Small House Holding Our Big Dreams

[Catt 8]

@stray I know right? First it was 4 cushions and now it's 8. 1 throw and now it's 3 because I wanted to matchy matchy my cushions. Then I was looking at rugs to tie the look together. Then now I'm thinking of replacing my old bedside table. IT NEVER ENDS. I need to lock my $$ away in some deep dark vault and throw the key away!

[Catt 8]

@stray I just remembered...someone on this forum had built-in cabinets made and they installed in the Ikea cabinet doors so they could switch out the doors in future if they wanted to. Maybe you could explore that? After all it's the doors that make it Shaker.

[stray 12]

PLEASE DON'T - don't leave us hanging with no updates on this blog!!! We like to see you spend moneh. hahah

By the way, thanks for the poof colours!  Might go look see again. 

[stray 12]

Oooh thanks for the little ikea doors tip @Catt ! I was considering that! My options are — getting the contractor to do the external cabinet frames but to ikea dimensions, and get the ikea  drawers + shaker doors to save some $. However, that opens up a whole other can of worms, because if die die have to do custom carpentry now, I can do really nice wooden laminates for the door fronts – which is something my bf likes as well and prefers i think – and shaker style cabinets might complicate that look. ARHGHHGHGHHG i don't know! I'm still waiting for my quotations to come in. So anxious.

[Catt 8]

@stray..really??No this?

 

More classic and timeless leh!

[stray 12]

@Catt Don't poison me laaaaaar Question: why didn't you do shaker cabinets if you like them too!!! *evil* Maybe this will help in my decision-making.

[Catt 8]

@stray cuz I thought the caeserstone + cement lookalike floortiles and subway tiles would look too busy on top of shaker cabinets. One of the IDs we consulted thought so too. But now I think it's fine as my floor just looks plain grey and the patterns on the counter are pretty subtle. Regret ok...

[stray 12]

No regrets! Kitchen's already looking very chio. Maybe your initial gut feel is right though – having too many bevelled (subway tiles + shakers) surfaces might look a tad busy, so don't worry – gives you something to look forward in your next apartment (before this one is lived in)! hahaha

Did you find another gate?!

[Catt 8]

@stray not yet but I think I will go with Steeldios...I just want to see a sample of their retro gates in real life first. It will be so stupid if I paid for the same design with shoddy work again

[trcd 13]

On 11 September 2016 at 1:16 AM, Catt said:

@trcd no I wasn't present but the installers were not the neatest people. I went in to check after work and it was wet around the counter and bits of glue(?? some whitish stuff) on the counter edges as mine is black and could be seen. It's good I wasn't present because I would probably have a fit watching what they were doing. 

Let me just say I'm not impressed by Caeserstone's cleaning demo and kit. They sent me a mandarin-speaking guy with a strong provincial dialect accent (what if I didn't speak Mandarin?) who just unceremoniously handed me the cleaning kit in a ziploc bag containing a 3M sponge and a bottle of 'special' cleaning liquid by Caeserstone. He promptly told me just use CIF as it's the same as the Caeserstone cleaning liquid. Didn't explain what else was in the kit (some booklet and the steel stickers). Dripped water all over the floor when he sloppily applied the Cif to show me how to clean...and left his sponge behind in the sink's drainage hole when he went off. Haiz. 

Did you register your counter with Caeserstone online? If you did they will send you an email with phone number...you just SMS and arrange for the kit to be delivered and tech to come provide a cleaning demo. The Caeserstone steel tags are in the kit.

Oh I just opened the small zip-loc and found the sticker tags

I think the whitish stuff on your counter is from the silicon. They used silicon and mama lemon while installing the slab.

I was also told the 'special' cleaning liquid is similar to Cif (but this is supposedly more gentle?), although Caesarstone sells it separately as well. It seems as if Caesarstone isn't as maintenance free as I thought. Should have gone for black so dirt doesn't show up as easily!

[trcd 13]

15 hours ago, Catt said:

Continued after dinner and a friend's birthday drinks...

