Forefront Interior

I don't believe in writing a review for the sake of writing one. So when I do, it's only when I received either a damn good service or a damn good product. Needless to say, Forefront Interior delivered both! My house was designed by the young and capable boss of the firm, Joey Pear. Don't be fooled by his age and perceived lack of experience. He has been in the business for close to a decade! He opened my eyes to the world of interior design not only with his flair for design but also the technical knowledge behind it. Joey is not a typical "Yes Man" that accedes to all customer's requests. He dares to tell you if your idea does not suit the overall concept or "feel" of the house. Most importantly, he designs a house according to its habitant's lifestyle. To be very honest, I had doubts of the practicality of the design of my house when I looked at the 3D designs. Joey assured me that I can place my trust in him that with just a bit of adaptation, it will turn out fine. I'm glad I trusted him. This is also the reason why I'm writing this review only after a week of moving in as I wanted to personally experience and prove that great designs can be functional and practical too. Rex oversaw the operation/ renovation process. He had constantly updated me on the progress. Coordination went smoothly and my presence at site was minimal. During the post-renovation inspection prior to hand over, he spotted and highlighted to me the minor defects that many would have tried to keep a blind eye and hope that I do not realise. The said defects were subsequently rectified promptly. Thank you 'Team Forefront'!

Joey, the interior designer from Forefront, has been instrumental in our home renovation. He is incredibly professional and meticulous in his approach. From the beginning, Joey took time to thoroughly understand our requests, patiently explaining and accommodating our ideas along the way. When he revealed the interior renderings, it was love at first sight, and we immediately decided to follow his vision. We trusted his recommendations on everything—from the layout and wall colors to the precise laminates. Working with him reminded us of the value of having a skilled designer to guide the entire process. Throughout the renovation, Joey provided regular check-ins and weekly updates, keeping us well-informed every step of the way. We feel very fortunate to have had Joey working with us.

It started off well. We chose to go with Forefront Interior because JT provided practical designs and solid recommendations. But things quickly went downhill. From the start of work in mid-February, we never received a proper timeline. Everything was communicated verbally with no clear commitments. In early April, we finally agreed on a mid-May move-in date. JT did mention that some minor rectifications might be needed after moving in. It was far from minor. On the agreed move-in day, my movers arrived with 60 cartons, and to our shock, there were at least six workers — painters, carpenters, cleaners — all still rushing around. Carpentry was incomplete, making it impossible to unpack. We ended up living surrounded by boxes with workers still coming in and out during the day for days. The shower glass door wasn’t installed because it was meant to sit on the quartz vanity top, which was also not ready. The yard sliding door took another two weeks to be fixed as it was dragging across the floor. For a new homeowner, not moving into a completed home was already a nightmare. But what made it worse was the behavior of the subcontractors. The MCST and my new neighbors complained multiple times because the subcontractors would spread out their tools, saw wood, and create a mess in the common area without informing us beforehand. Of course, JT and Ximen were never on-site to oversee the work or ensure quality control. The subcontractors often showed up unannounced — Ximen would apologize after the fact, but it happened repeatedly. There were also days when they simply did not show up at all. We tried to stay patient, hoping they would resolve the issues. But today was the final straw. We had agreed last week for the plasterwork contractor to come at 9 AM to fix the uneven walls left after the dismantling. By 10 AM, no one had arrived. When we asked what happened, we were told he was tied up at another job site and would only come after lunch. How could he be at another job before a 9 AM appointment? It’s now been 1.5 months since the agreed move-in date. We decided to end the working relationship and find our own subcontractors to fix the remaining problems. Attached photos for reference. [Update: Forefront management eventually stepped in and helped resolve the issues amicably. Appreciate their intervention. Thank you.]

They were the first ID firm we approached and we were assigned to a designer, Joxxxxn. After the initial meeting, there was no follow-up until we chased them for the quotation. During the meeting, we mentioned that we would be meeting other IDs as well. An appointment was scheduled for mid-April but was cancelled by her with some excuse. After that, there was complete silence, with no further follow-up even after two weeks. Every other ID we approached was much more proactive in responding and following up.