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.