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.

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.

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

Christmas may still be more than a month away but here in our home, we can already feel the Holiday festive mood. My mother-in-law has taken out the Christmas trees and the other ornaments from the stock room after the Halloween so they’ve been up and giving our home a Christmas feel for more than a week already. However, I think the Christmas tree still lack ornaments to make it a really glowing and lively tree. My MIL approved my idea when I suggested why not we use affordable and unique collectible Swarovski crystal figurines this year to adorn the tree. I found several collections in the Christmas & Ornaments section at QualityOverstock.com and truly they are eye candies.

Quality Overstock is a fine retailer of designer and collectible figurines with crystal product lines such as Swarovski, Lladro, Lalique, Daum, Baccarat and Armani. They also have designer watches such as Baume & Mercier, Ebel, Cartier, Gucci, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Longines.

I just love the husband’s passion and excitement over our future little mansion. Aside from his dedication in dealing with the nitty gritty details of the housing loan application, he’s equally excited as me when it comes to planning and managing our future household. With so much delight, he presented his suggestions and plans as to how he wish each rooms be decorated up to how he’s so particular with what appliances we should have.

A friend of ours recently buzzed about a certain online electronics shop’s recent sale and guess who checked out the site first? Yup, it’s him. He browsed and canvassed how much a home entertainment system complete with HDTV would cost him. He was, of course, surprised that a package would cost him a fortune so he’s wondering if he should just buy the components separately especially that he saw the best 5.25 inch bookshelf speakers that are reasonably priced at BostonAcoustics.com. He also likes how the site has a wide array of powerful and compact speaker system selections to choose from. He figured that having a bookshelf speaker would be a space saver since it can be placed on our ideal bookshelf that will be placed in the living room. I wonder what appliance or furniture he’ll think of next to canvass and window shop online.

Our soon to be “little mansion” is figuratively small. I’m just coining it as a “mansion” because it’s our very own “palace” only in a small-scale. The space is not really a concern because, after all, it’s just in the perspective and in the interior that we can make it huge by maximizing the limited space. The use of functional and stylish Futons can address this concern. They make a stylish seating by the day, and by night they can be converted into beds.

Luck is on my side as I chanced upon great deals and promos on the web. I can use these Affordable Futons Coupon Codes for further discount on the wide array of Portolino Futons on sale. I just have to consult the husband’s first and agree on a specific design that we can order.

Sub-consciously, emotionally and mentally, our perceptions of colors affect and influence us. Colors affect our moods.

Blue is calming and soothing. Its different shades can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. Interior designers say that blue is a good color for bedrooms because of its cool, calming effect and it can help you sleep. However, too much blue could dampen spirits as the phrase “feeling blue” conveys.

The color blue has always been my favorite.  According to an online quiz that I took, blue is my primary color and it symbolizes that I am a sensitive and reflective person..which is actually true.

Here are some of the blue inspired home inspirations for our future little mansion.

Photo Credits: Coastal Living

I find this modern coffee table attractive, functional and versatile. This furniture piece, Trio Contemporary Coffee Table by Statements International, allows for a lot of mixing, matching, and the appearance of a different furniture piece each time. The detachable drawer box features an inside drawer with storage compartments in the rear. It may form an L or T shape, when set perpendicularly, or it may be pulled in or out. The drawer box could also be pushed out to function as a magazine rack. The dimension in inches is 48W x 26D x 15H and made out of Rift Oak Veneer material. (Posted via Spacify)

A picture of a lazy boy recliner that I just saw on Home TV Shopping and a former colleague being added as a Facebook friend recently made me reminisce something. It’s been more than a year since my resignation from the call center so seeing pictures of my former office and of my ex-officemates at her album makes me walk down the memory lane. I so miss my closest buddies, our pantry, my workstation and even the cozy office furniture recliners and sofas that were set up in the reception area. Since it’s a call center and it operates 24/7, our furniture then were carefully selected. The management preferred to have it a homey feel so that it isn’t so formal for the agents and they can just let loose and relax during their breaks. Here’s a similar Lazy Boy Recliner that they has. These recliners are also perfect for the living room or in the entertainment room at home where we could relaxingly sit while watching our favorite flicks and TV shows or when we take our power naps.