Starting to look like home
It took four hours of herculean effort yesterday to get my lounges assembled. I cast aside my Xena outfit momentarily and resigned myself to the fact that it really was going to take two people to get everything set up. Not knowing what he was getting himself into, my girlfriend's hubby offered his furniture assembling services to me. (Really, she told him he had to do it and he just nodded and did what he was told.)
It appeared as though it would be a straight forward job, but closer inspection told a different story. After I'd assembled the two seater, it didn't feel as sturdy as it should have. The back section didn't quite fit as it was meant to. So we pulled it apart and started again. Hubby had to make an emergency dash to Bunnings for some extra brackets and wood glue. We were pretty impressed with the end result though, and by the time we'd assembled the three seater, we were discussing going into business as furniture assemblers....till we worked out we'd have to put together at least 8 of the damn things each day to make a living, so we canned that idea. (That it took us 4 hours to put together two, should have been our first clue that furniture assembly was not our true calling.)
Back-tracking to Saturday, I spent most of the day driving around looking for inspiration. I shop in two ways. I either know exactly what I want, go to one store, get it and get out again as fast as possible, or I don't know exactly what I want, but I know that as soon as I see it, I'll know it, I'll buy it and I'll be out again as fast as I can. Both ways are rather impulsive, but I find that if I think too hard, I end up buying nothing at all. I also hate spending money. I cannot stand to spend money. So if I think about it too long, when I know I have to spend money, I start to worry more about the money and less about how much I actually need the thing I'm buying. Not a good place to be. I tend to get rather short tempered with sales staff when I'm like that, so it really is best that I don't think at all when I shop.
Saturday's shopping list included a rug for the lounge room floor, cushions and throw rugs for the lounges, a table runner for the coffee table, and stools for the kitchen bench. Five stores (I drove all the way to Hawthorn, then all the way to Epping and back again!) and I think the most time I spent was at a snobby 'accessories' store in Hawthorn, because they were so damn expensive and I was fighting with myself about buying a $50 cushion (OMG yes!), even though it was going to be 20% off that price.
In the end...
1 x hand made Indian rug on sale at $800, reduced from $1200. The guy sold it to me for $650. (And said he'd give me a smaller one for my bedroom at $150, which was $200 off the marked price, but I was already bleeding over the price of the first one, so I declined.)
1 x damn expensive suede striped cushion at $50 - 20%.
2 x damn expensive throws from the same store - 20%. Somehow she only charged me for one. Woohoo!
2 x microfibre cushions at $15 each.
2 x bar stools at $59 each, reduced from $69.
1 x table runner at $19.95.
1 x burgundy cushion that must have cost a lot, because I can't remember how much I paid.
I think I like the results. It's starting to look like home, even though it doesn't feel like it yet. I feel like I'm staying in a nice holiday apartment - everything looks nice, but it's not mine, so I have to be careful to keep it looking all perfect just in case. In case what? I dunno.....just in case.
Hopefully by tomorrow, they'll have installed the tv antenna and I won't have to watch black and white fuzzy tv anymore. Talk about taking a trip back in time! And on Thursday, my phone's being connected, so I'll be able to talk to people and get on line again! Oh the anticipation!
Whatcha think?
It appeared as though it would be a straight forward job, but closer inspection told a different story. After I'd assembled the two seater, it didn't feel as sturdy as it should have. The back section didn't quite fit as it was meant to. So we pulled it apart and started again. Hubby had to make an emergency dash to Bunnings for some extra brackets and wood glue. We were pretty impressed with the end result though, and by the time we'd assembled the three seater, we were discussing going into business as furniture assemblers....till we worked out we'd have to put together at least 8 of the damn things each day to make a living, so we canned that idea. (That it took us 4 hours to put together two, should have been our first clue that furniture assembly was not our true calling.)
Back-tracking to Saturday, I spent most of the day driving around looking for inspiration. I shop in two ways. I either know exactly what I want, go to one store, get it and get out again as fast as possible, or I don't know exactly what I want, but I know that as soon as I see it, I'll know it, I'll buy it and I'll be out again as fast as I can. Both ways are rather impulsive, but I find that if I think too hard, I end up buying nothing at all. I also hate spending money. I cannot stand to spend money. So if I think about it too long, when I know I have to spend money, I start to worry more about the money and less about how much I actually need the thing I'm buying. Not a good place to be. I tend to get rather short tempered with sales staff when I'm like that, so it really is best that I don't think at all when I shop.
Saturday's shopping list included a rug for the lounge room floor, cushions and throw rugs for the lounges, a table runner for the coffee table, and stools for the kitchen bench. Five stores (I drove all the way to Hawthorn, then all the way to Epping and back again!) and I think the most time I spent was at a snobby 'accessories' store in Hawthorn, because they were so damn expensive and I was fighting with myself about buying a $50 cushion (OMG yes!), even though it was going to be 20% off that price.
In the end...
1 x hand made Indian rug on sale at $800, reduced from $1200. The guy sold it to me for $650. (And said he'd give me a smaller one for my bedroom at $150, which was $200 off the marked price, but I was already bleeding over the price of the first one, so I declined.)
1 x damn expensive suede striped cushion at $50 - 20%.
2 x damn expensive throws from the same store - 20%. Somehow she only charged me for one. Woohoo!
2 x microfibre cushions at $15 each.
2 x bar stools at $59 each, reduced from $69.
1 x table runner at $19.95.
1 x burgundy cushion that must have cost a lot, because I can't remember how much I paid.
I think I like the results. It's starting to look like home, even though it doesn't feel like it yet. I feel like I'm staying in a nice holiday apartment - everything looks nice, but it's not mine, so I have to be careful to keep it looking all perfect just in case. In case what? I dunno.....just in case.
Hopefully by tomorrow, they'll have installed the tv antenna and I won't have to watch black and white fuzzy tv anymore. Talk about taking a trip back in time! And on Thursday, my phone's being connected, so I'll be able to talk to people and get on line again! Oh the anticipation!
Whatcha think?
posted by E in Oz at 11:12 am
these thoughts escaped my brain at 11:12 am
2 Comments:
E! That's a gorgeous apartment, really nice with the wood floors and all.
And I like the furniture, it looks like stuff I would own. :)
I wish we could ALL come around with ice cream and keep you company.
hugs,
a
You did GREAT! You have to be really proud of yourself!
I know *I'm* proud of you!
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