Amid a chaotic renovation, Najiha assumed leadership, personally acquiring roughly 80% of her household’s furnishings via Taobao, demonstrating that resolve can rival solid design in achieving the final look they envisioned.
Halfway Through the Project, Her Designer Disappeared
Najiha and Iqbal’s Bishan flat exudes warmth and character, making it hard to believe that its renovation was once on the verge of disaster. The home’s vintage-inspired shelving, olive-green sofa, and clever details all suggest a seamless renovation process, but that was not the case.
Designer Vanishes, Timeline Misses
The project took a turn for the worse when their interior designer vanished halfway through. Najiha recalls that replies from the designer became less frequent, timelines were missed, and excuses piled up. She admits, ‘I didn’t rush him because I had six months,’ having received the keys in July and expecting completion by December. However, her fears were confirmed when she discovered a slew of bad reviews online in October or November, and the designer eventually disappeared.
When the family moved in, they were met with a renovation site, not a completed home. There were no doors on the bathrooms or bedrooms, forcing them to use curtains for privacy. The pantry was unfinished, the common bathroom lacked a shower screen, and the master bathroom’s planned glass-block partition was never installed. The kitchen was also unusable due to the missing sintered stone countertop, leading the family to order takeout and wash dishes in the common bathroom until the countertop arrived in mid-January.
As they juggled unpacking, settling into a new neighbourhood and helping their children adjust to a new school, the reality of their situation finally hit. “So it wasn’t just the new house but having to deal with our kids, having to make new friends, no bathroom and bedroom doors,” Najiha shares. “It was chaotic.” “I really can’t believe I went through that,” Najiha shakes her head. “When you hear about these things happening to other people, you think, ‘That’s horrible.’ I can’t believe I actually had to live through it.”
Najiha had not envisioned starting the new year in a half-finished home, but with two young children to care for, she couldn’t wait for everything to be perfect. She adopted a pragmatic approach, saying, ‘Sometimes things don’t go your way and you just have to make do… It’s always in progress.’ This mindset shift allowed her to focus on what she could improve herself, rather than dwelling on the shortcomings of the renovation.
Turning to Taobao for Pantry Fix
One of the biggest turning points came in the pantry. The original design called for fluted glass doors, but they were never installed. Rather than chase another contractor to finish the job, Najiha decided to try something different. “I have to thank Taobao,” she laughs. “I used Taobao curtains over my pantry cabinet and found out I didn’t need a door.” What started as a temporary fix became one of her favourite features in the home. The embroidered café curtains softened the space, concealed everyday clutter and made the pantry feel more relaxed than the original design had intended.
It was a small victory, but an important one. For the first time since the renovation began to unravel, Najiha realised that some of the solutions she was coming up with were in fact better than the ones she had originally planned. Before the renovation was over, Najiha had discovered something about herself. “As a studio manager, I tend to manage,” she says.
Najiha’s resourcefulness also led her to explore Taobao further, where she discovered a wide range of products, including mid-century items. While searching for a modular TV console, she stumbled upon Lofthome, which featured products also available on Taobao. She realized she could purchase these items at a lower price directly from Taobao, and soon found herself buying fans, lights, faucets, and showerheads from the platform.
Shopping Snowballs on Taobao Platform
From there, the shopping snowballed. Every spare moment became an opportunity to compare products, read reviews and plan her next buy. “Any pocket of time I had, I looked. I guess it took me months to finalise.” Najiha estimates that around 80 per cent of the home came from Taobao. “Even the frames. The wardrobes in the workroom are from Taobao, the working desk is from Taobao… about 80%. What didn’t I buy from Taobao? The dining table, sofa, the master bed, my kids’ bed, maybe one lounge chair.”
Shopping on Taobao Had Its Challenges
Shopping on Taobao came with its own learning curve. Najiha had to shop in the Chinese interface. She asked one seller why the English interface showed fewer items and higher prices. The seller told her she simply needed to switch to the Chinese interface.
Rather than give up, Najiha found a workaround. She used Google or ChatGPT to translate and ensure the items were correct. She also translated their chats. Far from putting her off, the experience gave her more confidence. To her, the process was okay and quite manageable.
