increasing harder to erase the markings, but with this 0.5mm thick magnetic whiteboard or chalkboard sheet, your writings can be easily erased even after prolonged usage, just like a regular whiteboard or chalkboard. Each sheet runs a maximum of 2.5m but even if your walls are longer than that, the joints are nearly seamless!

Best of THREE worlds

If a plain chalkboard or whiteboard bores you and you want to be able to write on your walls as well, why not have the best of not both but three worlds? Opt for a 3-layer system that makes up a magnetic writable wall mural! You can have a background design able to hold up magnets and even write on! Perfect!

Installation

While it is possible to roll out your new printed wall murals by yourself, we strongly advise against it. It takes skill for the sheet to be laid smoothly on the base, so it would be best to get the specialist to do it for you, especially for large areas.

Swish Design Works now collaborates with Metcol to integrate their technology into your home design. If you’re interested in renovating your space and/or designing any surfaces of your home or office with the printed wall system, call us at 6553 3500 or drop us a message on our Facebook page! Images in this article with courtesy of Metcol.

Hurray, you are getting the keys to your new house in a few months’ time! You have been scrolling through images of your ideal home on Pinterest and Instagram the past few months and excitedly sharing them with your loved ones. There are so many ideas and hundreds of interior design firms out there for you to choose from but you’re not sure who to engage!

Sounds familiar? Many new homeowners encounter such dilemma and we have summarised some pointers you may want to consider when choosing the perfect interior designer for your home.

Consider only HDB-licensed interior designers

We’ve all read horror stories about interior design firms performing a disappearing act after making grand promises and receiving payment from homeowners. You do not want to fall prey to those scammers.

Only HDB-licensed contractors can perform renovations on your home. They have also undergone training and should know the rules and regulations of renovating an HDB flat. Do some background check on your interior design firms and make sure that they are listed on HDB’s site.

Budget management

Check if your designer can work within your budget. Set a reasonable range for your budget and ensure that your designer stays within the range. You wouldn’t want to shoulder loans that are too heavy for your comfort post renovation.

However, besides the price, the quality of materials used and the workmanship are important factors to consider too. You may not want to go for the lowest quote and risk having to redo the work in the near future, possibly incurring a greater cost. Find out more from the company about the materials used and as the saying goes, if something is too good to be true, it probably is!

Work with the interior designer you trust and work well with

Do your research on the interior design companies you have shortlisted the first round. Are you comfortable with the amount of experience they have in the field? Are you satisfied with the quality of results of their past projects? If possible, meet up with 2-3 interior designers to get a feel of how they work and how well you think you can work with them. If the renovation works are managed by a project manager and not by the designer himself/herself, talk to the person who is the most involved in your project. If there is mutual understanding and effective communication between you and the company, it is more likely that your renovation journey will be a smooth and enjoyable one.

You might have friends who have engaged interior designers before. Ask them for their experiences and recommendations. A designer recommended by a friend is more likely to be trustworthy.

Do they have enough experience?

An experienced interior designer has been in the industry for many years and is more likely to be well-equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge. They would have also seen enough to foresee any difficulties or downfall of some of your ideas, and thus more likely to propose practical solutions for your living space.

Pick the interior designer with the right expertise

Not all interior designers specialise in the same theme.

Although conceptualising and designing a home is the job of an interior designer, it would be good if you have some idea of what you would like to see, or what aspects are important to you. Find out more from your interior designer on their expertise and browse through some of their past works to see if they match your preference.

Start off your renovation journey by talking to us! Swish Design Works is a BCA accredited and HDB-licensed renovation contractor that specialise in one-stop interior service for HDB flats, condos, landed property and commercial spaces. We have more than 15 years of experience in the industry dedicated to making your dream home a reality.

Get a free quote from us today by calling 6553 3500 or drop us a message on Facebook or Instagram! Don’t forget to like and follow us too!