The Art of Mattress Buying - Mastered!

Finally settled our mattress + bed frame.

Wasn't thinking of making a purchase that day when we happened to drop by Serta (IMM).

Rather, we were trying to figure out whether to go for Aberdeen (cheaper) or Sophistication.

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The conversation was something along these lines:

Us: Eh, cant really feel the different between the 2 mattresses lei... But the prices got such a big difference

Salesman: If you really cant feel the difference, just go for the cheaper 1.

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Ended up, the salesman sort of solve this issue for us =)

He also gave us the option to upgrade to Sophistication in future @ the current prices.

I do admit that Sophistication does feel a tiny whiny bit plusher and has a super nice feel due to its pillow top material (memory foam or something).

But my mind was like telling me: it does not matter at all since the mattress will be covered up by the mattress protector & bedsheets.

Just buy bedsheets with higher thread count or nicer feel will do =)

Furthermore, Sophistication is much 'thicker' than Aberdeen and I do not want to overshoot our budget when it comes to buying bedsheets.

Although the prices might not be exactly cheaper but we are glad that one more item is settled on the To Do List.

There wasn't much bed frames to choose from and we decided on something which is slightly inclined (only 2 designs to choose from) as we both love to read in bed & an inclined bedframe would be something more comfortable.

Choosing of bed frame colour was also hassle free as there was only 2 colours to choose from.

Either a babyshit-like yellow (his preference) or plum shade (my preference) as shown below.

Guess which shade we ended up with?

Source: http://serta.com.sg

Total cost: $1519 (mattress) + $799 (bedframe)

Freebies:

- 4 pillows (exchange the sheep soft-toy for 2 pillows instead as it serves no purpose)

- 1 mattress protector

- bedside bench (option to exchange it for 2 sets of bedsheets)

Bomb Shelter Renovation List

Book shelves with sliding mechanism

We are looking for something similar to what is in use @ Comic Connection. With our ever increasing book collection, we need a design that is:

1) User friendly especially the sliding mechanism.

2) Does not take up much space. Keeping in mind that we are going to install it in the bomb shelter. It does not make sense to convert the new wardrobes provided by the developer into book shelves. Waste $.

3) Stability. I do not want my books to drop on my head!

4)  Pocket friendly. Do not seemed to be able to find any shops selling such bookshelves in Sg. If we buy online, the shipping cost alone is like double the cost of the bookshelves =<

 

Some online webbies selling the shelves:

http://en.search.borderless.rakuten.com/home_furniture/cabinet/bookshelves/slide_bookshelves/

Storage shelves

We also need to install storage shelves on other sides of the wall to store our barang barang. Most likely wooden (1st preference) or metal structures.

Renovation List

Kitchen

- Sliding kitchen door

Yard

- Windows & grills

Living Room

- Rotating TV wall (maybe)

Living Room Balcony

- Cover up planter box with wood planks/artificial grass

Bomb Shelter

- Book shelves with sliding mechanism (something like what you see @ Comic Connections)

- Storage shelves

1st Bedroom (Study Room)

- Raised platform with built-in ledge & recessed area for leg space (maybe)

Master Bedroom Toilet

- Rain shower

Kitchen Renovation List

Sliding kitchen door

Factors to consider

1) Space constraint - we need a kitchen door which does not occupy much space (especially when it is not in use) and yet be able to serve its function of segregating the tiny kitchen from the living room. Don't want the 'cooking mess' (smoke/oil etc) to spread to the living room area.

2) Material - Preferable something which is easily maintained, eg: glass

3) Working Mechanism - Design has to be such that the kitchen walkway opening remains the same before and after installation. As the opening is already quite small, it is going to be a disaster if the installation of the kitchen door further reduce the walkway size. What we need to replace any 'big' item in the kitchen and realised there is no way to fit in the item =o

4) Cost - As usual, we need something that is pocket friendly & yet user friendly.

Selected a few designs which appealed to me. Most likely will be going for a 2 piece door, eg: 2 piece sliding glass door or swing door design.

Some companies selling swing slide doors:

http://www.swingslide.com.sg/gallery_glass.html

http://pddoor.com/index.html

Furnishing The Kitchen Part I ~ Ikea, Takashimaya, Tangs, Isetan, JohnLittle

Up till date, we have bought tons of stuff for the kitchen, such as:

1) WMF 5-pc cookware set (out of which 2 pcs I will be passing to my mom) ($129)

Source: http://www.home-essentials.co.nz

2) La Gourmet 3-pc cookware set ($99) - I simply love the pour rims which would allow me to drain away water/soup when necessary. No need for an extra 'separator'.

Update: I don't think the quality of the pots are good as the edges are turning brown (something like rust). In comparison, the WMF pots do not have such issues.

Source: http://lagourmet.org

3) Chopper ($20.40 after 20% discount) - Chosen by the husband as I felt quite nauseous just looking at the display.

4) Neoflam Slicer (FOC) - Selling price supposed to be ard $32.90 but the saleswoman offered to us FOC if we buy items 5 & 6.

Source: http://www.neoflam.sg

5) Neoflem Cutting Board ($27.93 after 30% discount) - 2 pcs

Source: http://www.neoflam.sg

6) Neoflam Nature Cook Suelo 18 cm Casserole ($41.93 after 30% discount) - In blue

Source: http://www.neoflam.sg

The Art of Mattress Buying - Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Dunlopillo etc

Recently, we are starting to hunt for a mattress for the new place.  We hope to get something that is comfortable and yet within our budget of $4K inclusive of bed frame. We are starting to realise the process is going to be a long and arduous one. The process of choosing bed frame is so much simpler than choosing the mattress.

One difficulty we faced is that we simply did not know where to start. There are just too many brands with different materials, different firmness, different prices. Not to mention, we have to lie down on the mattress to really get a feel of how it is like. To me, it is a mental hurdle as I will tend to think of what the previous customers might have done to the mattress and also the fact that I do not feel very comfortable lying down on a bed in such a public place. 

Worse still if the salesperson keep pestering us to look at various mattresses or trying to push us to place a deposit using reasons like last day of offer, locked in prices etc. 

Furthermore, mattresses that we shortlisted in one shop might not have the same name in another shop. Example: Sealy Laissez at Sealy boutique @ IMM is actually Sealy Castle @ Courts Megastore (Tampines).  Super annoying! Already having trouble choosing what we want and still got to think of ways to remember the characteristics of the mattresses we have shortlisted.

Our ideal bed frame is one with sufficient back support that allows us to read comfortably in bed. The colour and material is also quite important. 

Sofa Table

We have been thinking of rearing fishes. Should we do it in the planter box or get a sofa table cum fish table as below.

Source: http://plastichowto.files.wordpress.com

All sorts of chairs

Thinking of getting bubble chairs for our new flat and placing it in the balcony.

Source: Regency shop

Cons of getting it: visually appealing. On the other hand, it might be out of budget, not very comfortable.

More information about bubble chairs can be found at http://regencyshop.com/Chairs-/-Loungers-Lounge-Chairs/c24_26/index.html & http://www.eero-aarnio.com/23/Objects/Bubble_Chair.htm

There are so many types of chairs that appeals to me. Just look at http://regencyshop.com/Chairs-/-Loungers-Lounge-Chairs/c24_26/index.html