Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

We have started canvassing for a sofa that will complement and bedeck our Little Mansion’s living room since last year. It was quite taxing at first because the husband and I were having contrasting preferences but thankfully we came to agree after reading and digesting the tips we’ve collated from the internet. These helpful Sofa Buying Tips indeed saved us from having endless debates and further nerve-wracking discussion. It is then that I realized that buying a living room furniture set is not as challenging as it sounds. Although there are several factors to consider, it’s just as if one is looking out for a new wardrobe only putting a little emphasis on the quality and durability. But unlike clothes and apparels, it’s not every other day, weekly or on a whim that we buy and change sofas. So it’s advisable to invest on one that will suit the family’s needs and will last for a very long time.

Here are the helpful points that influenced our decision when we selected the perfect sofa for us:

1. Determine a reasonable budget. Do note that the price will be determined by its size.

2. Assess the size depending on the need. In the same way, figure out the correct dimension that will just fit right in the intended spot in the living room. For a single or couple dwellers, a two-seater might be enough. A longer sofa that can seat four to six people is ideal for a family. Have the measurements handy when shopping.

3. Get familiarized about the different type of sofa frames. Bear in mind that a good frame of common lumber (pine or oak) held together by screws and bracket dowels is more durable than a frame made of particle board, plywood or plastic.

4. Be particular with the coils and springs. Feel the springs through the upholstery. These should be close together and firm.

5. Consider the upholstery. Leather upholstery will cost more than other types. Fabrics provide more options in terms of color, designs, etc.

The patio, yard, porch and the garden must be equally clean, organized and decorated just like the indoors. Actually, all the more that we should keep the outside area of the house presentable because the outside is what gives the house an overall impression and a glimpse of how lovely and homey it is inside (or it can be the other way around). The outdoor patio furniture add spice to the landscape of the garden. Not only we should choose stylish and striking ones but also we see to it that they can be easily cleaned and maintained.

Among the outdoor furniture I have browsed over the web, the woodard furniture featured at Outdora seems to be the most complete, the most elegant and the most inviting garden décor pieces I’ve browsed so far. We’re visiting our Little Mansion this coming Sunday and as it’s nearing its completion, we’ll likely have an idea how the outdoor landscaping will be like. That is why I have bookmarked the outdoor furniture’s pictures that we’ll have as options. And guess what, my browser’s bookmark tab is already brimming with outdoor furniture designs and inspirations. I’m pretty sure that we’ll have a grand, tough time contemplating which to choose and order.

Woodard Cromwell Bench

I’m also currently researching reads about the material types that are elegant but just easy to clean. Like for example, for the patio dining furniture, I’m comparing the steel and iron ones versus the aluminum versus the teak or other type of wooden furniture. I have learned that teak needs little or no maintenance but quite more expensive compared to the steel ones. However, steel and iron furniture’s coating paint, when it chips, oxidizing starts that will lead to rust and degradation. I have much more to know about these outdoor furniture. But for the mean time, let me share the outdoor furniture that caught my fancy.

This exhibit is very apt for those who are currently building, planning or even just dreaming about their homes’ interiors.

Venue:
SM X Convention Center
Pasay City, Philippines

Show Dates:
March 03-07, 2010
(Wednesday to Sunday)

* Exclusive to Trade Visitors: March 4 – 5 (Thursday and Friday)
* Open to Trade Buyers and the Public: March 6 – 7 (Saturday and Sunday)

If you are on the lookout of any of the following, then pre-register now to avail free entrance:
* Furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, garden and office
* Occasional furniture, tables and chairs
* Reproduction and period furniture
* Upholstered furniture
* Avant-garde furniture
* Other items of furniture

Home Furnishings and Accessories
* Lamps and lighting fixtures
* Decorative accessories
* Gazebos and trellises
* Artificial plants, planters, jars and pots
* Antique reproductions

More information about this exhibit are available at Manila Now’s site.

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

I have always reiterated that while I call our future home Little Mansion, it’s not actually a grand and luxurious dwelling similar to the ones situated in exclusive villages. We just call it a mansion simply because it is the home of our dreams. And for you to have an idea how little it will be, I’m going to share a replica of how our kitchen will look like. The other on the right is the service area or commonly referred to as the dirty kitchen.

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This is actually a picture of Little Mansion’s adjacent unit’s kitchen. Ours will be deviated a little as ours will be made somewhat similar to kitchen cabinets Richmond styles at OldRiverCabinets.com. We requested to have them customized by having glass display cabinet doors instead of such enclosed wooden ones. I’ve seen a lot of custom kitchen cabinets Richmond elegant designs and that’s what we submitted to the developer for them to make use of as a pattern. What I love about our developer is he’s so flexible. As long as there’s no major reconstruction to be done with the structures, he’s amenable to every preferred styles and designs we tell him.

