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.

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.

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.

And Then There Was Light

I am so bored with our ceiling lights. They are hanging lights which look more of a mini chandelier. I think they are so outdated.

I love contemporary stuff in my living room. However, my husband is the practical one who keeps telling me not to buy expensive items for the flat where we are currently staying at because the place is not ours.

I always remind him that we can take whatever we bought back in the Philippines. I can always rent for a big container if I have too.

I just feel like the lights are so old-fashioned. I want hanging spotlights just like the hanging lamps I saw in the mall last week. They are sleek and uses energy-saving bulbs. I will have to convince my husband though since we are updating the living room; maybe we can also include the lights.

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.