Changing Furniture Soon

After several months (I think years!) of bugging my husband relentlessly, he has finally agreed to change our furniture, especially the one in the living room. I never liked the one he bought few years ago but since he paid for it, I kept mum about it. Now that he is willing to replace the one we have now, I am very happy to show him around Ikea and what I liked there and fitting to be in our home.

Aside from the living room set, I hope to change our dining table too complete with new chairs and some accessories to go with it like a new burlap faux - burlap-tablecloth.com tablecloth and candelabra.

We're fixing the whole place again so when our daughter comes for a visit during her college break, she'll find the new arrangement, new furniture and new decorations very inviting. I also hope she'll like all of them.

Expanding Your Family? Start Preparing Your Home Now & Save Time

Photo credit: digsdigs.com

So, your family is expanding. Perhaps you are having a baby or have adult children who are moving back home or even elderly parents that need to move in. Things are about to change and it’s a good idea to prepare your home for the new arrival/s ahead of time. While you might need more space to house an expanded family, very often it’s not practical or economical to consider moving house but there are some steps that will help create more space and save time and stress later.

Where to Put Them?

The first decision you will need to make is where you will put your new arrival/s. If you have a spare room then obviously you can turn this into a nursery or a bedroom. This is the easiest option, but if you do not have a spare room you will need to think a little more laterally. While a baby can be put in your room or even in a small corner of another room, adult family will be harder to manage. You may need to consider converting your garage into a bedroom or splitting a larger room with the help of screens or curtains to create a private space.

Furniture

Your family will need, at the bare minimum, a bed and somewhere to keep their clothing. Your choice of design will depend on the amount of room you have. For ideas and also measurements and other specifications, check online at http://www.superamart.com.au/. A bit of research now will a save you lots of stress later.

It is helpful to provide somewhere for your new arrival/s to place their smaller bits and pieces. A dresser top, some shelving or a small table will suffice. The reason this is so important is that it will help keep some order in your home and make your new house member feel like they belong. Try and utilise something you already have to save money.

Linen

Providing the person with their own bed linen and towels will make them feel welcome and cared for. Supply a few nice fresh towels, a face washer, hand towel and for a nice touch, add some pretty soaps and personal care products. If you don’t have adequate linen you will need to purchase it. Again, it is better to do this ahead of time than be rushing around at the last minute. Your new arrival/s will also feel more welcomed if you are prepared for them.

Let them Personalise their Space

It is really important to allow your family member to personalise their space. Be a bit flexible here. Take down any existing paintings on the walls in their space so they are free to put up pictures to their own taste. Clear off your ornaments from surfaces in their space so they will have room to place their own precious bits and pieces. Giving someone space to put a little bit of themselves will make them feel very much at home and welcomed.

Quaint Table And Chair

I love modern architecture and design so I am leaning towards modular kind of furniture. However, I am not closing my options for a nice quaint and Victorian-era kind of table and chair that I can put in a corner of a room.

I think a french table with matching chairs or stools will be a great addition to a stark room so it can add drama or flair to that area. It can also serve as a waiting area when you have guests or somewhere to put the phone at so you can have a telephone nook.

I took the picture below from the internet and like its simple design. As soon as we have our house draft ready, I will really consider putting something like the ones below in my future home. I think they are cozy and makes the whole area very inviting and warm.

Photo credit: artfactory.com

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!

End of the Year Cleaning

We are saying good bye to 2010 in few days. I cannot believe how time flies! I remember making plans for 2010 last December 2009. Here I am, waiting for 2011 with bated breath and praying for a good year ahead.

It is already a habit of mine to clear unwanted stuff by the end of the year. I donate or give them away to people who needs them more. My plan this year is to clear the cupboards and closets of clothes, toys, shoes and household stuff which we no longer use.

I have been contemplating on whether to scrap the red couch my husband bought last year. It is showing signs of over-use because my husband loves to bring friends home regularly. So you can say that the couch is well seated. I really like to replace it with a contemporary furniture but the budget is really, really tight at this time. I want a modular type of sofa and not the classic and big ones. I hope my husband reconsiders my suggestion.

My eyes are also set on the old book cases in the living room. One of them was bought 3 years ago and the other one was older than that which was donated to us last year. My husband's friend was kind enough to give it to us because he noticed how much my daughter and I hoard books. I want to sell them because they are still in good condition. I just want to remodel and refurbish the house while I am doing my end-of-the-year cleaning. Maybe I'll get a big book case instead of having 2 narrow and smaller ones.

The appliances can stay because I cannot replace them yet. They are still working fine (except for the washing machine which I bought almost 8 years ago).

I hope to minimize all the clutter at home when I go on leave by the end of the year. I want to welcome 2011 with a clean and organized house.

The Beauty in Rustic Furniture

I remember scouting for a furniture when my husband and I first bought our house. It was around 1999 before he left for Dubai.

We must have visited one shop after the other in a place in Manila where furniture were the main highlight of the place. It is one stretch of furniture shops to choose from.

My taste then was still different. I preferred having a certain country and homey feel to my furniture. I vividly recall selecting a white wicker living room set which was around $200. Back then, that price would be so much but I feel in love with the rustic furniture that I didn't consider the price. I know it was not a very wise move, money-matter wise. However, both my husband and I loved the rustic piece. Even our respective families were gushing on how pretty and dainty the wicker living room set was.

I felt proud owning that wicker set. It has been with us for sometime and my daughter has sat on it's soft cushions while growing up.

The wicker set is now in my mom's house. It will still be my favorite furniture because of its simple beauty.

Our Future Home

We have already bought our third property out of our hard-earned money here. I am very happy to say that even if our bank accounts are as slim as the slim-fit pants you can find nowadays, we have three properties to be proud of.

Plans for purchasing a fourth property is in the pipeline but this time it will just be a vacant lot where we will build our future home. It has been a dream of mine even when I was still young to build my home according to my own preference. I have collected so many clippings of beautiful homes, bedrooms with white wardrobe, patios and garden photos over the years and have kept them for reference. I am already in the process of gathering photos of furniture I want to have in our future house too.

I love everything cozy, light and white or creamy and earth tones. So, you can sense that the furniture will be of light color. I just like the feel of seeing a pristine atmosphere at home with natural light seeping and clean and crisp-looking furniture to go with the ambiance.

My daughter has been bugging me too about what she likes to have in her own bedroom. Since we already have furniture here in Dubai which we can take home once we are done with our stay here, I have decided we can have painted bedroom furniture for her. It will save us money. Also, the ones we have here in Dubai are expensive and durable. I will have to ship all of them because I know they will look good in our future home considering the theme I want to carry out - light and natural and a bit minimalist too.

I am not rushing on this plan right now because my husband and I have to discuss money matters as well. The recession is still on and we want to make sure that if we go through our plan to buy a residential lot and later on build a house on it, we are financially capable and ready to release money due to the demands of building a home.

It is not a sheer joke to plan for this. However, I do not want this to be just a dream. I may have to work  5 more years at tops to finance this goal. It is not a long shot but with our determination, dream and tight-budgeting skills, our dream home will be ours.

Updating the Living Room

We went to Ikea last weekend to check out some nice contemporary sofas and other trinkets to display in our living room. Ikea was on "part sale" so my husband decided to purchase a black coffee table to replace the old, white one we have.

There were so many nice sofas and tables that made us reconsider updating our old furniture at home. I am sure there will be further reduction at Ikea since it is Dubai Summer Surprise until August. Most shops in Dubai during this festival offers huge discounts on their merchandise.

We know exactly what I want from Ikea. We are just waiting for the big, big sale.

Updated Furniture

I took a quick look on our couch in the living room a while ago and thought to myself how plain and old-fashioned it was. I have been looking around home centre in the malls lately to check on any contemporary furniture. I am eager to spruce the house a bit to make it more cozy and updated. I have seen modular types of furniture good for a small space and I hope they go on sale!

Re-using Company Furniture

A month ago, our company posted a company-wide bulletin on the sale of used office furniture for all the staff to avail of. Honestly, if I had known there will be a sale, I would have waited and bought a couple because our company uses high-quality furniture. I have been meaning to get several bookcases for my daughter's books and trinkets to put on. I also wanted a longer and wider study table for my arts and craft session. However, I already purchased a bookshelf last month; few days before the sale was announced. What a timing!

A Good Sleep in a Good Bed

Every human being in this planet requires at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to recharge and maintain a sound body and mind. People need a good sleep in a good bed to function properly. Our bodies tend to slack and cause problems when we lack a good sleep.

Sleep deprivation entails poor performance at work, loss of concentration and appetite, moodiness, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, headaches and migraines, dizziness and light-headedness, weight gain, depression, reduces the extent of growth, lowers the immune system, accidents and change in metabolism. People under-estimate the powers brought by having a good sleep. Due to this, many suffer from the symptoms brought by lack of a good sleep and sometimes leads to developing an illness.

Having a bed built to provide a power slumber can do wonders to one's physiological attributes. Many of us do not consider getting a proper bed. We think that a bed is just a part of a fixture you will find to complete a bedroom. We buy ordinary beds for the purpose of sleeping on it without knowing the benefits a proper bed can give to our bodies.

There are various types of beds to choose from. There are wooden beds, folding beds, divan beds, futon beds, sofa beds, bunk beds or double-deckers, metal framed beds, leather beds, children's beds, novelty beds and day beds. It does not matter what type of bed one has as long as it is built to last. Make sure too that it can carry your weight by checking the interconnecting slats on the base of the frame. Also, a middle rod to support the mid-part of the base is a plus factor when choosing a sturdy bed.

Knowing these can help us to choose what kind of bed to use when we decide to change beds. Having the correct bed to ensure a good and powerful slumber is very vital.

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.