A Baker's 3 room BTO @ Skyline II

[matchalatte 16]

continuing where i left off, after painting touch ups, furniture, furnishings and appliances started arriving back to back! it was crazy but fun, finally home was beginning to take shape.

so for starters, my bed & bedframe from fortytwo.sg.

i chose the queen sized haagen PU leather bed frame in camel, and oto-paedic soft top pocketed spring mattress. the frame is $169 and the mattress is $468. can you say CHEAP?

i know im taking a pretty huge gamble by buying something crucial like a bed online where i couldnt even see, feel or touch. most people would be happily going to a showroom to test out the bed, or splurge on a simmons or sealy. but in our old home, we had a $3K mattress and $1.5K storage bed frame which was rather underwhelming, so we decided to go for something inexpensive this time round. and guess what? it was better than i thought! the quality of the bedframe was quite good for the price. though it was kinda flimsy and not as sturdy as i would like, for the price what more could i expect? the mattress was decent as well and pretty comfy to sleep on. the pocketed spring is probably just for namesake, doesnt really work (well) to be honest. 

appearance wise it was exactly what i envisioned. i wanted the midcentury modern look and i think the bed matches the brass hanging lights + dark blue paint very well. im also having a similar looking sofa from taobao so i cant wait to see everything come together nicely. my bedside tables will also be from taobao and its also very midcentury modern. 

as for fortytwo.sg, glad my first experience with them was an ok one. i read lots of bad reviews about them actually, and couldnt really find much about them on renotalk so basically was just taking a risk! then again buying from taobao is pretty much a risk as well so there. 

[Clarence Lye 10]

fortytwo stuffs not bad. i bought 6 x eames  replica chair from there. lol
I will take photo of my door frame tonight, let me try digging my phone and see if i have a picture. 

Edited November 23, 2017 by Clarence Lye

[bykaraanne 30]

I also find 42 SG not bad, I’ve been using their hydraulic storage bed frame ($4xx) for 2 years without issue.  

[matchalatte 16]

@Clarence Lye @bykaraanne good to hear that guys! i thought no one has gotten anything from fortytwo and most of the reviews i read are bad to be honest. if i knew i would have gotten more things from them

[Geraint 0]

interesting idea to have bidet spray  in the service yard.  seem like everything has went well.

 

[matchalatte 16]

On 11/25/2017 at 1:46 PM, Geraint said:

interesting idea to have bidet spray  in the service yard.  seem like everything has went well.

 

haha we wanted a hose initially, but the bidet spray looks way more presentable. yeah so far so good, still missing some major furniture like sofa and tv console from taobao, hopefully they arrive soon! 

[Clarence Lye 10]

@matchalatte -  my door frames

 

[pandacel 0]

On 22/11/2017 at 7:06 PM, matchalatte said:

 

@pandacel girl! did you use ezbuy?? thats crazily expensive! $900+ gosh. you should just use those cubic meter container shipping. the forwarder im using charges only $100 per cbm. 

ugh singtel screwed up on me, internet was supposed to be up but they went to activate the wrong unit. so gotta wait for a few days. yeah i have lotsa pics to upload! maybe later heh

you're a good salesperson, sweetie! getting a new house + new blog doesnt seem like a bad idea lol. unfortunately this will be our 2nd and final home haha. the nx move will probably be when im 70 years old lol

yeah i got a 25L joven. i dont know how u define strong or weak pressure but i think its just fair. cannot compare to those old HDB where the water is like super strong. but i feel that after installing the rainshower its better than the default one HDB provided. also the water pressure is slightly bigger when the valve is turned to the left ie. hot water. but generally i think its just ok lor. may take some pics of my running tap/shower and show u la. for the meter i think its something like 4 bars. not even to the extreme right and yet BSC insists its the max already. damnn sian.

 

Yea I used ezbuy.. In fact, hubby insisted on it coz he wants to use a big company who has leverage and can help us deal with the seller if anything goes wrong (who is he kidding lol). Also our fault for not reading the fine prints. Apparently free agent and discounted shipping dont apply to Buy-For-Me service . What an expensive lesson! Which forwarder are u using? Do u mind giving me the link? 

I also dunno what is good and bad water pressure la. Never used rain shower before.. feel so suaku lol. Why are u not intending to move anymore? Is the location very good?

Hello my Idol. U really know how to torture ppl hor! I was so excited to finally see some pics but they are 3 pics of the same bed . At this rate, can only see your entire house after the new year! Hahaha anyway your bed looks great against the blue wall. MOAR pics please!!

[matchalatte 16]

11 hours ago, Clarence Lye said:

@matchalatte -  my door frames

 

actually looks great! matches the door really well. im jealous!! maybe i should have painted the frames like yours  did you say you also painted the bomb shelter door the same glossy black as well? 

[matchalatte 16]

2 hours ago, pandacel said:

Yea I used ezbuy.. In fact, hubby insisted on it coz he wants to use a big company who has leverage and can help us deal with the seller if anything goes wrong (who is he kidding lol). Also our fault for not reading the fine prints. Apparently free agent and discounted shipping dont apply to Buy-For-Me service . What an expensive lesson! Which forwarder are u using? Do u mind giving me the link? 

I also dunno what is good and bad water pressure la. Never used rain shower before.. feel so suaku lol. Why are u not intending to move anymore? Is the location very good?

