Reading nook

I have been eyeing the small living area on the first floor since we moved in. It was not big enough to be a proper living room or a study area. And you couldn't squeeze in bulk furnitures that will block the corridor. It was always an eyesore to look at the empty space.

We had earlier fixed up the bamboo panels bought from Ikea to screen off the gap of the staircase railings, so that it will create a partition and make the space feels like a room. Then we fixed a ceiling fan. But we still didn't have any idea how to decorate the space.

Since the Ikea sales were on last month and wanting to grab some good deals, I finally sat down and sketched a few plans on my drawing book. I decided we would need some shelves and not bookcase, as bookcase will be "bulky" and we don't have a library of books yet. Shelves would be good to give the "floating" look and we could still put some stuffs below the shelves.

So off we went to Ikea. We decided to look around the display to source for new ideas, and we particularly like one room, where they had put a comfy 2-seater couch against the wall, just below the shelves, and installed two reading lamps on the shelves. The arrangement was perfect for our space!

We had not plan to get any couch in Ikea. But this little 2-seater couch in navy colour caught our attention with it's cheap price (under RM500!) It was small and compact yet comfortable, and the cushions can be pull out to become a bed. Though there was only one colour, we decided to take it. We also got some shelves, reading lamps, a red rug, a plastic plant and a pot as decorative items.

I must say that it was amazing that we managed to transport the 2-seater couch back home in our very own Honda City! It was packed in a big rectangular box, I could still remember clearly it weighed 80kg. And we were scratching our heads, measuring here and there to see if we could fit the box in the car boot. We had thought to pay 50 bucks for the delivery service as the last resort. Not willing to admit defeat easily, we scrutinised the display couch to analyse the structure, and concluded that we should open up the package, and cart in item by item into the car boot. And that was it! RM50 saved :-)

Back home, it took us 2 days to do up the space. I wouldn't say it was the best design, but it fits the purpose, and both N & I are very happy with the results.

"Kiasu"-ism & me at Ikea

It was a beautiful Saturday, and like any kiasu people out there, I wanted to be the first 100 early birds to register for a free gift at Ikea, and oh my, I got it. Yeah sweet! A limited edition yellow-colour book ends (those that you "kepit" at the end of your books to prevent it from tilting forward). And the day was also the 5th anniversary of N & I being together as a couple (not as married couple, mind you…). So you see, it never occurred to me that I would see my ex on this fine day.

The limited edition book ends

N & I were busy looking around the marketplace hall in Ikea, at the fabrics section. I wanted to skip the section, but N was still lingering around looking for some panel curtains. It was then I looked up to my left while trying to search for N and instead, horror of all horrors, I was looking straight at my ex! Not that I had anything to hide, but I wanted to avoid having to make any casual small talk with him (imagine how fake it would be!) It was lucky that he wasn’t looking at me at the moment.

Somehow, we miraculously avoided each other paths. Perhaps he already spotted me (since I was wearing bright red!) and made a conscious effort to avoid me at all costs. Whatever he was thinking, I was glad we did not bump into each other. I quickly called out to N to hurry off to the next section. And I told him in hush tones what I saw. Trust me, it is an awkward feeling when you see your ex appearing near you when you least expected it.

But I quickly forgot the whole episode, as N & I were busy picking up more furniture for the house and spent our last weekend putting up the new cabinets and installing the shelves, attended two Hari Raya open-house invitations and ended the Sunday night watching the movie “Orphan”.