I is for IKEA & Inspirations

Hopped over to IKEA Alexandra yesterday for some furnishing recce and was really inspired by some of the smart decorating ideas they had in-store. Wasn't very fond of the crowd tho - it was just absolute long-weekend madness.

Finally found the E27 3.5W warm light bulbs that I needed for the 2 bedside lamps. The original ones that came with the lights were in 2 different colours! (Just goes to show you again that you can't trust China products/sellers too much - they have no quality control whatsoever - they just throw in whatever and hope you don't complain) The bulbs at IKEA weren't cheap, but after already wasting money on 2 cheap ones that aren't of the right dimensions from Qoo10, I decided to just go with what I can see in IKEA rather than buying blind and risk getting it wrong again. Even if the price is double what it is. :(

Also scored this awesome Ryssby 2014 lamp shade (in birch) that was originally priced at $119 for just $20. :D I was already eyeing it 6 months ago when I first spotted it at IKEA, but $100+ for a lamp shade seemed like a bit of a splurge back then, so I couldn't convince myself to part with my money. But $20 now??? How to resist!? I willingly handed it over this time lol. Probably priced to sell cuz it has been discontinued and they just want to clear their remaining stocks pronto. But doesn't matter to me, pretty is pretty even when discontinued hahaha.

Gonna be the replacement for the Japanese shoji paper one (also from IKEA) I have up in our foyer right now. It may not be immediate cuz that one still works, even if its pretty old and tattered as you can probably tell from the pictures...

 

Other plans this weekend - vet today with Bailey and more diy goodness (with some cleaning thrown in, if I have time) tomorrow at our new place! :)

Update: Just got a notification email from 65daigou this evening that my Japanese sliding doors are in town! :D Earliest available delivery date is actually next Tuesday but with work being as busy as it has been lately, I'd much rather not take the risk of not being able to make it home in time, so I've arranged for delivery on Friday night instead. Can't wait to see those doors!

More damage to the bank...

With Bailey's uncertain health situation this week, I've not been in much of a mood to keep tabs on the possible changes going on over at our new place. I did stop over in the early afternoon yesterday to drop off the kitchen wire basket I bought off Carousell cuz the carpenters needed it for installation.

Afterwards, I hopped over to Selfix DIY @ Jurong Point to collect these small stackable storage boxes I bought on Qoo10. Loved the pretty pastels so I ordered 1 of each, except for blue which was out of stock. Made in China so the quality is a little questionable. One of the white covers I got was a tad bit faulty (the plastic hinges seems to be slightly off-kilter and creaks really loudly each time you flip it up/down) so I brought it in again on the same day (before going downtown) to request for an exchange.

Damage: $12.90 each

They're going into either the kitchen, in the tall cabinet next to the washer or the bathroom, between the wall and the WC. Will see how it works out after we move in... Love organised storage. :)

Then I chanced upon Japan Home having a 50% GSS clearance sale. Grabbed 3 of these solid wood stools. I wanted 4 but I couldn't find a 4th one that was stable enough, from the remaining stock in the shop. IKEA has similar plywood ones going for $11.90 each, but the make of this is so much better for the same price. 3 baskets + 3 solid wood stools = too heavy for the feeder bus home, so I had to hail a cab for it. $5 added to the cost but still a steal in my opinion. :P

Damage: $11.45 each (after discount)

After bringing the stash back to my parents', I headed over to Plaza Singapura in the evening to meet the bf for dinner and buy that Monza sliding door wardrobe I was eyeing over at V.Hive. Was told I had to pay in full for the item and not a deposit like I was expecting, so there goes my furnishing budget for the month. :( Good thing was, they've agreed to keep the item for me till end August (our move is scheduled for the 3rd week of September, after the Lunar 7th month). I'm expecting handover to be some time close to end July, so I'll have at least a month and a half to slowly clean up and decorate to my heart's content.

The Tropez ottoman stool I bought off Rakuten a few weeks back to pair with my single-seater sofa also arrived mid-week. I haven't unwrapped it but it looks like this.

Damage: $61.60 (after 30% discount)

Also added this slim dish drainer rack into the same order, to sit next to my double-bowl kitchen sink since I don't have a dish rack above it. Should be enough for me, myself & Bailey. :)

Damage: $14 (after 30% discount)

Anyways, after such a long worrisome week, all I wanted to do was take a breather and spend a quiet day at home today. According to the ID, the foyer and bathroom cabinets should have been remedied yesterday and he wanted me to go check it out today, but I didn't want to cut short my R&R time so I'm gonna head over tomorrow night after work instead.

Hopefully, everything will be spot-on!

Furniture Front Runners (& Subsequent Winner) - 1 Seater Armchair

These were my 2 favourites out of everything I've seen so far.

I've been eyeing this one on Rakuten for the longest time (6 months at the very least)... The only thing stopping me was the fact that the cushion covers are neither removable nor washable. I worry about Bailey having accidents on it, but I have tons of love for this cute, compact armchair despite that minor shortcoming.

