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It's been a while since I last updated the blogs, as my personal life has been taken over by work, especially for the last couple of months. I still have few more things to take care of before things start to wind down...hopefully.
Because my life was a bit too consumed by work, I haven't done much on my flat. However, I managed to buy a sofa, which arrived last week.
I've been looking for a nice leather sofa with a very simple style, and I found this at the Conran. It's one of the most comfortable sofa that I've sat on...a bit of surprise as it didn't look so comfortable when I first saw it at the shop. It's a real pleasure lying down on this thing and watch the day passing through the windows.
Too bad, I couldn't spend more time at home...that's where I really want to be these days, not on the plane or at the hotel.
The final completion date of the refurbishment was August 21, but I've officially moved into the flat on the 16th, sleeping on air-mattress and dialing-up on cardboard box. My stuff from San Francisco were supposed to have arrived by the 17th, but the custom clearance took longer than expected and I needed to wait until the first week of September for the delivery.
So, I flew out on the 22nd on a business trip, and returned on September 6th, the day before my stuff from San Francisco were delivered.
The place looks so much a home after my stuff got here, including queen-size bed that looks enormous and a dining table and chairs that I bought on the spot when I first found them at the ECHO Furniture in San Francisco, just around the corner from my former home.
ECHO Furniture was my favorite shop of all time...I bought two chests of drawers (which arrived with the bed and the dining set) there, and I could have bought entire furniture from them, if I had no space (and money) constraints. If I miss anything from San Francisco, one would definitely be the ECHO Furniture.
Among all of my furniture, the biggest obstacle has always been the bed. Compared to what the British calls a double-size bed, mine is an American queen-size bed, quite a bit wider. On top of that, my bed has a headboard and foot-board that curves outward, adding 50cm to the length. The bed-frames are made of cast iron, weighing 5 times more than the pine framed bed...and it requires bed spring under the mattress, which seems not to be common here.
While I looked for a flat to buy, one big criteria was to find a flat that could accommodate my bed. That would not have been a problem in the US, but I found this quite challenging in London where bedrooms are often big enough to place a full-size bed.
I bought this bed when I first moved to San Francisco from New York 10 years ago. I visited San Francisco few times before I made a decision to move there, and I encountered this bed while I strolled down Castro one evening. At that time, I still hadn't made a decision on a move, but I pledged myself that if I did, this would be my bed. While I lived in New York, I had a studio where I slept on a futon that turned into a sofa during the day. Owning a bed meant I was going to have a bedroom that does not function as a living room, and at that time, it was a big deal.
Few months later, I moved to San Francisco, and the first thing I did was to go to the shop in Castro. The bed was still there, but with a label "Final Sale, Display Unit Only". The shop owner told me that the manufacturer no longer made this bed, and this was the very last unit available. I've never seen this bed anywhere after that, so it probably was really the last piece, and I felt I was destined to own one.
My love for this bed never faded. It still represents the ultimate "home" for me, meaning my home is where this bed is. I slept so well the first few nights, I realized how I really wasn't sleeping for the last 2 years.
Of the total 49 pieces (mostly boxes) delivered from San Francisco, almost one fifth were bed/sleep-related, and two fifth were books. My friend Kathy once told me that when she moved, half of her boxes contained cooking-related items. It's interesting how one's priority can be assessed with the number of boxes at the time of moving.
With so many books delivered from San Francisco and more in 8 shopping bags accumulated over 2 years of my life in London, I have to place them somewhere. I have a habit of re-reading the books, and require some mechanism in place to find them quickly when my urge for re-reading gets out of control (which happens quite often.)
So I ended up with one wall of the Reception Room covered with bookshelves. I hope I wouldn't have space problem with my books, at least for a while.
On Friday and Saturday, the builders worked until close to 8PM (not supposed to have worked beyond 5PM, but oh well...) to try to finish the work on my flat, but the bathroom basin, washer/dryer and cabinets were still not installed.
On top of that, the delivery guys who brought in the fridge/freezer damaged part of the floor, dragging the heavy stainless steel unit across the kitchen area. I could not stand having those scars on new floor, so I asked the builders to see if they could fix them. The answer was that they could, though they could not completely cover the floor underneath the kitchen cabinets. I decided to go for it, even if that was the case.
So, with this additional work, three guys are sent in yesterday to work on my flat, and by 3PM, the work was completed. There are still small things here and there that need to be adjusted/fixed (on Saturday), but it is now in the live in condition.
