This was recommended by our taxi driver on the way from airport, and as it was in the same street as our hotel, we gave it a try. The less said the better as it had little of any interest to us. It was conveniently close to a good range of street food in the next street along Geylang Rd... great mix of various kind of shopping to kill time. NTUC downstairs, yummy freshly roasted chicken. Inevitably, we will come to this place to visit, and end up buying something we didn't need, but were lured by the gorgeous array of fabrics, patterns and colours. Not a huge place, but with more than a few locals to make you feel part of this fantastic community. many eateries and drinking places have sprouted, massage parlours are also walking distance from here, still have some halal food stores, good but expensive nasi padang, murtabak nearby, hjh maimunah also walking distance, next to it is halal coffee shop, in front there is a halal karipap, the next lane there is a halal chicken rice stall , u walk...

Selling curtain materials, cloth materials, shawl, scarves, Muslim clothes. Not much to buy. A shopping complex catering to local Malays selling cheap fabrics to decorate homes. An old shopping complex just opposite the infamous Geylang Serai Market. Usually very busy during the weekends. Also a supermarket and an eatery available. a good place to shop for fabrics and curtains, not as much varieties like in Arab streets but the price are reasonable. Its just opposite the Geylang market and has a walk bridge connecting to it. This is a plaza that is very local that sell almost every thing especially fabric. Near the Temple so worth a look if you are in the area. Unique and quaint little shopping mall full of stores that sell fabrics. Very old-school and was very different from all the other mega complexes in the city centre.We thought a little home make-over was in order, given that it had been a while since my family changed the look of our place. Besides, it would make for a great Mother’s Day gift and family bonding session!

Should we head for the usual Nordic haunt, or hunt around our neighbourhood and discover bright new ideas to perk up our home? After some discussion, we picked Joo Chiat Shopping Complex for its wide range of home furnishing items. Besides, there are excellent eateries around the area and we could tuck into flavoursome fare beyond just meatballs and sauce.integra discreet top fix metal curtain track Having on occasion bought some carpets and stuff there before, we happily headed to this old corner of Singapore with great expectations.dritz home curtain grommets large On the street level, colourful bales of curtains and fabric greeted us. made to measure curtains wilmslow

Should we plumb for a new set of curtains? The range of offerings – from sheer lacy hangings to heavily brocaded ones, was hard to resist. But this time, we decided to take a look around first and see what new discoveries we might find. And boy, were we in for a surprise.made to measure curtains wilmslow As we explored the shopping complex, we discovered a shop-cum-showroom tucked away in a nook on the third floor. With its bright pops of colour, it stood out from the rest of the shops trading the three Cs – carpets, curtains, and clothes. We were certainly captivated. The bright colours all around reminded us of a watercolour painting of a candy store. The friendly proprietor invited us in for a look. His collection of wallpaper was pretty impressive and set us thinking of wallpapering our home instead of painting. Mr Chng, as we found out, has been operating his shop since the shopping complex opened – about 28 years ago!

With his vast knowledge, he proved a most helpful source of information on wallpapers and explained to us the differences between wallpapers, border papers, photomurals, and velvet decals. Shop owner, Mr Chng, explaining to us how the border papers work So here are some of his tips: Go for solid sheet vinyl coverings as they are the most resistant to stains, and spots can be easily sponged off. Choose a wallpaper with vertical stripes as it will make your ceiling appear higher. Pick border papers that merely line the perimeter of the walls without overhauling the entire look of the surface. Choose designs that complement your current wall and furniture pairing scheme so that the overall change will not be visually jarring. We were certainly spoilt for choice, looking at the comprehensive range of products in the shop. Have a look here. Wallpapering – A study in visuals, texture and colour contrasts Window frosting and vinyl tiles – choose your very own design and colour scheme with the consultancy service provided

Velvet decals in all sorts of designs to meet every taste The whole shop is real-life design lab: Working the Velvet Decals (left), and wood-panelled laminate flooring (right) Wallpapering ideas for different colour preferences (photo courtesy of Mr Chng) It did not go unnoticed that Mr Chng took the effort to listen to our needs, clarifying and understanding our perspective before giving his design advice. While big-name chains have their own service personnel, I’m pretty sure that the detailed level of personalised customer service can only be found in shops like this. It has been a long while since we’ve experienced such a keen level of service that was sincere and not pushy. This was really the feather in the cap for the shopping experience for us. Photobooks for every design intent and décor style – Feel free to browse for ideas (sans pushy sales people) I also thought about the long 28 years where the shop had been in operation. As he opened one of his drawers to fish out a design folio for our reference, I caught a glimpse of numerous office files:

“Do those files contain all your customers’ details?” Mr Chng genially laughed it off, “Not that many. But everyone who comes here knows me by name. My repeat customers like the products. They always tell me that they can’t find them elsewhere.” For youths in my generation, accustomed to big name stores and global brands, it’s almost an automatic decision to head to such outlets when shopping. But my recent Joo Chiat shopping trip reminded me that our neighbourhood and local stores have much to offer too – unique finds, reasonable prices, and personalised service. We left the shop, satisfied customers, with the promise to be back again. So if like us, you are also thinking of a makeover, do read our previous article on big ideas for doing up your home for home décor tips. As for where to shop furnishings and décor items – neighbourhood shops or Nordic knock-down outlets, the choice is yours since good and budget buys can be found in either place.