Aside from the kitchen cabinets, we also requested for custom cabinets Richmond in the bedrooms upstairs. Our aunt who has interior design background drafted the style that we wanted and hopefully, they will be able to build it as is.

Whoever invented this type of bed is a genius. These are specifically for those who have space and closet problems in their bedrooms just like us. Since we’re just living with the in-laws temporarily, we don’t have enough space to store all our stuffs: clothes, bed and bath linens, tons of toddler toys and even the brand new and unused kitchen stuffs and appliances gifted to us on our wedding. Apart from having just a small bedroom, we also have limited closets. These Storage Beds address this dilemma. As the name suggests, it is a space saving trundle only the lower part is specifically made for storage purposes. (Pictures via http://www.time4sleep.co.uk)

If only my browser could talk, it would have complained already how long the list of my home inspiration sites that have been bookmarked already. I’ve been adding up some more sofa inspirations and here are just some of the few:

A very striking, country style and homey couch from Anthropologie

A cozy and dainty love seat from Williams Sonoma Home

A daring and sexy red lounge from Spacify

A contemporary and stylish sofa from Spacify

An elegant, dramatic and formal sofa from Williams Sonoma Home

The “little mansion” is designed to have 3 bedrooms on the second floor. But we’ve requested the developer to just have 2 bedrooms for a start so that we’ll be having a bigger master’s bedroom. My son’s too little anyway to have his own room. It’s very timely that I have read this article about Bedroom trends for 2010. Hubby and I will have a guide and reasonable options in bringing these two bedrooms “updated” and à la mode in terms of styles and designs perfect for this year.

* Bold Bed Linen – the easiest way to bring up the bedroom with bold colors are through bed linens with vintage-y bright florals or sugared pastels.

* Elegant Headboards – go for a super-chic style and elegantly designed headboards ala-boutique hotel style. On colors, a palette of sleek greys and blacks and an accent colour, such as yellow or lime do the trick.

* Statement Beds – remember those Georgian type of beds with poles and ceilings..beds that of royalties. Classic but remember to infuse a modern touch for a twist.

* Feature Walls – Feminine floral wallpapers are perfect for creating a soft, romantic feel.

It’s the start of a new year and I bet everyone’s anxious and looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us. Well, for me and hubby, this year will be a remarkable one. This is the year when we’ll finally unfold the dream of having a place that we can call our own after four years of saving up for it. As recounted on this blog which was put up to specifically monitor and account the development of our housing project, the “little mansion” as I fondly name it, is now being constructed and is targeted to be finished by mid-February. Yep, that’s next month. So just imagine how really excited we both are. The last time we visited the site, they have put up the foundation, beams and walls. So by now, with less than 2 months before the target completion date, I bet they’re about 60% through or even more. That’s the advantage of having a “little mansion”, the construction can take place in almost a flash.

While we shopped during the holidays, the husband and I have also started scouting and canvassing for furniture and appliances. We saw various custom cabinets Richmond designs in a nearby local furniture shop, similar to the custom kitchen cabinets Richmond featured in OldRiverCabinets.com and we both agreed that the kitchen cabinets Richmond are the best option to complete our kitchen furniture. Design excellence, luxurious finishes, true-custom features and exceptional craftmanship – just the perfect cabinet furniture to adorn and complete a family home.

The department store’s home section has become one of our must drop-by points whenever we go malling during weekends. We don’t have news yet from our developer regarding the housing loan approval but it’s never too early to start canvassing home furniture and appliances for our future little mansion, right? All the more it keeps me excited but at the same time, I think, I’m giving myself unnecessary pressure and overwhelmed thoughts because there are just too many lovely inspirations and ideas that I get.

Among the sub-sections, the racks and area for the bathroom has the most limited time visit. Why? Simply because this particular mall that we go to has just minimal options. This convinces me that we might just browse or if circumstances allow, perhaps order online for furniture and accessories, at least, for our bathrooms. By the way, I’m just excited that we’re having a couple of bathrooms in our future little mansion. (We’re used to having just one in our present and even former homes).

I have already bookmarked several websites but so far, Better Bathrooms stands out to be the best not only in terms of their huge bathroom suites selections but their affordable prices and clearance sale rates can not simply be missed. One great thing about shopping for bathroom suites from them is that they also supply the coordinating tiles giving a whopping 20% savings. Now one can practically build and design his dream bathroom with Better Bathrooms.

You know that I go for anything blue so I’m off to check if they have similar border tiles and designs such as shown here in my dream bathroom design: