Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

Big thanks to Jacq, I’ve got 3 home interior design magazines that I’ve been endlessly perusing these past few days.  I’ve known Jacq for five years now and it’s just recently that we met when they went home for vacation a couple of weeks ago.  It’s so sweet of her to give me these magazines because as she said, these will be useful in prettifying our new home.  The husband has also been excitedly browsing the pages and he can’t help but admire all the lovely designs, setups, the furniture and even a few office furniture accessories  in some pages.  In fact, he has earmarked most pages that he deems perfect and he wants to incorporate to our Little Mansion’s interiors soon.  Again, big thanks to Jacq for these magazines.  They truly have impressive ideas and inspirations.

It’s been almost a month since we moved into our new home. While we have settled and fixed most of the things that needed fixing, we’re not yet through sprucing it up. We still have to do some minor installations in certain areas like a roof in the laundry area, furnishing of additional shelves and wood planks in the living room area, and setting up for some more frames on the walls. Aside from the still ongoing construction of our neighbor unit, this is also the reason why we have not yet had our housewarming party. For now, I’m thinking to research about easy home made clay arts that I can display in the soon-to-be installed shelves. I have come across the online craft library of AMACO/Brent and I found some inspiration from art lessons plans I saw there that I can adapt. I specifically like the clay art dinnerware and clay art plates which, I think, will be a good addition to my dinnerware collections elegantly displayed in the kitchen cabinet. The instructions I found are easy to follow and you don’t need a pottery wheel just some slump molds, clays, and glazes. I know of a ceramic arts class that has ceramic pottery kilns. I’m hoping if I take a class or two they will let me use their kiln to apply the finishing glaze to my plates. I am quite excited about this new adventure as who knows, this might turn into a new hobby.

It’s a slow Saturday night and so to perk me up while I’m conditioning myself to toil on my pending online works, I thought of googling the world’s most expensive homes to date (for inspiration).  I’m really surprised and amazed to find out that the number 1 in the list as of April 2010 was built in an Asian land.  The “Antilla” House which is reportedly to be the first $1 billion home in the world is specifically located in Mumbai, India.  It is a custom-build 27 story towering mansion and the home of the world’s fifth richest man, Mukesh Ambani.

The details are just astounding: six floors for parking, 3 helipads, 600 servants, double height ceilings, ballrooms, crystal (and perhaps, diamonds) studded chandelier ceilings, luxurious and grandest bedrooms, bathrooms and lounges; nine elevators in the lobby.  Wow!  It truly is the most spectacular home the world has ever seen.

Pictures snagged from here.

I’m thinking of having this for a coffee table.

But with a mischievous toddler in the house, I can just imagine myself summoning the little one for feeding and letting the fishes have their own cup of coffee, too.

Freshome notes:

This coffee table is a great conversation piece. The base is a fully functional aquarium, with an opening on the surface for easy access feeding.  Everything you need to get started (except the fish) is included with the table: florescent light (built into the table base), water pump, water filter, blue gravel and plants. $500 from Opulentitems.com.

I’m looking for decorating stuffs that we can doll up Little Mansion with and here’s something lovely and artistic that I just found while surfing.

Family Portraits:

These wall arts can be designed with a lot of artistic styles, in different variations, canvas print sizes, and paper prints. Wide array of framing option are available at Photowow. I would love to order a few pieces from them however, it would be too costly for me, shipping alone (FedEx international shipping). I’d probably just rely on my basic Photoshop skills then have it framed elsewhere, in Central Market perhaps. I love the idea though and this also makes a great personalized gift to anyone whatever the occasion is.

So if you’ve been gushing over the TV show Extreme Makeover: The Home Edition, now is the perfect chance to make your home makeover come true, only not as grand as the show does it where they overhaul the whole house. Nevertheless, I’m sure you wouldn’t pass up the chance to have your crib redesigned by the country’s premier interior designers. Check out Real Living’s blog (linked on the image) for more details.

How I wish they also have contests for those who are just starting out their houses so we can join our dear Little Mansion.

I’m admittedly, in a way, a book lover. I never fail to buy the latest book that my favorite American author releases each year. Although I may not be able to read as often as I would like nowadays because of my hectic work, I’ll still continue buying book additions to my collection. That is why, in our Little Mansion, I’ll see to it to have a bookshelf of my own where I can place all my pocketbooks, cookbooks, parenting books, home and living magazines and other interesting promotional items reads.

And for my son, who’s also into early fondness of books, he’ll also get to have his own shelf..his very own mini-library.

Now I wonder which among the pictures below will be our inspiration for our “libraries”.

Photos snagged from deco-designing.blogspot.com.

How would you want to have this space-saving and functional ironing board in your pad?

It functions as a mirror when the board’s upright then as an ironing board (fondly coined as “kabayo” locally) with a lamp on the side when the board is opened.

Designed by Nils Wodzak, this Mirror Ironing Board Closet is manufactured by Konzept Design from Germany. The price ranges from €200 to €300 (about Php 12500-19000).

Okay..now it’s crunch time. I haven’t met the required number of tasks I’ve scheduled to finish by this hour. Well, I got hooked and didn’t notice of the winding time as I just browsed nonstop for furnishing ideas for the house and researching tips on losing abdominal fat. I may be as skinny as a bamboo to the envy of many but the bulging tummy isn’t just right and unpleasant.

I may have lounged too long at home decorating sites but I feel accomplished. I found the exact design I wish to show our contractor for the kitchen cabinets. Also, I got some more bedroom cabinet inspiration. With the tons of clothes that we three have, it’s a requirement that we have ample spaced yet compact closet.

Wooden Cabinets with Glass Doors (photo snagged from Brandon Barre)

Cabinet from Deco-Designing

If my browser and its bookmark functions can just talk, they’d surely complain how I’ve been stuffing them with so much links these days. Links that are home-related specifically. Well, they can’t blame me. As the big day nears that the Little Mansion is fully constructed, I can’t help but collect, browse and peruse sites to get ideas and inspiration that we can apply to our humble abode. I’ve surely blogged and posted pics about our ideal room designs up to exterior furniture. Aunt Angie, who has an interior design background, has also drafted the interior styles for the finishing touches of the house. Now I’ll be sharing a few trinket inspirations that I want to adorn our soon-to-be little dwelling. These will be just options for the mean time as I prefer to see the fully finished house first before I finalize and select the appropriate accessories and embellishments to go along. I also have to consult Aunt Angie if these will blend just perfect with the house’s interiors, size and color.

Vases:
I want something contemporary for the living room such as a Luna ceramic vase by Eero Sairanen. For the dining table, I’ll experiment with these elegant crystal vases from waterford. Their glass works are so explicit and stunning.

Seahorse Vase

Lismore Vase

Irish Lace Vase

Picture Frames:
There is no better way to show off your loved ones pictures other than displaying them in elegant and lovely crystal picture frames.

Clocks:
To cap off that true little “mansion” feel, a Crystal Coliseum Clock will be the perfect piece.

Christmas ornaments:
I know it’s too early to put on and think of Christmas ornaments at this time but since this year will be our first in our own home, only the best decors should be put.