I love everything about my new flat, but especially the bathroom. How lovely it is to have a bath, separate shower, and a washer/dryer. It looks a bit exotic, but not too much...and definitely NOT a hotel bathroom. I have more cabinets than all 3 bathrooms I had in my past apartments combined; amazing to be able to place bath towels within the bathroom cabinets!
The kitchen is gleaming with stainless steels (hobs, microwave, fridge/freezer and bin), but with wood (cabinets) and stone (splash back), it doesn't look too sterile.
While the completion took a week more than initially scheduled, it was actually within the time frame in my mind. Having launched few websites at work, I know that doing small things, such as debugging, takes far longer than initially scheduled. I usually schedule for additional week at the launch, and I did the same here. Fortunately, it was just as I thought it would take.
As for my rented flat, my landlord still has not found his new tenant, and so it is being viewed by stream of people through 5 agencies. Now it won't matter much, as I'm spending more time at my new flat than the rented one, and I'll probably completely move out in the next couple of days.
The refurbishment is now in the finishing up stage...another 2 - 3 days for completion. Unfortunately, the builders have other assignments to attend to, so no significant progress has been made yesterday, but things should start to pick up again tomorrow.
The tiling in the kitchen has been almost completed on Monday, with green/ivory colored marbles. They've somewhat modernized the kitchen.
And...the decorative tiles from Istanbul is fixed on the bathroom wall! The painting on the tiles is called "Tree of Life", and I thought it appropriate to place them on the bathroom wall, where water, the source of all lives are used everyday.
One other thing about the bathroom...I used to manage an office in Taiwan, and as we moved to a new office, I was asked by my Taiwanese staff to bring in the Feng Shui master for the office layout. It took him 2 full hours of careful calculation to lay-out the office...and we did exactly what he has instructed.
It's not that I became the true believer of Feng Shui, but now that I'm introduced to the concept, it's not something I could completely ignore. So, as I was putting together a design for my flat, I searched several Feng Shui websites for the general understanding of what I should avoid.
One thing that I found out along the way was that the location of the bathroom is not a very good one according to Feng Shui. There was no way I could change the location, but there seem to be few things I could do, such as avoiding to locate taps in several points and not moving the toilet. The focal "bad luck" point in the bathroom is where the "Tree of Life" is tiled...and what better shield could I think of to block the bad luck with "Tree of Life"!
Of course, I was not thinking all that when I went to buy "decorative" tiles on one Saturday in Istanbul. I was quite impressed with the tiles on the mosque, and thought it would be nice to have a piece of beauty at home. I also had no idea what colors I wanted my bathroom to be, and imagined that the decorative tiles would dictate me in the right direction. The idea of "protective shield" only came in when I encountered these tiles at the bazaar.
These tiles really dictated the entire color scheme of the bathroom. I decided to choose turquoise color because of the colors that appear on these tiles. I also went nuts on mosaics because I wanted "Tree of Life" to be in the right environment. I didn't think it would fit with the large stone tiles that are more modern and cool. Actually, I didn't want "modern and cool" at all, because I spend too much time at the designer hotels, absolutely beautiful but not "home".
I'm taking holidays starting today until the end of next week for the move. By the end of next week, I should be quite settled in...at least I should be living at "home" as opposed to the rented place.
Since I got back on Wednesday, I haven't yet seen a notable progress with the bathroom...the builders are still working on the tiling.
One progress in the last 3 days has been the fixing of the ceiling lights. And I have to say that this really made my week.
The ceiling lights, especially the chandelier was going to be the center piece of this flat...and once installed, I knew this made this flat my true home.
Chandelier was something I always wanted to have since I was a little girl. I also knew that in order to have a chandelier, one cannot live in a rented property where the lighting position can't be changed and where ceiling heights are too low. In my mind, chandelier represented an ideal home that's truly mine.
This particular chandelier came from Istanbul. When I visited there in May, I came across an area where there were close to 100 shops selling lights, one next to the other. The place was close to my hotel, so I walked over and browsed through 20 shops or so...not intending to buy one, as the thoughts of bringing back the heavy ceiling light seemed ridiculous. Then, I encountered this chandelier. I instantly fell in love with it. It was more than what I budgeted, and the risk of breaking it on the way to London was there, but I could not stay away.
