9.30.2014

Picking the Sofa

I do love my town, but its' rather lacking furniture stores.

Sorry, DECENT furniture stores.


looks like a tiramisu
Have you ever been inside an ScS? On every sofa, there are scatter cushions asunder; that armchair reclines, twists and even orders your Chinese takeaway for you right before X-factor starts*. They come in a cornucopia of textures and fabrics that read a little bit like an adult store: whether you like it ribbed, corded or (p)leather, you can achieve 'extreme levels of comfort'.

At least Furniture Village has a redeeming feature (pro tip: free cookies)

Alas, I digress. The biggest problem is size. These pudgy 3-pieces would take up my entire bottom floor, and my terrace would begin to resemble an indoor bouncy castle**. I need something that is not too deep. I would have to look a little further afield.

On Sunday, we went to London. I've been remarkably restrained; T and I haven't dared to really 'shop' for our house before now, in case it all fell through (though I did think about beds)

I've been eyeing up sofas from www.made.com but the reviews were very, very mixed. Some claiming the quality was amazing, others swearing that it was tacky and not worth the hype. I even asked another blogger-owner for her opinion. (The beautiful Ferren from artcre.am was very obliging: she said she loves it!)



I was still nervous of spending £600 on something I'd only seen photos of, so we decided to visit their showroom. Honestly, it's worth going for the experience alone.

Seek out an office building that looks almost abandoned (just outside of Notting Hill Gate tube) and enter a secret code. Feel dubious.
Follow the yellow corridor. There's a flummoxed hipster couple at the door; glasses, plaid, skinnies, beard. Exchange subtle nods with partner: yes, these are our people. We are safe here.
Ride lift up to the 9th floor.
Emerge. Get bamboozled by soft jazz. Notice other hipster couples. Wonder, irrationally, if this is a vision of interior design heaven.
See sofa.
Buy sofa.

I fell in love and we ordered the
Ritchie straight away. (pssst! Use code DESIGNERS for £30 off!)


It is slim-line. It is neat. It is minimalist.

IT IS ARRIVING NEXT WEEK AND I AM SO EXCITED.

My Grandma told me not to spend any money until we've moved in.
Oops.


*exaggeration.
**Childhood dream would be realised. But, not great for quality of life. Imagine putting on mascara. Or eating soup.


9.23.2014

Choosing a Double Bed for a Tiny Master Bedroom


Choosing a Double Bed for a Tiny Master Bedroom When the boy and I first started seeing each other, we were living in University halls of residence. Our beds were singles. My mattress was threadbare, stained, and the creaky springs left nothing to the imagination. I shared my floor with seventeen other girls. Poor things.
Looks appealing.

In my second year, I got my first double bed. It was luxury. T, meanwhile, moved into yet another single. His divan disintegrated after about two months (the roof was leaking, so his bed got rained on) and we ended up on the floor. The damp problem never got solved, so every time I slept at his, I woke up to find a silvery snail-trail meandering around the mattress. We moved in together two years later and finally said goodbye to the shared single bed.


Fast forward to 2014, and we’re moving into our own house in a fortnight.

This is furniture? This is garbage.
All I own is an amazing mirror (more on that later) and a pink plastic folding chair.
A kind parent has lent us a single for the interim, but I can’t wait to buy our first bed. However, our bedrooms are just 3.5m (long) by 2.5m (wide), which doesn’t give us much space to play with. A standard double bed will leave us with just 80cm (or 2’9’’) left, width-ways. That’s not much space. Not even worth a bedside table.

Storage, décor and accessibility are all going to be a problem. We are considering getting a ‘small double’ or queen bed, which would save us 6’’, but I don’t know if it’s really worth it.

 I have a few criteria for our new bed...
  • relatively minimalist, to go with almost any colour scheme

  • Must not be any larger than necessary - so bed knobs are out

  • Underbed Storage is a must

  • No more than £250 including delivery

  • Wood or metal only - and certainly no divans!

 Here are the contenders...

Small Doubles

John Lewis, £175, £25 Delivery, requires storage (W129)

This bed would give me an extra 15cm of space. That's one of those tiny little rulers... you know, the ones you coated with Tipex in primary school and then spent the next two years engraving with your protractor.... Is it worth it?





Doubles



Ikea, £225, £19 Delivery, Storage included (W150)

This one appeals to my lazy nature as I'm not too great at putting things away properly. Everything hidden from site. But could we even use all four drawers? Probably not. 



 

 

Muji, £210, £35 Delivery, Storage not included (W144)

A very conservatively designed bed. I actually love this, it's so need and tidy. It's expensive, however, and would require us to shell out for storage.








Asda, £249, Free Delivery, Storage Included (W141)

This would be a smart buy in terms of storage and price. It's not beautiful but I can live with that.















Bensons, £199, £39.99 Delivery, no Storage (W145)

I do like these clean lines but it's a lot for delivery! It's perhaps my favourite, and it feels like great value as it's half price.




Get Laid Beds, £198, £25 Delivery, no Storage (W140) (also available in Small Double in W125)

Again, a great clean design. However, no headboard at all may cause problems...


 



Has anyone else found themselves in a shopping stalemate? There's no clear winner here!
And the clock's ticking...


9.22.2014

Bad Habits I Hope to Beat



As I’m buying my own place this year, I hope I can overcome some of those awful traits I’ve accumulated over the last few years…. I was quite a well-trained child but five years of living in shared accommodation has made me really lazy. Have any of you heard of the Broken Window Theory? It’s a criminology theory so I won’t pretend to be an expert, but essentially, if your environment is a mess, you’ll add to it. If your environment is lovely, you’ll keep it nice….

Anyway, the point I’m making is that when there are already bloated white slugs in the washing-up bowl and an ashtray upturned on the sofa, you’re less inclined to get the hoover out and have a quick whip ‘round!

Anyway, here are a few bad habits I’d like to beat.

FLOORDROBE
It is a mystery. How does my bedroom end up covered in clothes by the end of every week? Maybe because I come home and strip off instantly? Maybe because I try on 5498 outfits before every night out? Maybe because I wear two outfits every day (cyclist problems…)? Regardless of the cause, I’d like to sort it out.
STATUS: working on it…


STARVING CHILDREN
so, I’m quite greedy and I love love love food. My worst habit is eating too much, because I always hear my Mum’s voice going, ‘there are children in 3rd world countries that are starving to death, and you’re letting those potato smilies go to waste….’ I blame her for my short comings. I also clean my plate, and my friends’ plates. That last slice of cake in the office? ‘Oh, go on, if it’s going to waste…’ I eat until I’m sick, but I also do plenty of exercise, so it kind of balances out. In all honesty, I LOVE this bad habit. We all deserve to over-indulge once in a while.
STATUS: this habit’s here to stay!



RISKY LIVING
I am terribly tight. I hate spending money. Particularly money I can’t see that I’ve spent. Insurance is a perfect example of this. I don’t drive, so my lack of insurance has never had any legal ramifications. However, I have lived without contents insurance, home insurance, bike insurance, phone insurance and even TRAVEL insurance for five years. Probably shouldn’t admit that last one, my Mum will be so angry…. However, I’m off to Croatia next weekend and I have done the deed! I’ve actually bought myself some insurance!
STATUS: Habit, BUSTED!



I’d love to hear your own habits!