Moti Series Sofa

W61 x D66 x H72 cm

$237.31 @ Rakuten (on discount till 5th June)

The next one is available at Picket & Rail for $600+ (after 30% anniversary discount) with no fabric/colour options, at Lush for $900+ (after GSS discount) and at Mula Mu for $499 with 40 colours to choose from. Removable and washable covers. Highly comfortable too - tried and tested at both P&R and Lush lol.

(Photo taken at P&R City Square)

What prompted my final decision was the Vesak Day coupon code over at Rakuten today. Which should tell you which one I bought lol. Final price (after $15 discount for purchases over $200 and Rakuten Super points) = $205.31 (with free shipping) :D At that price, I figured I can deal with the risk of possible feline accidents by having a waterproof or water-resistant throw over it. Would probably give it some character too.

My furniture shopping is coming along slowly but steadily...

Victim of Beauty

Yes. That would be me. :P

I have fallen. Hard.

For this absolutely gorgeous TV console in oak that I saw at Grafunkt yesterday. I couldn't get it out of my head last night and it was the first thing on my mind today. (Don't tell the bf lol)

It was like our sofa all over again...

I had to have it. Or risk losing sleep over it. (And lack of sleep makes a grumpy Mummy.)

It's all kinda strange... Things you say may come back to haunt you. It was only a few days ago when I said I wouldn't be buying a TV console that soon. The shopping intended yesterday was for a 1-seater armchair. There were only 2 stops on my original route - the Grafunkt showroom was never on it. But my friend's bf (the designated driver) suggested it since we were in the area, so I figured why not. And boy, was that an expensive why-not indeed, haha.

It was love at first sight. I could just see it in our living room. The right corner where the back board ends is right where the electricity plugs are on my wall. The asymmetrical shelves would be the perfect playground for Bailey (pretty sure she would love the little nooks close to the floor below the shelves too). I gushed over it for a whole 30 minutes. But the price was a huge deterrent even with the 5th anniversary 15% discount. We had to hussle since we had other places to go and a movie to watch. But unfortunately for my bank account, I left my heart there.

This afternoon, after checking with my ID on the possibility of having it done with carpentry (yes, it would be cheaper but still a no-go cuz there are too many edges and laminate won't look good like solid wood does) and then told to can wallpaper plans till carpentry is done, I made a beeline for the Grafunkt showroom instead. The anniversary discount is for May, so technically today was the last day.

My friend and I sat and stared at admired the console for another 30? 40? minutes again (sitting exactly where the photo was taken) before I finally managed to convince myself to put good money down on it. $1637.10 to be exact. Original price was $1926! And it was already on pre-order (eta August/September), mind you. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to spend such an amount on a TV console. But I'm a sucker for aesthetics and this was simply a thing of beauty.

I'm sorry, Mr Wallet. Please trust me when I say... I feel your pain. But still, I can't wait for it to be delivered. Love is a wonderful thing! :)

Painting Blue(s)

Yes, blue. The colour of our bedroom walls in my parents' place. It's such a cool, soothing colour to sleep and completely chill out in that I actually wanted to repeat it in our own place.

And cuz I was trying to make it for the Qoo10 Q points cashback promotion (last day 2 Sundays ago), I spent a large part of the Saturday before last checking out Pinterest and Houzz for colour inspirations and then the Nippon paint catalogue (2014). 

However, the designer in me is well aware that screen colors are largely inaccurate, often dependent on monitor calibration, colour profiles, gamma and what-nots, so Sunday morning saw me hitting some of the physical stores to check out the colours in a printed catalogue. I tried the following:

1) Kim Wah General Contractor @ Blk 84 Bedok North St 4 #01-05

Listed on the Nippon website as a Nippon Paint Shop, I was rather disappointed when all they had was Odour~less Premium All-In-One paints and a shopkeeper with a lousy attitude. I asked for a copy of the catalogue to take a look at the colours and he threw it at me across the counter like I owed him something. Ignoring that, I asked him some questions...

Q: Uncle, what's the difference between Odour~less Premium All-In-One and Odour~less Easywash?
A: Aiyah, all about the same one lah. Not much difference one.

Q: Does Matex for ceiling turn powdery?
A: Aiyah, nowadays all are emulsion paint, won't turn powdery like last time one lah. (Which was not what I've heard from many other people out there)

Obviously, he didn't seem too interested in entertaining me and walked off after that as I was going through the catalogue, dismissing me. Well, definitely a no-go for me. I won't be back again, Uncle. :P

Price: Nippon Odour~less Premium All-in-One @ $78 / 5L

2) Home-Fix @ Bedok Mall #B2-17/18

The sales person here was a whole lot more forthcoming with information, patiently answering all my questions, even with a running nose. The prices were of course, slightly more expensive than what's online but I would have gone with them if they had offered free delivery. I wanted to give him my business! But unfortunately, they don't and I live on the other side of the island so it didn't make sense for me to buy more expensive paint AND still pay for cab fare home.

I learnt that there are actually 4 bases for the whole range of Nippon Odour~less Easywash paints and prices for each colour vary according to the base number. The darker the colour, the more expensive it is. They mix the colour on the spot with the colour machine when you place your order. Apparently, colours will not vary even if you run out of paint and have to go back for more (just quote your colour code).

