In a sequence of movies on TikTok and Instagram, Singaporean influencer Nicole Chen (higher identified on-line as @lielnicole) shared her “nightmare expertise” working with Studio Siris, a neighborhood boutique inside design studio, on the renovation of her BTO flat in Yishun.

In accordance with Nicole, a number of points surfaced throughout the renovation, from mismeasured fittings corresponding to kitchen cupboards, to hid cupboards that would not shut correctly, misplaced lighting, poorly tiled bathrooms, and general undertaking delays.

Wayne Huang, the co-founder of Studio Siris and the designer behind Nicole’s undertaking, has since responded. He not solely launched his personal sequence of movies on social media, but in addition spoke to Vulcan Publish to share his facet of the story.

Right here’s a breakdown of what occurred, and the way each events described what went incorrect.

Background: A barter commerce

Nicole collected the keys to her BTO flat in March, and renovations started in April underneath the supervision of Wayne.

The undertaking was organized as a barter commerce: Studio Siris supplied design and undertaking administration providers for gratis, in trade for publicity by means of Nicole’s social media content material.

Nicole mentioned in a video that she initially didn’t intend to have interaction an inside designer, as each she and her accomplice have design backgrounds. Nevertheless, after receiving a number of sponsorship presents from varied companies, she determined to work with Studio Siris, stating that she was drawn to its portfolio and “put collectively” previous tasks.

In an interview with Mothership, she added that had given the agency a “agency deadline of 1.5 months to finish the undertaking.” Wayne confirmed this, noting that Nicole had set “an aggressive preliminary move-in goal date” of Jun 15, 2025.

The providers Studio Siris supplied

Though the undertaking was meant to incorporate design providers from Wayne, Nicole has claimed in her movies that she designed most components of her residence herself.

Wayne, nevertheless, has come out to share that whereas Nicole had supplied her personal mock ups and temper boards, he had refined these concepts into “extra correct” 3D fashions, developed the technical detailing and structure, and oversaw sourcing and undertaking administration.

Usually, inside design companies additionally present their very own crew of trusted subcontractors to deal with renovation duties corresponding to carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work.

Nevertheless, by the point Studio Siris got here on board, Nicole had already engaged a number of of her personal contractors for the renovation. In accordance with Wayne, all the contractors concerned within the undertaking, aside from the plywood carpenter, have been employed straight by Nicole.

She additionally labored with a mixture of distributors, some sponsored and a few paid, which created a extra complicated renovation course of than a typical undertaking managed completely by an inside design agency.

What went incorrect?

1. Delays in doorways & rest room works

Within the first a part of her video sequence on the renovation, Nicole highlighted that she had already moved into her flat for every week, but the whole home nonetheless had no doorways.

Wayne asserts that the delays weren’t resulting from negligence, however slightly a mixture of dependent works, sponsorship processes, and “real oversights” that have been later clarified.

Some delays, he mentioned, have been additionally brought on by Nicole not confirming her sponsorships or the extent of every sponsor’s contribution from the beginning. For instance, door measurements for the toilet couldn’t be taken as a result of flooring overlays have been incomplete.

Nicole had requested sintered stone tiles and labored with one other firm for sponsorship, a course of that concerned important back-and-forth from Apr 21 to Jun 19, together with repeated approvals, rejections, and design revisions.

For different doorways, Wayne shared that the drafting of the drawings occurred over a number of revisions, every tied to unresolved design components elsewhere in the home. Measurements have been taken on Could 20–21, however fabrication and web site supply have been delayed till mid-June.

Further points included handles and door swing instructions. The procurement of handles was delayed as a result of the provider solely provided a typical deal with, whereas Nicole needed to buy her personal. She additionally revised the swing instructions after rethinking her earlier plan.

General, these points pushed again the timeline for the undertaking, although Wayne admitted that drafting might have been sooner. The door drawings and revisions took about 10 days between him and Nicole.

He additionally admitted fault in failing to obviously talk how these delays would have an effect on the general undertaking timeline. “I assumed that she knew if she failed to verify sure sponsorships or stuff, she wouldn’t be capable to transfer in on time,” Wayne mentioned.

2. Inaccurate measurements

In her movies, Nicole highlighted issues with inaccurate measurements, most notably a cupboard beside her kitchen counter that ended up leaving a visual hole between the backsplash and the unit.

In accordance with WhatsApp chats circulated by Nicole, Wayne had supplied measurements of 960–965mm for the width of the cupboard. Nicole’s contractor then constructed the unit based mostly on these numbers, which resulted within the misfit.

Wayne, nevertheless, argued that the difficulty was not a measurement error, however a “byproduct” of design adjustments. The preliminary kitchen plan included a tall unit and fridge, for which he had measured 1.2m.

