Slowly but surely

So, let's see. Since my last update, I've done a fair amount of furniture buying.

I finally found a cheap coat stand on TradeMe, but somehow I managed to pick a seller that is a total dud. I paid two weeks ago and I can't get any response from them. They don't answer e-mails, and I've called three times only to get the run-around. I sent a complaint to TradeMe, so hopefully something will come of that. I mean, what kind of shady character cheats people out of coat racks, of all things? And how is it that I bought things off eBay in the States for years, and the first time I get ripped off doing this sort of online auction is in New Zealand, of all places? It makes no sense!

Anyway. A couple weekends ago, Jason and I went on a fun roadtrip down to Christchurch, partly to get out of Nelson and see some amazing scenery (check) and partly to look for furniture (check). We ended up only getting two desks, but they're fantastic! We've been searching for large, solid wood desks as opposed to shitty office furniture we'd have to assemble (which, by the way, goes for an insane amount of money in this country). After having no luck at the local used furniture store in Nelson, I was totally stoked to discover Mr. Pickwicks in Christchurch. Now there are two large wooden beauties headed our way, which should arrive within the next week. Jason is getting the nicer of the two - it's monstrous and beautiful, and only $250. They just don't make desks like that anymore. I'm getting a more table-like desk with two cute drawers (pictured), for only $150! It needs a bit of refinishing on the top surface, which I doubt I'll do right away, but eventually I'd like to give it some love. We forgot to measure before we left, so I hope they fit through the office door. Ha...

Today, I zipped over to Graham's Trading Post (previously mentioned local used furniture store) and picked up some items I've been eyeing for weeks now. I got a dressing table with mirror ($129), another small three-drawer mahogany dresser ($59). The design of both is very mid-century, and even though they don't match, they're both in quite good condition and were cute and cheap, so I just went with it. I also purchased a guest bed for $449! It's a queen sized wooden slat bed with a like-new mattress. Total deal - and now the friends staying with us will have a real bed to sleep on tonight!

The new stuff should be delivered sometime this afternoon. I'll take photos when I get a chance.

Finally... bedside lamps

We've had an amazingly difficult time finding a very simple item: bedside lamps. There are plenty of small lamps for sale around Nelson, none of which are at all interesting in design (or even color), or worth their (over)price(d) tag.

So when I came across these two little cuties from Thailand (I'm talking about the lamps, I swear) being offered by a local seller on TradeMe, Jason and I decided to go for them. They're not the kind of thing we would typically pick out at a store, which I think only contributes to my liking them.

We're picking them up tomorrow. I may be looking for different shades, but I'll wait and see how they look in the room.

Unfortunately, the search for all the items listed in my last post is still on. We are also in increasingly desperate need of desks for our office. You'd think an inexpensive wooden table or two wouldn't be so hard to find - but apparently plenty of things are difficult to get your hands in Nelson. It's an ongoing challenge, but maybe that's part of the fun.

Home is a place to hang your hat

I was feeling a bit off today, so I went for a walk around town to do some browsing in various stores. I visited everything from a hospice shop to a store with ridiculously overpriced kitchenware, and found a number of things I liked. On my list currently, along with interesting glass containers for terrariums and that ever-elusive large round ottoman, are some by-the-door organization pieces: a simple wooden shoe rack (like this one from Ikea - unfortunately, they aren't opening a store in New Zealand until sometime in 2008), and a coat stand.

In my shopping, I came across 4 coat stands, none of which fit the bill. They were either too pricey (the cheapest one was $150) or holding merchandise and therefore not for sale.

Luckily, I came across a used wooden coat stand on Trade Me which is so far only $15, and available locally for pick-up. It's not the prettiest-looking thing, but since its main job is to be covered in things like coats, hats and bags, I don't think that will matter too much.

Green under glass

I've been resisting the urge to commit to plants until we know our visa status, but I look forward to being able to add some greenery around the house. In addition to some of the usual house plants, I'm really excited about the idea of making some terrariums.

Part of the fun of making these will be searching for interesting glass containers. I'll be keeping my eye out everywhere, from antique stores to The Warehouse (NZ's Wal-Mart equivalent, only less evil).

Here are some images of cool terrariums via Flickr for future reference:

Added thoughts for the living room

I've never had anything reupholstered before, so I'm unfamiliar with the cost of that particular undertaking. However, I'm definitely thinking of getting our current couch and chair re-covered. The blue isn't bad, but a little dull, and worst of all, the material is easy to soil and very difficult to clean. The pillows have also really taken a turn for the worse lately, so getting better filling for those would be great too. It would be a great way to revitalize these two pieces, rather than spending a fortune to replace them. Something to look into, anyway.

Today we purchased a lovely rattan floor lamp, which adds a nice organic touch to the room. I also fell in love with a light fixture in the same store. It's circular with an outer rim of thin, medium-brown wood (kind of bamboo-looking, I'm not sure) and another inner section of layered glass. I think it would look great in the living room, replacing the cute but sort of crappily-made paper lantern hanging in there currently.

Ottoman inspiration

Here are some ottomans I've found on the web that are pretty close to what I'm looking for (click images for product pages).


Dorian Octagonal Ottoman by Martha Stewart
$???, 40" diameter


Jessica Ottoman from JC Penney
$349 USD, 38" diameter


Saga Ottoman from EQ3
$???, 38" diameter


Dot Ottoman from Target
$329.99, 36" diameter


Mahogany Tufted Round Ottoman from Home Depot
$399.00 USD, 36" diameter

Let's start with the living room

We have a lot of decorating to do in this house, but one of the first things I want to tackle - at least in terms of having plans for it - is our little living room. It has the only fireplace in the house, and we have no heat (kiwis are notorious for lack of heating/insulation), so we're going to be spending a lot of time in here come winter. I'd like to make it feel more cozy.



I've been trying to come up with a solution for this little nook. I would like to make this space usable, as it has a lovely view. Also, this room is rather small and it seems like a waste for this little corner to just be decorative. People have suggested putting in a table and chairs (which would be awkward in that space I think) or building a window seat (ha! I don't even know how to build myself a shoe rack, much less a fucking window seat). Then it finally hit me this afternoon - a giant ottoman!

The bay window is a bit more than a half circle and octagonal. Something similar to this this Martha Stewart octagonal ottoman (preferably in another color) would work perfectly - I just measured and something around 40 inches would be ideal. It would help this little corner feel more connected to the rest of the seating area, and the thought of curling up on a giant cushy ottoman with lots of pillows seems awesome. I think it would really help the room feel cozier.

Of course, I'm going to have a hell of a time finding an octagonal ottoman in New Zealand. It's possible a round one will do. In any case, I'm definitely going to keep an eye out and see what I can find. It's a shame that there is such an insane lack of furniture stores in my vicinity.



And then... there's the matter of the dingy yellow walls and the white curtains. I'm still trying to figure that one out... but I'm probably just going to have to pick up some paint samples to get anywhere with that.