Furniture Reporter

We drove all the way to the west of Singapore to Pasir Panjang in search of a retro furniture shop called Lorgans. Saw some nice pieces.

http://lorgans.com

Make your rooms more interesting by adding a few unexpected elements.  Here the traditional style of the English sideboard is offset by using animal print fabric on the benches placed underneath.  

I’m probably the only person who ever feels like this, but…  I always feel somewhat guilty for getting a fantastic deal on eBay.

What with the new baby coming in October, I’ve been keeping an eye out for toddler beds.  I had a search going on both Craigslist and eBay, and for a wood toddler bed, the going rate was anywhere from $40 on up.  My hubby and I discussed it, and although we decided we could pay $40, we weren’t in a huge rush, so I thought I’d hold out for something hopefully around $30.

Then, a local eBay auction popped up, with bidding starting at $0.99.  The listing was rather vaguely described, and I had a couple of dissatisfying interactions with the seller that were equally as vague, but the price was right.  So, I jumped in, putting my top bid at $30.50 or something like that.  Well, I won the bed.  For $20.50.  Twenty bucks!  They also included an older mattress that’s in usable shape (no damage to it, and it’s an innerspring, waterproof mattress, but the cloth binding was dirty.  Like dirt-dirty.  How does the binding on a mattress get dirty???  Using no sheets and eating in bed???  I don’t know.  I cleaned it up the best I could, but still feel a little odd about using it for the baby).  And, they threw in some bedding for a boy which, while I won’t use it, I plan on selling on Craigslist… for twenty bucks.

So, free toddler bed, if the bedding sells.

I’m pretty sure the bed is from Walmart, where it sells for just under $60, because I found the bedding on there, too.  Though it’s a nice bed — just what I was hoping for — and the seller said it was only seven months old, it was quite scuffed and banged up… and the bedding was dirty!!  But, still, it feels like I ripped off the seller.  If new, mattress, bed and bedding would have been at least $130-$150.  I know when I sell something on eBay that goes for way less than I was hoping for, it’s a rotten feeling, and it seems like I’ve done that to the seller. 

But, maybe I should just be happy for a (potentially) free bed.

Or, maybe I should start a business trolling for hot deals, then re-selling them!!  :D

Already at the top of her game, interior designer Dipika Makwana clearly has her eye on the cutting edge of design. Working for the rich and famous including several well known football clients, she has a clear and concise vision for the future of design in our homes, making style affordable and enjoyable.  

Dipika first gained her insight into the working world of interiors when she worked with the company Signature based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire after graduating from Nottingham Trent; completing a degree in Textile Design. From there she forged her own idea of going it alone, where she has just recently launched her website www.elysianlifestyle.com that features her own interior design service as well as her shop Elysian based in north Leeds.  

“I have been able to work on some beautiful properties and of course a magnificent residence has the power to inspire in its own right. My objective is to create something that is elegant, interesting and functional” Dipika maintains “A designer always has to remember that a home has to be lived in. It is extremely important that a client feels relaxed and happy to live in what has been created.”

In today’s world, identity, personal style and taste are apart of people’s lifestyle.” You can’t force someone to like what you like. Clients tend to be sophisticated themselves. They already know what they want to express, and if they need guidance, then it is my job to support and provide the necessary help and advice of what the client requires.  I decided to open Elysian because it is important for the client to have a place they can trust, a place they know they can get top quality products and also know that if it isn’t in stock, I can always source whatever it is that they need to finish their own vision.”

Elysian opened its doors on  April 7^th 2008.

Elysian, No 1 Sand hill Lane, Moortown, Leeds, LS17 6AG

Elysian number is 0113 217 6972.