Quasi Casa Almost

Almost there

As you can see from the pictures (taken from my instagram), la casa is almost there. They have sealed the cement floor and are putting the finishing touches. The quiet Malaysian electrician Ah Long has installed the lights this week and the plumber came to install the basins and taps. The 2 carpenters - Big Long and Xiao Long - have installed the kitchen cabinets, kitchen top and wardrobe in our bedroom, and we are loving the pale distressed wood laminate called Ramshackle. The sliding door for the kitchen toilet is also in but I'm not feeling it. Will see what the hubs says - I'm trying not to sweat and stress over the small stuff! 

 

 

If everything is in place, we can move into la casa before we leave for our summer vacanza at the end of June. I'm planning to save some euros from our angbaos so we can load up on Italian kitchenware and food for our pantry! Speaking of pantry, we also bought the sleek stainless Fisher fridge with the bottom freezer compartment ($1,699) and an Ariston washing machine ($799). We also got the country ceramic laundry sink on stainless steel stands ($400 including delivery). Now to shop for the Ariston oven! :)

Enjoying the views

Colours Per La Casa

 

 As much as I love a black and white neutral look, I do believe splashes of colours will liven up a home and add character to it. So considering our flooring is cement screed (grey) with white walls and ceilings, coupled with black window grills, the occasional pop of hues are in the details from the ornate tiles (keeping to the grey-white-blue palate). We chose to paint the main wall features of our four bedrooms in colours that will be complementary to the rest of the casa.

 

So after much pondering, we settled for Silver Reef (a warm shade of grey) and Windy Hill (a brighter shade of tiffany blue) - as you can see from the images above. I really have to squint at the Dulux colours and discern the subtle differences between the shades of blue. Imagining it on a full wall is another thing.

 

Various shades of blue

 

The 'Keep It Simple Silly' rule is really important. Don't try to do too much and paint every room in a different colour. We also paint the screed walls above the 3D white tiles in the toilets in a warm grey so it will have a more finished look.  Do you know there are in fact many shades of grey? I chanced upon this indepth article on how to pick the right shade of grey, and afterwards had to call my contractor to change the grey paint. I prefer to live with a warm grey than a cool grey.  

 

Warm vs Cool grey

 

I also decided to listen to my sista's advice and board up the balcony tiles to just leave the wood beams exposed for a neater clean look. L was reluctant at first because he likes the exposed bricked wall but I pressed on - and luckily we both love the new of the black beams against the clean white ceiling (to conceal the electrical tracking and aircon trunking too)!

Teak Talk

Who doesn't love wood furniture - whether it's teak, mango wood, etc? I've been looking for the ideal dining table in wood and it's a toss-up between the ones at Commune or Crate & Barrel. But I haven't had time to look at other stores that specialise in teak - here's a lowdown before I forgot.

Scanteak
I happened to walk past Scanteak store along Balestier Road so I popped in and have a quick look. They have every piece of furniture in teak wood and most pieces are evergreen classics from the beds to dining tables. What I like are the more modern sofas and shelves.
In fact they have an extended 39th anniversary sale on some pieces including the Stiga bookshelf which is stylish and can be flipped vertically or horizontally. The sales lady even helped to turn it on its side for me to see. I could imagine it in our bedroom, living room and balcony, so I bought it on the spot for $399 (U.P. $629)! Yay this is our first piece of furniture for la casa :) I showed L a photo of it and he said "hai gusto" (you have taste lol). The only bitch about Scanteak is I have to pay an additional $55 for delivery. If we want to do self-collection, we have to drive all the way to their warehouse in Jurong to collect it.

Helping Hand pieces

Helping Hand
I also popped by The Helping Hand at 819 Upper Serangoon Road (a bus stop away from Kovan MRT Station). These furniture pieces are brought in from Indonesia - some of them are quite rough around the edges but some are not bad for the prices. And what prices?! They are having a 50% discount on every piece (extra 5% on Sunday)! I saw a couple of retro designs and side tables for only $100 to $400. 

Pagoda Teak
V recommended me Pagoda Teak which seems to have very basic designs but the website needs better organisation and pictures if they want me to shop there lol. V said their prices are reasonable and they will even varnish the pieces in your preferred colour. Now that's good to know.



Mountain Teak Furniture
I'd like to find time to check out Mountain Teak which has a more contemprary selection from Vintage to Classic. I first saw their interesting lights in a local magazine and decided to google it. Oh my, they've got really nice contemporary minimalist recycled teak and rattan furniture designs inspired by nature. Best of all, they use eco/sustainable wood material to create a simple yet stylish range.
315 Outram Road, #07-02 Tan Boon Liat Building. Tel: 6224 7176

 

Ethnicraft
Another online store which I like is EthnicraftOnline Singapore which specializes in eco-friendly, solid teak wood furniture. It has a showroom but they don't accept walk-ins so must call to make an appointment.

Noden Collective
We love this Scandinavian collection of vintage furniture - from cute clocks to old skool teak sofas and dressers. Prices are available upon request. 
http://nodencollective.com/

i Light up my life part 2

Lee Broom crystal bulbs

In the last month since working on a campaign for the new Jewel Cafe+Bar at Rangoon Road, I've been lusting after their Lee Broom crystal light bulbs which hang so beautifully above our heads while we nurse the excellent coffee. They are so simple and elegant in their naked state, although they don't come cheap at 280 pounds each. Oh you can buy these bulbs here in Singapore at Grafunkt which is having its 3rd anniversary sale till July 2013. Anyway do check out Jewel Cafe for inspiration - their decor is very tasteful and chic, love the white 3D tiles!




Jewel Cafe + Bar

I have been researching on the different kinds of light fixtures out there and the choices are mind boggling indeed; from different periods in various styles and using all kinds of materials like glass and wood. The electrician have put in the switches so now we have to decide on the lights soon. 

For starters I have bought the LED strip lights and spotlights from Ikea which are energy saving yet understated. However the built-in LED lights mean you can't change the bulbs but the whole thing when it finally reaches the end of its life span which is about 20,000 hours = 833 days. I can live with that and honestly that will mean we will have a valid reason to change the lights haha.

I'm hoping to find interesting pendant lamps like the one in the picture below that I can hang on the wall. I just love brass light fittings and brass anything! They are so classy and add so much personality.  Maybe I can find quirky brass lights at a flea market in Rome or the back alleys of Naples.

 

Brass lights

 

I also saw the real designer lights at Foundry (Raffles Hotel) and they don't come cheap. That's why so many shops here do the replicas. Anyway I'm inspired by the story by Design Sponge on "Pendant Lamps Under $100" - perhaps it's a matter of time. 

 

 

In the end I went back to Light Craft at Jalan Sultan and bought 4 replicas of the Aurora glass pendants in the onion shape (2 Amber and 2 Smoked black finish). They are very cute and eye-catching yet subtle. Also bought a clear bell jar for the balcony and 2 brass lights that are meant for picture frames - and will hang them in our master toilet as a vanity lamp and also at the staircase landing upstairs. Bellissimo!

 

Aurora glass pendant in onion shape
 

Classic and classy brass lights