I negotiated with the proprietor through one customer who I've initially mistaken as a shopkeeper. He helped me with the translation for close to 2 hours while it gets packed and paid (he was with his newly-wedded wife purchasing several lights for their new home.) The proprietor was adamant about not going below certain price, noting that the chandelier was made of real crystal. It took him over one hour to pack, and I ended up with a bulky and heavy box weighing over 10kg.
I had to pay 80 pounds to bring this back to London as an extra luggage. I thought I was out of my mind while I was on my way home. The only remedy then was what the proprietor told me, that there was another customer coming in the next day from London to pick up the ceiling lights that looked three times as bulkier and heavier than mine.
Now that I see my chandelier, I think it was all worth it. It is the heart and soul of my new home. I love the way the lights are reflected in the ceiling, and how the crystal balls look as though they are large raindrops falling to the ground. It is a classic, yet modern piece (Victorians would not have made the chandelier this way).
As for the construction, I doubt it will complete by the end of Tuesday...tiling in the kitchen is not yet done, bathroom tiling is still not complete, and bathroom furnitures are not fixed. End of the week sounds more realistic.
I really need to move soon...my rented home is now raided by the agents and the viewers. The viewing started at 10AM, and ended at 5:30PM on Saturday...with 4 viewings conducted without advance notice. Since agents have keys to the flat, I've been constantly looking out for someone coming in unnoticed. I hate this so much that I stayed away from home on Saturday until 6PM.
Two more weeks of patience...just two more weeks until I settled down.
I've been away for 9 days on a business trip, and just got back in town today. I was so anxious about my new flat, the trip felt like a month rather than 9 days.
As soon as I left luggages at my rented home, I rushed to the new home to see how things are.
With a sigh of relief, I saw everything moving along nicely. Bathroom walls are tiled, save for the decorative tiles (the ones I purchased in Istanbul), and two-third of the bathroom floor are now tiled as well. The bathroom is a calming turquoise, not "too blue" as I feared before the trip.
Kitchen units now occupy one corner of the reception room, with all appliances (except for the free standing fridge/freezer) installed by the kitchen fitters. During my flight out to Tokyo last week, I pondered my saneness for selecting the "calvados" wooden furnishing for making the flat looking old-fashioned and dull. It was therefore a nice surprise to find that the units not only looked modern, but also cozy and unobtrusive.
Most of the reception room is now covered with wooden flooring along with half of the hallway.
The builders told me that their target finish date is next Tuesday...meaning I have less than 1 week to wait for the completion! I may even consider moving in before my stuff arrive from San Francisco. I'm getting really annoyed with 4 real estate agents leaving messages on my mobile phone requesting for the viewing at the rented flat...I really need some privacy after 12 hours flight!!
Things have started to look much in shape this week. The walls of the reception room are now painted, and 1/3 of the room have wooden floors. All electric works and plumbing/drainage are completed for the installation of kitchen on Monday.
Now, the bathroom walls are re-covered, tanked (water-proofed) and are ready for tiling. Electric works are completed too, with 5 new lights and all the wiring and plumbing done.
This past week has been a week of deliveries...so many things are delivered everyday, keeping track of things have been difficult. Now the storage room has no place to set foot, and the same goes for the bedroom. Half of the reception room is also occupied with kitchen stuff and other building materials. I received calls every half an hour or so by the delivery guys or Tomek on the status of delivery or delivered or undelivered products. In the midst of it, I decided to change the color of bathroom furnishings, ordered few things that are not going to work (I'll need to work on the return once all is over), and found that several deliveries came wrong, damaged or incomplete. Sorting that out was quite a work itself.
Now that almost all of the deliveries are completed, my worry has moved on to if everything fit in the way I imagined; The woodfloor looked too light, bathroom tiles too colorful, and appliances too big when I opened the packages. I guess I would never find out how they'll all look until the work is completed.
In the meantime, the flat I currently live in has been raided with the viewers and photographers this week. It really feels like an invasion of privacy, with people opening up the closet doors, turning on/off the taps, and lights, etc. I don't think I can stand this for too long.
I really hope this craziness will end very soon.
The refurbishment is finally getting into the re-building and decorating stage. Earlier last week was a bit depressing; all I saw was dust and destruction, but things are finally shaping up.
Now the wall in the reception room and ceiling in the bathroom are reconstructed. It takes a little getting used to not seeing a doorway to a tiny kitchen from the reception room that I used to have. Initially, I felt the room much smaller without it, but I realized it has to do with the construction materials half occupying the room.
