The Carpenter's Workshop

Integrity is what struck me about John Au and SingEr Fang at The Carpenter's Workshop. I found The Carpenter's Workshop through researching online. It was one of the 5 design firms I interviewed and did due diligence on. From a pragmatic perspective, what stood out the most in some reviews was that the reviewers were repeat customers of The Carpenter's Workshop. As I will be, if I were ever to sell my beautiful current home that John and SingEr built for me. 1. Context: My house is a 1966 inter-terrace, that in 2020 was in its original condition, complete with a squatting toilet and bizarrely two large concrete flower pot urns stuck to the facade. I wanted to preserve what I could but to bring the asthetics into the 21st century. My house was also constructed during Covid, when there were restrictions on the numbers of contractors, and when supply was short. John and SingEr managed to turn around the house and hand me the keys 2 weeks ahead of schedule. They also ensured that my neighbours were happy with the construction noise, and handled them so beautifully, that my relationship with my neighbours is excellent to this day. 2. Design Attitude: What I liked about The Carpenter's Workshop was their no-frills attitude - there was no basket of organic soda or tea options; no swanky screens with a multitude of options; no lip service basically. But there was a commitment to working; a great appreciation for design; and a down to earth attitude. 3. Client Temperament: I would say I am a difficult client. I was working full time and was looking after my kids as well - I didn't exactly have spare time to supervise closely. I like good quality, but at a reasonable price. I had concrete ideas of how I wanted the house to function and look. I also changed my mind a few times, including deciding to demolish a wall that was literally just built, and changing the height of the recessed kitchen ceiling. John and SingEr handled my dreams, my fancies, and my whims with patience, understanding and a lot of tolerance. Even if we did butt heads during the months-long process, we both knew that each other was coming from a place of good and we resolved the issues amicably, directly and with humour. John and SingEr made the entire process enjoyable and you could appreciate the intellectual thought process they brought. 4. Quality of Workmanship: You know you have something good when guests can't stop commenting on it. From the straightness of the tiles, to the sturdiness of the doors, to the alignment of the ceilings, to the way the house holds up when it rains heavily. Sometimes, I walk about the house at dusk, and I can't believe its mine.

I never hesitate to recommend The Carpenter’s Workshop to family and friends who visit our home and ask who our interior designers are. John and Sing Er are our trusted advisors when it comes to anything related to our home, even years after they have completed our renovation. Not only do they have an impeccable sense of beauty, they are also very organised and thoughtful - we did not have to be on site at all during the entire renovation process because they would keep us informed in a timely manner, including with videos, and we never felt worried about anything. We are always thankful that we somehow chose them based on some online pictures of their works and from one virtual meeting. Never regretted that decision!

This is our 2nd home and we really wanted to have a design that is not what you always see in magazine or internet. We searched around for IDs and were very impressed by John and Ewarth when we met them and decided to start our renovation journey with them. We have a lot of ideas but putting them all together may not blend well. John and Ewarth are very patient and good listener and able to decipher all the ideas into functional and beautiful designs. Without staying, the workmanship and quality of things used is excellent and there is no cut corners. Throughout the whole renovation period, both of them worked tirelessly and always on site to inspect the work and progress. His experience also enabled him to pickup and rectify potential pitfalls and complete the renovation on schedule. We had a great experience working with John and Ewarth and love our new home designed by them.

Our landed project in Merryn Road is handled by ID John Au. This is the second time we worked with him, previously he also handled our Newton condo. John has exceptional taste for design and choice of materials and the color blending. Many of our guests are very complimentary of the interior design work done by John and the ID company. We highly recommend John Au and The carpenter's workshop! in our view and John and The carpenter's workshop should be ranked Tier 1 amongst all ID firms in Singapore.

This was our second home we went with Carpenter’s. we had an apartment done with them about 10 years back. The quality of workmanship and design stood the test of time so much so that we were able to fetch a premium price on It’s sale. For the current home, we had actually surveyed quite a number of other design and build companies but still chose the Carpenter’s again. This time the designers were John and Sing Er. They won on concept design and we were assured of their quality. We completely redid the apartment and knew it would be a massive undertaking due to the size. Both of them stepped up and managed the project from end to end seamlessly for us. The initial cost and any subsequent changes was within expectations and did not ballon. The schedule was within the projected timeline considering the restrictions imposed by the condo management. As again, the quality of the carpentry was top notch and they spent quite a bit of time with us selecting the accessories, furniture and lighting. They also worked well with my other contractors like aircon works. Both designers listened to our tastes and accommodated the changes along the way. We have now a home that exceeds our expectations. In fact the initial 3D design that wowed us in the first place was built to look even better.

