[ dubizzle finds ]

ARE YOU a fan of Craigslist? Well, in Dubai, we have an equivalent called Dubizzle and once in a while a real treasure will appear. Being a place where expats constantly come and go, you can often find urgent sales of furniture, appliances, etc from those needing to unload before moving away.

Yesterday I saw this ad peeking out at me...

Aren't they pretty?

And all 4 for about $200! I'd say that's a bargain that I just couldn't pass up! 

We have our big new table with the tufted wing end chairs but haven't bought any other chairs in the meantime {our 6 Louis chairs are in storage}. I think these will go well {especially at $50/chair!}... 

I'm picking them up tomorrow so that's my excitement for the weekend. 

Have you picked up any great deals lately?

lisa

[ something new ]

THERE'S nothing like starting the new year off fresh. Putting away Christmas decorations and moving some stuff around, maybe buying a new thing or two.

Hmm... what's in there?

It's a new table! With a pretty, scrolled base...

and a lovely rustic top...

I think it pairs well with the tufted end chairs we have...

and will work well later with our Louis chairs we have in storage...

But for now, I may just pull up our white IKEA bench along one side for extra seating. I can always pick up a couple of chairs for the other side if need be...

So what started as my first real outing in weeks, turned into a bit of shopping. I hadn't planned on buying a larger table while we're here but when we saw it, we both fell in love with it. And since we sold our farmhouse table before moving here {the skirt piece under it was too low and our legs would rub against it with our Louis chairs}, we'll need one again anyway. And this one disassembles easily which is a bonus. Now all I need to do is to style up this area a bit.

{and yes, that is a bit of a sneak peek at our new cabinet as well. I like the punch of black in the space to ground all the soft, beachy colours}.

So what about you? Have you moved stuff around or picked up anything new?

lisa

[ what's in the box? ]

I CAME across an amazing fab find yesterday.. at one of my favourite stores - Pottery Barn...

hmmm... what's in there?...

only the most fabulous coat rack!

When you live in an apartment with concrete walls and aren't allowed to hang anything up or install hooks, this is a lifesaver. I almost did backflips when I found it.

I love the numbers that go all the way around...

Now to decide where I need it most... the entrance, the bathroom, the bedroom...

lisa

[ look familiar? ]

OK, I ADMIT, I watch The Real Houswives of New Jersey. I know. Well, imagine my surprise when I saw my ottoman on the set of their reunion episode!

So... should I be tickled by that or embarrassed?

lisa

[ under my console ]

YESTERDAY I showed you some inspirational pics of what to put under a console table. Thanks for all of your great comments! I loved hearing which ones you were drawn to and what you've done in your own home.

Here's my console. It used to be behind my sofa, but now that it is against the wall, I find the empty space makes it look a little wimpy {I may give it a painted facelift but for now here it is}.

I love the idea of stools but I'm thinking that since it likely won't be in the entry, maybe something other than stools would be nice. And with so many other options of how to fill that empty void, I've decided that my favourite is a stack of baskets {great way to add texture}.

something like this...

I love the idea of being able to store things in them, especially in a small apartment - I need all the hiding places I can get!

So I started looking around and was having a hard time finding anything. I finally found these at Pottery Barn...

But at about $70+ each, I just didn't want to spend that much on baskets.

So I kept looking and came across these...

Did you see that price?? $8! At Pottery Barn! I don't know if they were priced incorrectly or what, but I wasn't going to pass up this bargain! They weren't exactly what I was looking for, but I figured I could make them work.

I grabbed 4 and check this out...

They stack nicely and I gave them some little numbered tags - I think they do the trick. Great for magazines or I can even make some liners to store smaller things  - all for a grand total of $32! What do you think?

lisa

[ sofa how I love thee ]

AFTER WEEKS of waiting, you've finally come into my life and you were well worth the wait. From your sexy legs to those toned arms and cushy seat, I know that we'll enjoy many long afternoons together. I love you.

lisa

[ shopping for our dining area ]

WHILE I'M  going through this pile of boxes and trying to find somewhere to stash everything (a challenge with no dressers yet and limited storage space), I'll share with you our newest shopping finds!

When packing our shipment from Canada, we knew that our apartment in Dubai would be on the small side and our big dining table and 6 chairs would be a tight squeeze, so we decided to put our things into storage and shop for a more compact solution. I love our existing dining chairs (in this classic shape but done in a subtle striped fabric with optional white slipcovers) and I knew that eventually we would be enjoying them again someday.

