Who: Sales engineer Vincent Chin, 32, and marketing executive Edna Soon, 29

Makeover room: A bedroom in his parents' three-room flat at Clementi

Wishlist: The newlyweds are in the process of applying for their flat, so they will stay in Mr Chin's bedroom for now. 'We want to turn the room into our matrimonial bedroom,' says Ms Soon.

Spent: $4,200

Mr Chin's old bedroom is a far cry from what it is today.

He used to share it with his two sisters who moved out after they got married. It had two single beds and two cupboards on each side. One sister had to sleep on the floor. The walls were painted a pale yellow to make it look bigger.

There were two small windows which looked onto the corridor but no curtains. As a result, the room, with its functional emphasis, was more like a hostel room than a cosy love-nest for Mr Chin and his bride.

It was up to interior designer Yeow Chuen Chai of Y Studio to turn it from blah to brilliant.

New furniture that the couple wanted included a king-sized bed, a wardrobe and a study table. 'A dressing table would be good but that is optional,' says Ms Soon.

After measuring the room, Mr Yeow drew up three floor plans: The first had the bed at the end of the room with the wardrobe beside it and a table and customised storage platform at its foot; the second placed the bed at the end of the room with a table in front of it and the wardrobe at the foot of the bed; the third was to have the bed under the window, a table beside it and the wardrobe by the bedroom door.

In the end, the couple chose to have their bed by the wall, with the wardrobe on the side. They did away with the study table because 'the room would look too cluttered', says Mr Chin.

They spent about $4,200 on their new room, including a bedframe and mattress, a wardrobe, curtains and paint. The most costly item, at $2,000, was the mattress.

The couple managed to save a bundle on the bedframe and wardrobe: While surfing the Internet for decor ideas, they discovered Taman Molek, a town in Johor Baru that had numerous furniture stores.

Together with Mr Yeow, they spent a day furniture-shopping and decided on the two items. 'The prices there are about 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than what we would have paid in Singapore. And they deliver to Singapore, too,' says Mr Chin.

On Mr Yeow's advice, Ms Soon's original choice of a green bedframe - 'it is a special colour' - gave way to a dark brown one for a harmonious look.

Ms Soon also asked Mr Yeow whether mirrors - which she read could help make a room look bigger - could be fitted on the walls. The couple eventually chose a wardrobe with an attached mirror - a choice that Mr Yeow agreed with. Ms Soon says: 'I use it in the mornings when I'm applying make-up and it saves space. And it does make the room look bigger.'

She also told him she had a new set of bedlinen that she wanted to use for her wedding, which was held earlier this month.

To match the walls with the bedlinen, he suggested colours such as off-white for three walls, and a dark red, orange or lavender for the feature wall behind the bed.

But as Ms Soon likes blue - 'it is calming' - they chose a dark blue for the feature wall and a lighter one for the other walls.

While the pink bedlinen is romantic, Mr Yeow suggests using beige or light grey bedlinen to better complement the brown bedframe and the blue walls.

The earth-coloured curtains with floral prints and a satin finish were also from Taman Molek. 'They help reflect light and the room looks brighter,' says Ms Soon.

The couple are pleased with the room's new look. 'I especially like the colours and the full-length mirror,' says Ms Soon.

Source : The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Reprinted with permission.