Frequently Asked Questions
We understand you may have questions about us and most of the time, someone else will have the same! So, here are the answers to our frequently asked questions.
If you can’t find an answer to your question here please email us at hello@minimalist.sg. We’d love to help you with your enquiry.
We are a boutique interior design firm based in Singapore. At Team Minimalist, we have a single mission: to help people make more of their lives through interior design. We are specialized in minimalist interior design which includes the likes of Nordic, Scandinavian or Muji-inspired homes.
Upon receiving your enquiry, our design representative will get in touch with you soon to set up an appointment. You may make an enquiry here.
It will be a get-to-know each other session. We would love to hear from you what are your hopes and dreams for your new abode while we share with you on our design methodology. Do remember to bring along a copy of your floor plan that we will be able to work on. The average duration of the initial appointment should take around an hour.
We require at least 2-4 weeks of intensive design planning prior to the commencement of any works upon engagement. However, we encourage that clients can buffer more time in their decision making process and make an initial appointment with us at least 4-8 weeks prior to the commencement.
Typically we would take less than 3 working days to reach out to each enquiry. However, if we are up to our neck at that moment, we would then not be taking in new projects. This is to ensure that we are can continue to commit reasonable time and resources to the existing home owners to ensure a high level of delivery consistently.
Kindly check that all required fields are completed and try to submit again. If you continue to experience any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email at hello@minimalist.sg with your contact information and our design representatives would get in touch with you soonest.
We are located at 371 Beach Road, City Gate #02-43, City Gate Shoppes, Singapore 199597. Our design representative are available only on an appointment basis. We would get in touch with you soon to arrange an appointment upon receiving your enquiry.
Every company says who they are, what they do, and talks about their products or services. But almost no one talks about what they are not. This includes what type of customers that they are not a good fit for them. But we are here to tell you. Being transparent and authentic at the onset is the prerequisite to a successful working relationship.
While our proprietary design methodology has worked and will continue to work for the majority of the clients that comes to us, it will not work for absolutely just anyone and everyone. We know how we can bring value to the table. And we also know what the required conditions are where it can happen. In order to ensure that we deliver exceptional results at the end of the day, we will choose not to take on projects that we feel we are not a good fit for. When choosing an interior designer you should not go for a so-so fit. You should go for the best fit that you believe can meet your expectations.
While we appreciate your interest in working with us, we place even greater importance in the outcome of the relationship. At any point in time, should we find that there are too big of a gap between our perspectives and it is not working out as smoothly as it should be, we will be completely honest and have enough integrity to admit that we may not be able to live up to your expectations if we believe so. (although extremely rare, it happens once or twice a year on average!) We believe having a transparent communication is the best policy and while we give our best work, it is only fair that we make known to our customer if we believe that we can’t deliver what they want.
We will attempt to find a common ground where we can meet that is satisfactory to both parties. However if the relationship continues not to be a healthy one, we might get our customers to reconsider it and it might be the best thing for both parties.
Therefore to provide a helping hand for you to figure out if we are the best fit for you, we’ve made a list of the scenarios that won’t work well with us:
1. By now, you already feel that we are not suitable for you, because you believe that any good company should and will be able to take on just any client and deliver a great result.
2. You don’t work well with constructive suggestions and insist on your own methods. You have your own set of guidelines and rules as to how to run the show or what can or cannot be done and if we share with you that something is not practically feasible and propose an alternative recommendation, it equates to we are not “listening” to your needs. In short, you are looking for design robots or puppets to simply do your bidding.
3. You are looking for the lowest price in the market. You believe that you are able to get something at the lowest price for the most value. You believe in the existence of a ‘very fast’,’very cheap’ and ‘very good’ company.
4. You are hoping for something that you may never find or you do not know what you really want. You have visited more than 10 companies and now short listing another 10 companies more. You are giving yourself a year to find the ideal company.
5. You tend to make appointments and try to reschedule at the last minute or often show up late by 45 minutes or more after the scheduled time. This untimely behaviour will not allow us to have ample time for our discussion and will also disrupt our entire schedule for the remainder of the day. You may be required to make another trip on another separate day as well.
6. You belong to any of the following group/s: being excessive nit pickers; displaying decisionphobia almost all the time; do not respect our company policy or proprietary methods of working; trying to micromanage and being obsessed about the minutiae; challenging every recommendation and the terms of each document presented because you know-it-all; commenting that “the grass is always greener” and always questioning; must be chased down for payments due; attempting to renegotiate the pre-agreed price after engagement; being abusive, condescending or disrespectful; often unreachable and taking a long time to reply messages; being indecisive and regularly providing differing project instructions; requiring an overwhelming disproportionate amount of time compared to the amount of works needed; being insistent on outlandish demands that goes against our limits or “Statement Of Work” frequently; or often jumping to conclusions without clarifying on the facts first.
7. In your whole life, you have yet to meet any service provider that has given you a remarkable result for anything. It seems that no matter where you go, you always end up leaving in disappointment.
On the other hand, we’ve also made a list of the scenarios where these clients we believe are our best fit and thankfully, almost all our clients exhibit the following:
1. You appreciate and understand the value we add. You will allow us to guide you through the whole process and not demand what needs to be done in your own timeline. You allow us to take the lead and know that there will definitely be reasonable progress within a reasonable time.
2. You come with an open mind, receptive to constructive suggestions. You will believe that when we collaborate together, we will fight for what we believe is in your best interest. Sometimes, we may lose the fight, but we will continue to give recommendations that we believe is the best for you. In the end though, we will always find a way to come in between.
3. You are not looking for the cheapest. Neither are you looking for the most expensive. You just want something reasonably priced and get all or even more than your money’s worth at the end of the day.
4. You give us sufficient authority and control over the process so that we can be responsible and accountable for the outcome and do what we are hired to do.
5. You know what your desired outcome is. You just want someone who is capable of delivering the results you want.
So if you feel that we are a good fit for you, do go ahead to make an appointment with us. We are simply friendly folks who just want to make sure that we deliver to the right people.
We believe that clients who come to us are seeking crafted solutions that meet their individual needs. Hence, we only offer design solutions that are on a transparent ala-carte basis instead of a standard package price. We are here to achieve and deliver outcomes and not churning standard design templates. We would only be able to furnish a quote after the initial appointment after a fact finding process with our owners and we know that we would be able to meet these needs well.
We are not here to prove anything. We prefer to let our works and clients do the talking. We don’t spend time trying to convince people who like to work with us that they should. We do not push anyone to invest in our services if they are doubtful. Unless you believe what we believe and believe that the things we do can help you, then we may be better. But if you don’t then we are not. Our goal is to find clients who believe what we believe and work together so that we can all succeed. We’re looking for clients who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in the pursuit of the same goal. (TL;DR Team Minimalist don’t do auditions.)
Every designs are made with our clients in mind after a thorough fact finding process upon engagement. It is not fair to our clients or to us to operate with half-baked ideas in less than an hour and then hoping to achieve positive outcomes. Quality ideas that are well thought out require time, creativity and grit to shape. We are however, happy to share with you on our delivery and design process during the initial appointment.
Team Minimalist can do many things, but having a hint of a rush job in our finished products will never be one of them. We would not be the best firm to look upon with extremely tight deadlines. Every project deserves to have an appropriate amount of time and attention.
To learn about current employment opportunities with Team Minimalist, hit us up here.