Hello my Idol. U really know how to torture ppl hor! I was so excited to finally see some pics but they are 3 pics of the same bed . At this rate, can only see your entire house after the new year! Hahaha anyway your bed looks great against the blue wall. MOAR pics please!!

how come you never used their prime since you already bought so much?? the buy for me is a killer. i would totally take up chinese lessons than ask them to liaise on behalf of me. tbh i used them back when they were known as 65daigou and they were ok. but on several occasions i found out that they charged me full price when they bought at a discounted price or didnt pass on the free gifts from the seller. havent used them for a few years now, and no regrets. my friends had nothing but complaints from them too. their exchange rate sucks too. 

the forwarder im using now, i communicate with him via wechat and only in chinese. theres no hand holding and definitely no buy for me service. its very hands on. you'll have to obtain a unique ID from the forwarder, wait for him to email you an excel sheet, buy the stuff yourself, wait for the seller to ship out your stuff and fill in all the details like courier company, tracking no. etc on the excel and email it back to him. let me know if you'd like to do it. i know its not for everyone. some people would rather pay more and let others do the work (like my hubby) but of course, i always have the final say lol

not intending to move because its really a hassle, the things you need to do (even before moving) is just ridiculous! having to terminate/relocate services, arrange for movers, packing things into boxes etc. how can anyone have so much energy for that? so twice is enough, thank you! 

[matchalatte 16]

i bought some furniture like dining and coffee tables from IKEA and was intending to blog about them, but since my sofa and dining chairs are *still* on the way from taobao, i will just blog about them later since a dining table without chairs just look very odd (we're now sitting on plastic stools to eat and this just isnt blog worthy at all). so i will just blog about my 2nd and current taobao purchases first. i bought the more essential stuff this time round, things we could use rightaway. my home is so incomplete right now and cooking in it is even more ridiculous. it feels like a cooking show's challenge where you could only cook a meal with minimal ingredients or utensils. thats what cooking feels like right now. 

anyway here goes :

grey satin and cotton herringbone bedsheet sets. on taobao you'll notice there are two kinds of sheets, one is called 床单 where it doesnt come with elastic bands like what we're used to seeing here. instead they're covered loosely all the way to the ground. those fitted sheets are known as 床笠. now you know what to look for if you want fitted sheets! their bedsheets also come in set of 4 (1 bedsheet, 1 quilt cover and 2 pillow cases). makes me wonder if they even use bolsters in china hmm. anyhow quality looks very decent. both are very comfy (to the touch)!

feather pillow. only $8 each when i bought them on 1111, and the quality is really good. on par with the $75 ones i used to buy from robinsons!

rose gold & gold stainless steel mugs. the rose gold teaspoons were free gifts! what a pleasant surprise when i unboxed them.

black hexagonal kitchen rug. its so comfy to step on.

wooden magnetic knife holder & knife set. bought from two different sellers. both are awesome! the knives are really sharp, and what i like (apart from the fact they're black), the blade and handle parts are seamless so no more having to worry about bacteria or trapped water in between. the set also comes with a pair of scissors not pictured here. the one in pic is from IKEA lol. the magnetic knife holder doesnt need drilling and has a 3M mounting tape behind. seems sturdy as of now. 

dish liquid bottle and kitchen brush. im an absolute snob when it comes to these things. mama lemon bottle, kitchen sponge or a suction cup holder are a big NO NO in my kitchen!

brown pump bottles for handwash, shampoo etc. since i cannot afford aesop, meraki or l:a bruket, this is a (very) cheap alternative! 

bathroom mat

new shower curtain and a black toilet seat cover

toilet brushes. one of the better looking ones on taobao IMO.

yay to black bristles! most toilet brushes have got white bristles and they look unsightly after awhile. 

tissue boxes. probably around $3 each. so cheap and in matte black, what more could you ask for?

playtype g poster. if shopping on taobao isnt cheap enough, go cheaper by buying the poster and frame separately! thats what i do. the poster itself, usually comes in paper or canvas fabric (i chose the latter), is probably around $3 or less. the frame is around $8-10 depending on size. but for a ready assembled one would cost as much as $40. not too bad for one, but if you intend to have a gallery wall...well, you do the math. 

le sac en papier kraft bags. think of them like pet food bags. they actually feel like one too. good for books, toys, plants. im using them as waste paper baskets. only thing is im still looking for a more "authentic" one because i do not like what the last line says! 

black table lamp and monstera poster

"&" poster. also did some DIY gold stripey lines on my hafary hexagonal tile! added felt gliders on the underside. 

thats all for now!

Edited November 27, 2017 by matchalatte

[Clarence Lye 10]

13 hours ago, matchalatte said:

actually looks great! matches the door really well. im jealous!! maybei should have painted the frames like yours  did you say you also painted the bomb shelter door the same glossy black as well? 

my bomb shelter is hidden behind my carpentry, i painted it ashgrey.
dont get misled by the name ASH and GREY.. it's totally not ASH or GREY. 

it looks very off white-cream colour.
Oh well, it's hidden inside, so still not so bad.

 

The gold lines on your marble tiles is pweety.. 

and your knives.. omg. so nice all in black.
your black and white very nicely matched. My common toilet never achieve that strong black and white theme. Hahaha..

[cadino 0]

Hi Matchalatte,

can send the link for your black sanitary fittings and rose gold mug? They are v nice! Thanks 

[bykaraanne 30]

Very nice. Super sleek and bachelor pad.  

[matchalatte 16]

completed living room look :

apart from the vittsjo nesting coffee tables which is from IKEA, everything in this pic is from taobao. super adore the sofa! will do a detailed review next time. 

Edited December 1, 2017 by matchalatte