So I broke my boycott (because I'm practical like that) of Ikea today and headed there and bought a couple of items the equivalent price of a $350 cushion in Tan Boon Liat:

Actually this is quite useless in the kitchen as I do not have upper cabinets and I can't use it to reach the wall sconces for polishing. But I must say it makes a great seat for smoking while watching Darkling Half (in a creepy watching manner) cooking. So cute right?!

Seriously anyone who is a nail polish aficionado who missed out on the release of Chanel's Jade polish would snap anything jade-coloured up. Our future bedside lamps. I really want to do a Ruffian manicure with this green colour and some gold.

Then I had to get something for Darkling Half because she thinks I'm feeling guilty about taking over the L-shaped part of the couch. Which is also why she thinks I bought the poufs for her to prop up her legs when I can just recline on 'my side'. Movie and TV show-buffs will totally understand why a laptop stand like this is absolutely crucial and essential.

Then of course I was feeling bu gan yuan （not happy to let go)  about Tan Boon Liat and wanted to thumb my nose at it...so I went and bought 4 cushions (the bigger grey one which has a nice velvety feel and the elongated pillow)...all for 60 something bucks. So go stuff your $350 cushions up your $@#$ TBL Building shops. I also bought another 2 throws (I have 3 in total now) so the sofa is no longer meant for anyone to sit in.

I also bought more glass bottles for cold water (coz I'm going to have more fridge space) and other nonsensical stuff that I thought I might need. 

I must say though, Ikea is really following trends and I am ENVIOUS of the Shaker kitchen cabinets on display and those antique-looking handles that they are now selling..totally understand why you want those cabinets @stray OMG those grey shaker cabinets!!!

 

Looking like it's quite hard to leave that sofa now once you settle down on it... That steel laptop stand looks like a good buy too!

Are your throws from Ikea too? I have no idea where to start looking, and don't really want to get it online since cannot 'feel'.

[Catt 8]

10 minutes ago, trcd said:

Looking like it's quite hard to leave that sofa now once you settle down on it... That steel laptop stand looks like a good buy too!

Are your throws from Ikea too? I have no idea where to start looking, and don't really want to get it online since cannot 'feel'.

Haha yeah omg I'm going to grow a fatter butt!!

All throws are from Ikea. To be honest even if we buy something made of real wool from Taobao or those knitted throws from fancier stores, we are just going to die of heat and itchiness in this weather, even with the AC on. Go Ikea...I bought myself the Gurli throws ($15.90...the cheapest) and they do have polar fleece, wool, knits, tartan choices as well. Won't bust a hole in your pocket! If you want something cooler made of cotton, go buy a sarong and ask those alteration aunties to sew the edges for ya at a cheap rate!

[ricepapergirl 21]

On ‎12‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 1:19 AM, Catt said:

@stray..really??No this?

 

More classic and timeless leh!

Lol that's basically my kitchen with a different countertop and backsplash...

@stray Oh no! Hope you still get to solve your kitchen woes. I would say that if you're still intent on shaker doors you really can't beat the quality from IKEA for the doors, but if you're happy with normal laminate it might make sense to just get it all from the same contractor to save you coordination pain.

 

[stray 12]

Thanks for all that shaker encouragement guys! Sorry to hijack your thread @Catt !

I guess I'm just waiting for quotations now to find out exactly how expensive a custom kitchen is before I make up my mind! $$$$$$ zomg ;-v-; Most times, money is the bottomline isn't it, sianz.

[Catt 8]

12 hours ago, stray said:

Thanks for all that shaker encouragement guys! Sorry to hijack your thread @Catt !

I guess I'm just waiting for quotations now to find out exactly how expensive a custom kitchen is before I make up my mind! $$$$$$ zomg ;-v-; Most times, money is the bottomline isn't it, sianz.

You're always welcome to hijack..not like I have a lot of postings these days

So when will your quotes be ready? 

I noticed one thing about the shaker cabinets...some carpenters just build a frame to put on the door so that it produces that rectangle (so actually it's 2 pieces of wood, the frame+ the door). Ikea's one is the type I like where the inner rectangle looks 'embossed' or pressed into one piece of wood.