Wall Two.

I have decided to set my home-decorating mission into very small milestones so I will not feel so overwhelmed with filling up our small abode.  As you know, I started with the one-walled foyer.  I am proceeding with the "wall milestone" approach which, in my estimate, should get me to complete the whole mission in 2-3 years!

I have just finished another wall.  This is one of our living room walls.  At the back of which is our jungle storage area.
Let us start with my nice jar which I got from Mandaue Foam for a little over PHP2,000.  It  has the same design as my other jar in the foyer but in a different shape.
This is my cute red cabinet which I purchased from iDeas almost a year ago.  I did a bit of an overspend on this one because I fell in love with it.  It looks antique and is not an ordinary furniture piece.  This holds the mini DeVant TV which we got from a sale. The TV, by the way, only costs more than PHP7,000 and is doing pretty well.

The paintings I purchased from the Home Market section of Market! Market!  They have the original paintings done by Filipino artists... not as famous as Arturo Luz but their works are very nice, too.

This is a depiction of Old Manila by a certain painter with the last name Cruz.  I apologize for not getting his full name.  I need to go back and ask.  Price of the painting plus the frame is PHP450.
The black and white painting captures the Eiffel Tower.  This is by another Filipino painter with the last name Alvarez... again, I am not doing my homework.  Sorry.  This cost me around PHP700.
The most expensive art we have is a painting of the Magellan's Cross by Antonio Calma.  Not too expensive still because we got this for just PHP3,000 after haggling with the art store.  We are after all their "suki" already.  I really liked the color and how it blends with the furniture placed on this wall.

That's 2 down and more than 10 walls to go.  

By the time I finish, I may need to start re-decorating again.  But, I guess, this is the fun (and pocket damaging!) part of building a home.

Foyer Done.

It is a project that has a moving target completion date.  I guess it will take some more months (perhaps, years?).  The more important thing is that there is progress.


I am happy to tell the world that our foyer is now complete.

Our house is not big so don't be surprised if the foyer I am talking about is just one wall.  This took 10 months to finish.  See...

The sunburst mirror I got from True Value in the Powerplant.  Sunburst mirrors are said to be lucky because they symbolize glowing or bursting energy.  Damage was Php5,000.

Elephant figurines also help bring good luck especially if their trunks are pointing upward.  They also say that the figurines should not face the door else luck will escape.  Got my set from Mandaue Foam and costs Php800.

The two picture frames we got as gifts while the wooden piece was from the Home Market at the Market! Market!.  It was made from Bulacan and costs Php180.

All of these from Mandaue Foam.  Damages were Php1,000 for the bowl and Php200-220 for those round stuff.

The console table was a great find from the Home Market at Market! Market!.  It was from Ilocos, made of Mahogany and costs only Php2,300 (after bargaining).

The nice slim jar was from Mandaue Foam and costs Php1,600 (I think I need to put some twigs in there to address that bare part of the wall).  Notice the obsession for things that look like bursts.  For me, they symbolize positivity and energy.

Total cost of this wall was Php11,540.  That's like saving Php1,500/month for the 10 months that we were here and having these savings invested on stuff that make our home even more cozy.

Now, I need to save again for the next wall... er... portion of the house.

Assemble Yourself Furniture.

Filling up a house is indeed difficult.  Apart from obsessing on the design that goes with your taste, you got to think about the budget.

Our search has brought us to a lot of stores here in Manila, one of them was SB Furniture in Market! Market!.

We were looking for a bedside table and a desk which would double as the other bedside table.  Hubby and I were having a hard time looking for a pair since all the pieces that I liked were waaay above our budget.

I have seen SB Furniture a lot of times already but got intimidated because the store and the pieces look a notch higher than our budget.  One day, however, I decided to take a look.  I was surprised that the pieces were not too pricey.  And the collection was modern contemporary so it can easily fit into our somewhat bare bedroom.

I easily found the desk that I was looking for... not the ONE that I wanted (it was too expensive) but I can live with it for a very long time.  The thing is... it was white and there was no other color available.  But the store had an answer... they had a white bedside table.  Problem solved.  Purchase made!

The downside to everything was that it had a delivery charge.  The delivery included assembly and/or installation, according to the salesperson... but still, it was Php300 for a few kilometers from Market! Market! to our place.  Hubby and I had a bright idea to bring home the furniture and assemble it ourselves.  People in the states do it anyway.

It took us the whole night.  We were up until 3AM.

It was sweat, sweat and more sweat.  But look at what we made!

The bedside table for only Php2600.

The desk for only Php4700.

We were happy about the two pieces that we purchased the little boy's bed a few months after.  There was a "buy now, pay installment after 4 months" offer so we grabbed it.  

This time, though, we paid the delivery charge and had the bed assembled by them.

Sofa... check.

My new sofa was delivered last weekend.

From Iphone loads

Got it from SM Homeworld in Makati.  It has a 10% discount and I liked the design so we grabbed it when we saw it.  It also came with 4 throw pillows.  Yipee!

From Iphone loads

Originally, I wanted this to come in cream but the display item was dirty already.  According to the salesperson, it was the last piece and even if we have another one made for us, the fabric was not available anymore.  I had to choose another fabric... so I went with the brownish shade.

From Iphone loads

Now, I need to go back to IDeas for my coffee table "baul".  Excited!

 

IDeas.

I have been busy this past few weeks because we will be moving to a new place... a bigger one (but considering the small space that we have now, the "bigger" may not truly mean BIG).

Phone calls here and there with the agent, site visits every now and then.  Of course, the paperworks are always a pain... yadda, yadda, yadda.

Now that the place has been turned over to us, the next step is making sure that it is livable for us... the minimum requirements of a home is in place.  This would mean buying the basic furniture that will help us beautify the box we are going to live in while we save money for future interior renovations!

My good friend, Allan, was the smart guy here.  He suggested that we visit a new furniture store located in Pasong Tamo, Makati, just across the GSK complex.  It is called IDeas For Living and according to him, there are a lot of cheap good stuff.

It was TRUE.  Good stuff, low price.  Not too cheap like SM Homeworld, but definitely better prices than Dimensione.  PLUS, service is way better than your ordinary furniture store.

The place is actually a big warehouse.

From Iphone loads

While a no-no for the others, it is OK to take pictures here!

From Iphone loads

They also sell reproduced artworks so they are cheap.

From Iphone loads

Here is the couch I wanted (but I bought another one from Homeworld!)

From Iphone loads

You can also find small pieces that would complete your home.

From Iphone loads

While going around the place, a salesperson tags along with you not to annoy you or force you to buy.  They are there for questions and to take note of your choices.  Because, they send you a quotation of the pieces!  Neil Cruz, our attendant, was super mabait and was very sincere.  He sent the quotation to my inbox the very next day.

From Digicam Shots

From Digicam Shots

They do not charge delivery fees but I live nearby so not sure it would be the same for the whole metro.  They also do not charge storage fees if in case you still need more time before the delivery.  Would have been much better if they also offer the 0% installment schemes.  

I will definitely go back soon to close a few items I liked (like the chest which I hope is still available).  

I finally found the right furniture shop for me.  This is for keeps.