I spent a good 20-30 minutes staring at all the paint swatches, picking this and comparing that, until the sales person took pity on poor ole me and gave me a copy of the 2015 Nippon Paint Catalogue so I can bring it home and take my time deciding. That could be him just trying to rid the store of me but in any case, he's an absolute life-saver. Thank you, kind sir from Home-Fix Bedok Mall! :D I left the store with these swatches...

Price: Nippon Odour~less Easywash @ $74.60 (base 1) and up / 5L (dependent on base)

After I got home, I started work immediately, pouring through the Nippon Paint Catalogue all the while staring at our new sofa, curtains, wood laminates etc. and finally concluding that the cool colours I wanted initially are not going to work with my ideal theme. I ended up choosing more neutral colours to complement what we have going on in our deco.

Clamshell 3161 (a slightly warm medium grey) for our external kitchen walls and Solitude 5035 (an almost cool grey) for our bedroom (haha, is that what will happen to Bailey and I for the rest of our lives!?). Everything else will be white.

Ordered 10L of white, 5L each of Clamshell and Solitude from Estore on Qoo10 that Sunday night and after a small cart coupon discount, my order was slightly over $300 and barely in time for Q points rebate (which would amount to $30). I knew I needed more white paint but since the next tier for cashback was $500 and there was no way I would be able to hit that amount, I decided to hold off ordering more in case there were other upcoming sale promotions in the new week. However, Estore was really efficient and contacted me on Tuesday morning to fix a delivery date (I left a special note in my order to give me a call to confirm delivery time/date). That was when I had to let them know that I need to add on to my order and so later that night, ordered the additional 10L of white and 5L of sealer that I needed. With some Qoo10 member coupons, I actually managed to still get my paints at the same price and delivered together with my first order. Qoo10 rocks when it comes to rewarding loyal customers! :)

Price: Nippon Odour~less Easywash @ $72.40 / 5L (inclusive of delivery)

All my paints were delivered on Thursday afternoon and their deliveryman was kind enough to call me after that was done (since I wasn't present to sign for the delivery), complete with a MMS to show for it.

Such a hassle-free transaction it was that I would love to buy more paint from them if I ever needed it again. Highly recommended!

Recent Damage (Online Shopping +3)

Wanted to show off the awesome-ness of some of my recent online purchases. :D

Damage: $15

Brand new kitty cat wall stickers which I collected on Saturday evening. It was on clearance (originally $18) from Carousell. Aren't they like irresistibly cute!? 

Damage: $93.90

In line with my Kuche hood, hob and oven - I'm happy to announce that I now have a matchy-matchy Kuche air fryer! $103.90 including delivery off Qoo10, before the 1000 Q points cashback rebate for spending $100 (equivalent to a $10 discount, which I'm still waiting for). Fried food has always been a regular indulgence for me so this is a must!

Also ordered 3 x 5W warm white E27 LED bulbs for the lovely pendant lights I got for my kitchen. From China though so I'm a little wary... Damage: $14.20

I submitted the application for Q points cashback right after placing the order for the air fryer and LED bulbs, without much thought. On hindsight, I should have accumulated more purchases since the Qoo10 cashback promotion was for $100/$300/$500. BUT! I figured out a way to maximise my savings, which was to use the bf's account for further purchases. Haha.

More details on that in my next post!

Food & Electronics Fiesta

Got this mailer for 美食电器节 (Food & Electronics Fiesta) in the post a few days ago.

I wasn't expecting to find anything but I browsed through it anyway. Surprise surprise - look what I spotted at the back! There isn't a model number but it sounds like the Toshiba Android TV (47L5450) that I've been eyeing since October last year when it was first released. (>3<) ~♥

Based on the online research and recce that I've done since then, Mega Discount Store would have the lowest price at $839 (inclusive of free delivery) if I bought it online from their Rakuten store, with the 15% + additional 5% MasterCard discount every Tuesday. Next up would be Mustafa at $854 (inclusive of $25 for delivery). It comes with 3 years local warranty, a free Android air mouse and a HDMI cable. (Price as of December 2014) 

Now, if this is really the model that I have my heart set on, then $698 would save me at least $141! How can I not make a trip down to Expo for such a great deal?!

And so, my Saturday will be a busy one. The bf and I will be heading to Sembawang in the early afternoon for a baby shower (his good friend's baby). After that, we are off to Yishun in the late afternoon to collect some wall stickers for my new place (more on that once I've gotten them). And to top off the day, we'll be going down to Expo for my TV (I'd be totally bummed if that's not the model I wanted though, boo).

Positive thoughts! And good night!

Update: Cheap sales gimmick! Besides the fact that it was a lower end model (47L2450) - the list price at the booth ended up being $799, not $698! :( I also popped into the other hall which was having a Home & Furnishing fair since I was already in the area, but the items there were almost as dismal as the ones in the Food & Electronics one! Moral of the story - don't waste your time with these Expo fairs cuz there are usually way better prices out there! And without the need to travel even!