When the structure was later modified to permit for extra countertop area, he adjusted the determine to 960mm—a change that finally led to the hole. Wayne added that accuracy was the contractor’s duty, as they have been tasked with producing detailed store drawings and confirming web site measurements.

“The discrepancy got here from their drafting and lapse in communication, not my authentic design intent,” he mentioned, including that he usually offers drawings with out full dimensions, leaving the carpenters to verify last measurements on-site.

Within the movies, Wayne additional urged that the misalignment might have been brought on by adjustments made on-site after his preliminary measurements. He famous, for instance, that the highest cupboard and pipe box-up couldn’t be fitted, leaving the whole set of top-hung cupboards within the kitchen uninstalled—which, to him, indicated that web site alterations might need contributed to the issue.

As a repair, he proposed to increase the backsplash sample, which he mentioned would have brought on solely a two- to three-day delay at most.

Apart from this, different areas of the flat additionally confronted measurement issues, based on Nicole. She identified that her kitchen hob was put in with barely a 2cm allowance from the sting of the counter. Equally, a built-in shoe rack, which Nicole claimed was measured and achieved by Wayne’s contractor, ended up too small to suit her footwear correctly.

Wayne didn’t present a response to those explicit points.

3. Poorly thought out design placements

Nicole additionally highlighted a number of poorly deliberate design placements in her movies, notably her bed room lighting. Three have been positioned across the ceiling fan, one other was positioned additional away from it, and one was even put in straight in entrance of the aircon.

Wayne defined that the lights have been put in based on the unique lighting plans, which all events agreed to. Nevertheless, some deviations have been made to chop prices on carpentry.

In accordance with Wayne, the preliminary plan was to have a customized wardrobe, TV console, and bedhead, however later determined to purchase off-the-shelf objects. At this level, wires have been already laid.

The unique structure would have seen the sunshine in entrance of the air-conditioner function an entrance mild. The plan was supposed to incorporate a full-height wardrobe beside it, which might have made its placement look intentional, he mentioned. The opposite lights have been positioned to accommodate the TV console.

Past bed room lighting, Nicole additionally highlighted points with a hid cupboard that Wayne had employed a carpenter to construct. The cupboard was designed to shut by making use of stress wherever on its floor, however after it was put in, Nicole discovered that it might solely be closed by urgent a particular spot.

Wayne acknowledged that it was his carpenter’s work, however famous that Nicole had by no means raised the difficulty with him previous to posting her video.

Different points included a lightweight change put in in the course of the hallway wall the place Nicole had deliberate to place a mural. For this, Wayne mentioned he had already requested the electrician to shift it after Nicole raised the priority earlier, and was uncertain why it remained.

Nicole additionally famous that her bathroom was purported to characteristic sintered stone partitions, however this was not accomplished, leaving her to color some components black. Within the kitchen, a cupboard was constructed with out an air vent for the oven; installers claimed they weren’t informed of the requirement, nor was it proven within the drawings. Wayne didn’t handle these factors.

Too many cooks spoiled the broth

These have been among the many main points Nicole and her ID confronted. However on the coronary heart of it, miscommunication was the recurring downside, amplified by the variety of events concerned—at the least 10, based on our understanding.

“It launched overlaps and occasional gaps in info movement resulting from a number of communication channel like consumer to me, consumer to vendor, me to vendor,” mentioned Wayne.

Wayne was added to a number of group chats to coordinate communication, however Nicole claimed he typically neglected messages or was unresponsive. He additionally tended to make use of non-public messages as an alternative of group chats, which she felt made coordination much less clear. As well as, he joined the undertaking after some work had been achieved, and was uncertain as to what was agreed earlier than he was added into the teams.

Vendor duties generally overlapped as effectively. For instance, a glass panel specification error occurred as a result of, whereas documented internally, it was not mirrored within the official door design. This led the door contractor to method Nicole straight, including to her frustration.

In one other occasion, Nicole ended up making double funds—as soon as when Wayne assigned a brand new contractor for a false wall, regardless of her having already positioned a deposit with one other.

This was as a result of there was nobody established level of contact main the whole undertaking. Nicole claimed she thought Wayne would take cost, however this was not clearly communicated till some points had already occurred.

By the top of June, Nicole had terminated Wayne’s providers. Wayne, for his half, mentioned he compensated her with S$4,000 to offset rental prices from the delays, however the fallout from the undertaking has since spilled into the general public eye.

Wanting again, Wayne suggested that householders participating their very own contractors ought to be ready for extra complicated coordination.

“An ID’s really helpful contractors often include established workflows and communication channels. If a house owner prefers their very own distributors, I’d advise setting clear obligations, signed-off drawings, and sensible timelines on the outset,” he mentioned.

Featured Picture Credit score: @lienicole through Instagram/ Wayne Huang