Being Practical At Home Improvements

I have a very tight quarter in the house. Since we are not permanent residents of Dubai, my husband and I are quite adamant to spend on furniture and other fixtures at home. Our pragmatic approach to home and interior decoration is to buy only the essential and affordable. Oftentimes, this kind of principle overlooks aesthetic results. We just end up what ever is practical to put at home.

There are times when my husband and I would not agree on something like buying new metal cabinets to install in the balcony area. The cabinets will be used a portable storage of our trinkets and tools which we use occasionally but is mandatory to have at home. Instead of buying cabinets, we end up buying storage boxes which we can stack.

The sofa is another issue we have to tackle. I planned to purchase an L-shaped modular sitting furniture to update our living room last year. My husband was against the idea because it was not sensible since we still have a sofa. Few months later, we ended up buying a sofa-bed to accommodate visitors who want to spend the night. The beautification aspect of my desire to buy is always outweighed by the practicality of having to actually buy and replace something that is still useful at home.

Home improvement is something we have to sacrifice here in the Middle East because we are transient borders in this country. My husband is right in believing and enforcing his principle of spending our hard-earned money to our dream house than spending unnecessarily here where we will just end up selling them. To that, I definitely agree!

On Rugs and Dull Floors

When you come in a house, do you normally check out the area or first look on the floor and see if it is clean, shiny and have a "wow" factor? Well, I am one of those who normally look down when I wipe my feet on the rugs and give an ocular inspection on the floor I am stepping at. It is a weird habit but I get to see and admire a lot of people's home by doing this. It also gives me an idea on what to put on my dream home when the time comes.

I have seen floors made of marble, granite, terracotta, vinyl, wood and wall-to-wall carpet. Some are nicely covered with area rugs. Others are white as a cloud and glossy. And others have intricate tile work that will leave you in awe.  

Our flat's floor are covered with 12x12 sq. ft. yellowish tiles.  I wanted something glossy but I had to settle with what was available when we scouted for a flat.  I thought when we first moved in the building that it was plain and simple. My opinion of the floor has turned to ho-hum. In short, I am bored with it. Our contract does not allow us to alter any original component of the flat except for paint improvement and other fixtures. That is also to our advantage because we do not have to spend a fortune updating the floor when there are other means of brightening a dull floor. I keep imagining my friends' houses with nice glossy floors. I just admire them!

So, to solve my slight problem whenever I look on our floor, my husband bought some cheap rugs to spruce up the place. He covered the living room with a slightly shaggy area rug to make it more homey, inviting and cozy. It improved the look of the flat and gave more definition to the place. He also bought some house plants to put in the corner of the dining place to give a little life and color on the area and the floor. I bought a small colorful mat and placed it on the hallway's main door to add pizazz on our simple floor.

Now that my slight problem is solved, I can let out a sigh of relief and be grateful to my husband's genius ideas and practicality.

Drip! Drop!

I cannot believe that my flat is showing signs of wear and tear already when we've only been in this place for 2 years. This was a new building when we moved in. Seeing the paints chipping, the door hinges un-hingeing and the kitchen faucet dripping drives me up the wall!

I tried calling the "watchman" (the person assigned to take all possible verbal abuse from the tenants *wink*) but I think he's off. If I wait another day without doing something to these, I might just go mad. So, I'll drive to the nearest hardware tomorrow and will ask hubby to fix the drippy faucet first.

The House by the Sea

I have great fascination on anything vintage and that homey country or cottage look on furniture and fixtures. I remember my summers spent in my grandma's beach house when I was young. I used to admire her cream curio stand, the beautiful vanity table in her bedroom, the dainty bed and its thick mattress, the rich linens all in light hues and so much more. The accents of the furniture were truly enchanting. There were adornments of foliage, angels holding votive candles placed on the side table, white frames around the big mirror on the hallway, curtains cascading from the window valance with rich lace and wonderful floral prints. Even her beach shabby chic furniture were off-white and looked regal. I felt I was I big doll living in a big, country charm doll house. It was really a charming house by the sea.

I would spend endless hours checking out her stuff and always told her that one day, my house would be filled with shabby chic furniture appliques. I loved the way she would tell me how those dreams would take me to places and that one day I would definitely have those I dreamed of.

So, it came as no surprise when I had my first home at 26. I recalled how my grandma's summer beach house looked like and I wanted the same furniture and fixtures in my home too. If not the same, at least something similar I could afford then. I bought white vintage-looking furniture for my small living area. I had a spare room which I was not sure what to do until I found out I was pregnant. It was at that precise moment that I knew and decided it would become the nursery filled with shabby chic baby furniture. It was just like how I envisioned it when I was young. I used to daydream about how my future house would be like my grandma's - cozy, warm, accommodating, regal, charming and full of love.

Many years passed and she is long gone but the memory of my happy summers in her beautiful house near the beach is still fresh in my mind.