Worked with John and Ewarth. A firm with a broad range of skills ranging from architectural design, interior design, choice material selection and building & construction. A good amount of planning time was spent understanding my vision, requirements, taste and travel experiences. For this project, we ventured to configure an old terrace house to take after the shape and substance of a Kyoto machiya with modern design, materials and amenities, including a modern onsen bath. Internal walls were gutted out, spaces reconfigured, portals enlarged or created for natural light to enter, new pipes and electricals added. The build from below to up, in to out, were sound and solid, no flimsy quick and cheap fixes. The design language and colour palette was well-controlled throughout. The final house design is coherent, modest but yet also very attractive and the attention grabber of the estate. Carpenter's Workshop will appeal to the discerning home owner who values understated quality and quiet luxury.

Our 30+year old apartment had been tenanted since day 1. Condition was less than desirable when we took over. We had been researching several design firms and shortlisted the The Carpenter's Workshop as they seem to specialize in restoring older houses into functional and cozy homes. We met Victor and Rix about a year before the project started to their amazement (says alot about us) and they were affable and professional to work with. My wife and I gave them a brief of what we liked and what was necessary. They came back with ideas and designs on our next appointment with drawings that made it easy to visualize. Once project started, we were kept abreast of everything that was happening and there was minimal intervention required on our part except to manage our strata management on certain aspects that were out of their purview. Rix communicated details very clearly even when I was overseas for work and sent my wife and I updates at every milestone. He settled issues for us in a good-natured way and ensured post project support to this day. Even though he did a minimalist design, he incorporated modern classic features in the kitchen and the attention to detail by Rix was impressive. Overall, great people to work with with very nice portfolio and I have no hesitation to recommend them to anyone who is looking for a design outfit with the above characteristics.

When I first met John, he struck me as being overly cautious about what the company can and will do. However, when the project started, I truly appreciate that trait as they demonstrated time and again the pride in their work and the desire to do the best they can for every client. I was able to pop in to see the renovation work nearly every day in the 4 months of work and there was significant progress each time. John's team and his sub-contractors work well together and it shows in the workmanship and quality of work. He showed deep experience and knowledge along with agility in resolving issues peculiar to landed houses. It is not easy to find someone with a creative design sense and yet, is able to project manage meticulously the entire process of the renovation work from design conceptualisation to fruition. My friends marvelled that we were so stressed-free in the entire renovation process and that I was even able to take 3 overseas trips towards the end of the project. However, we fully trusted that our house was in capable hands. We have since moved in for the last one month and continue to love how much John and his team have transformed the house we bought into one that totally supports and fit our lifestyles.

I had a great experience with John and Sing Er from the Carpenter's Workshop. They were professional, timely and had a great eye for details. They recreated the layout of my 40-year old HDB flat to be super functional and suited my needs. Everything was superbly managed by them and delivered to my expectations. Workmanship was also excellent. Will highly recommend them to anyone who needs a trustworthy ID!

John and his team were excellent and very professional. They worked with us tirelessly and always had our interests at heart. I’ve never felt let down and John Au has designed a place for us which we can proudly call home. He really has an eye for design and his choices of artefacts were very well suited to our needs. Thanks again John for all that you have done and we look forward to work with you again.

John and SingEr at Carpenter’s Workshop has been a great pleasure to work with and it was a true collaboration process from the beginning till the end. They are knowledgeable, creative, competent, professional with a great attitude back by an equally excellent team. Plus they must be the first designers we know who would deliver the project early (one week before the deadline)! We met up with several designers and the reason we chose The Carpenter’s Workshop over others is because they took the time to listen and truly understood what we hope to achieve and produce design plans that reflect our aesthetics whilst making sure it is suitable to our lifestyle as a family with young children. Their attention to detail are second to none, and gave us lots of creative yet practical design recommendations. We also love that they are not afraid to push back on our ideas when they feel what we had in mind may not be a good match to our home. We are truly grateful for their help in designing our space which we are incredibly proud to call home. We thank Carpenter’s Workshop for a job very well done and we would have no hesitation in recommending their service to anyone who is looking for a professional team to handle their renovation and building projects.

We really chanced upon The Carpenter’s Workshop but from the first meeting, we felt at ease, and John, the head designer, generously gave his time, expertise and talent throughout AND even after the project completion. Having to completely overhaul an aged property and our inexperience with design made this a stressful proposition and truly a leap of faith. John’s eye for detail, his focus on quality execution as well as his ability to respond to our specific needs, however, made him the perfect choice and such a trusted partner. Trust is key and John, Victor and The Carpenter’s Workshop team came through time after time. They were with us throughout this journey, made our dream a reality and turned our apartment into a lovely home. Thanks John, you are a star!