As the project is delayed for about 1 week, Tomek, the site leader, and 2 guys came in on Saturday, working on a quiet decorating work, ie; painting. The ceiling in the reception room and bedroom walls are painted...and I love the color I've chosen (Dulux Vanilla Mist 4). The room looks absolutely different, much cozy and welcoming than what it used to be. Well worth the pain going through 10 color samples.
I've heard a lot about Polish workers in the UK, and now I see why the country can't live without them. They have been real troopers working on Saturdays, and with very thorough work. With every street in London literally going through refurbishments and building works, I see why they are so needed here.
Last week was probably the slowest in terms of visual progress, but now that the electric re-wiring is completed, things should start to look different. Plumbings still need to be done, but once completed, it's all decorative work.
All materials that I've ordered the past few weeks should be delivered in the next few days, nice and spanking new. The fun starts from here.
The layout change that I decided to make over the last weekend has changed the course of the building work...the builder found that the stud wall on the side of the reception room actually had two layers of walls, which is unnecessary, and would not let me install 5 cm diameter waste pipe I need for the washer/dryer unit in the bathroom. The suggestion was to get rid of one layer of the wall, and rebuild the wall to fit the waste pipe. It will cost me more, but that's the only way I could have 160+cm x 320cm space that I need to fit in everything I need (and want.)
The builder also found that the bathroom/kitchen ceiling could be lifted for 25cm, which is actually a great news, as there is no window for this room and I fear that it could be a bit claustrophobic. The old ceiling is now taken away from bathroom/kitchen area, and I now see the former ceiling. Looks like bathroom/kitchen area used to be part of the bedroom. I'm also seeing the reminiscent of the old door that used to be probably an entrance to the bedroom. Interesting to see the history of what has been done with this flat.
There are so much involved with more money spent than initially ear-marked on the building works, so I decided that I will do everything that I can think of to increase the property value...not something I thought of when I embarked on this project. The last bit of luxury that I thought I wouldn't need is a dishwasher. I never found the need for it, but I've been thinking of it after my friend in Germany told me that it uses less water and is better for the environment. I've been also talking with few people and realized that dishwasher means true luxury, especially for the flats with limited space such as in London. So here I am, going all out, with new dishwasher ordered to be installed with the new kitchen unit.
The place is really bare, with electric works being done with many holes in the ceiling and walls. It can't get barer than this....next week the re-building will start with some decorative work.
The gas work is completed today, so the stud wall between the bathroom and kitchen could come down soon.
Over the weekend, I went to the bathroom showrooms, and have decided to make changes with the layout.
It's a better layout, but this requires minimum measurement of 160cm (preferably more) horizontally. This can be done, but with the additional work on the walls.
I thought I'm good at sticking with a plan, but not sure if I can say that now.
With all the demolition taking place, one-third of the reception room was covered with debris. Feel awful for the environment...I cannot NOT do the refurbishment, but I will make sure that I do this in the right way, so any modifications needed in the later days will be minor.
My biggest challenge right now is the shade of paint. I have tested 7 samples over the past few days, and have not yet found the right one. Never thought finding the shade could be this difficult...and never knew I was this picky.
After harassing the Managing Agent for 3 weeks, I was FINALLY given a go ahead to refurbish the flat that I became the official leaseholder as of April 30. This 3 weeks is in addition to the 5 weeks of a search for a builder who can take on the job. It was a stressful process, as 2 out of 5 who came in for the estimate barely spoke English, and 1 came in with a very sick child coughing and sneezing non-stop. With all that hassles, on top of figuring out the budget and fixtures and fittings, I can't wait to start the work, pronto!!!
The Flat is a Victorian one bedroom (plus a storage room that could become a study/studio), but alas with a very dated 70's look inside, a shower room (no bath tub), and a tiny kitchen with ugly big counter in the middle of the reception room housing a washer and a fridge.
From the time I first saw the floorplan (not even before I went in for the viewing), I was determined to knock down the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom, create a bigger bathroom (with a bath tub), and bring out the kitchen to the reception room to make it an open plan kitchen. It was supposed to be a small kitchen/bathroom project, but the funny thing about the refurbishment is, once you start a small project, it snowballs into a bigger one, and there seems to be no stopping unless everything is altered.
For those who are curious, I'm uploading the "Before" photos here. Construction starts today, and I will upload the progress.