So when we set out to find our dining table/chairs in Dubai, rather than buy a set that we would later have to sell, I decided that it might be smart to just find a couple of nice accent chairs that could eventually be used at the ends of our dining table and a small table to use with them. Perfect for the 2 of us and comfy at the same time.

We came across these beauties and decision made! Comfy, not overly huge but substantial enough, at the correct height for a table, and in a neutral linen that will go with anything. I think they'll work perfectly in our space. We found a great round table just large enough to dine at that can work later-on in a breakfast nook or even as a big side table. What do you think?

lisa

[ nightstand reveal ]

SAY HELLO to my sexy little nightstands! I almost fainted when we found them since I had almost given up and they fulfill everything I was looking for:

not too tall or too low for the bed and lamp
wide enough to hold a few things and in proper proportion to the bed
a light painted finish to contrast with our darker linen headboard
storage
pretty hardware
a lovely shape

I rummaged around for a few pretty bits and bobs to style with for now (since I don't have much here yet)

a mercury glass ball and a couple of books...

a vintage scotch glass with a few blooms...

some ruffled pillow cases and starfish pillow...

I'm really happy with our choice and I can say good-bye to our cardboard boxes!

lisa

[ nightstand success! ]

HOW WAS your weekend? Mine was a combination of relaxation and a bit of productivity, especially in the nightstand-shopping department! After almost giving up completely and coming to terms with the the fact that I would be close friends with Mr. Cardboard Box, we fell upon the perfect thing!

I know, I'm such a tease! But that's the only glimpse you get until I have them in place and looking pretty!

lisa

[ happy weekend! ]

WELL I CERTAINLY know what I'll be up to this weekend....

I'm hoping to finally find something to act as nightstands! Everything I've seen so far has been either too tall, too short, too narrow, too wide, too dark, too gawdy, too cheap-looking, too expensive...

I'm determined to wrap up the search this weekend and say bu-bye to our cardboard boxes! {Although I have to say that Pottery Barn does have some good quality boxes!}

What are you up to this weekend?

lisa

[ and our choice is... ]

YESTERDAY I showed you some great inspirational rooms using coffee tables and ottomans. All of them lovely, any of them would have been great in our space.

While out shopping, we did come across a couple of great options for coffee tables and thought that was the route we were going to take. Until we stopped to think about how we live in the space.

Since this is the only living space we have, it needs to fulfill all of our needs - that includes being able to kick back and put our feet up. And who were we kidding, thinking that a coffee table was going to do the trick for us? We knew that inevitably our feet would end up resting against the edge of it and so an ottoman won out.

We had a much more difficult time finding an ottoman - for some reason they just aren't as popular around here. And then we happened to wander into Bloomingdales (yes! they have a small store here!) to their furniture department at the back of the store. We don't normally look there because we expect the prices to definitely be out of our budget. And wouldn't you know it, we spotted this baby:

We fell in love with it right away. It was the right size, had a great finish on the legs, had a lovely shape and was done in the same Belgian linen as the bed we bought. It would add a bit of glam to our space without being too girly, wouldn't show dirt and was large enough to fit a good-sized tray on it. It was ticking all the boxes!

It had a Reserved tag on it and my heart sank. I decided to ask the sales person anyway and it was our lucky day - the reservation had expired and it was ours if we wanted it. The price was actually less than we expected and definitely doable so we have now given it a new home.

She has arrived and I think she'll look great on the seagrass rug. While she doesn't quite go with the beanbags right now, she sure is purdy!! 

lisa

[ coffee table vs. ottoman ]

I'VE BEEN trying to decide whether to get a coffee table or an ottoman. We've been using an ottoman for many years (a black leather tufted one that I've made slipcovers for) and if I had been thinking straight, I would have had it shipped here. But it's in storage now so we need to decide on something.

As I've been gathering inspirational pics, I've noticed how just the style of coffee table in a neutral space can really alter the feel of the room. In a room of white slipcovers and neutral upholstery, it can quickly go from formal to modern to casual depending on what type of table you choose.

An ottoman can do the same thing. It can make the room feel cottagey, a bit masculine or glamorous.

So what type of person are you - a coffee table person or an ottoman person?

lisa

[unknown; brabourne farm; caldwell flake; decorpad; house beautiful;

phoebe howard; 7,8 skona hem; 9, 10 houzz; style at home; country living;

houzz; midwest living; elle decor]