Here’s a quick post that’s basically me showing off a new(ish) rug.
After years of living in Manila, I felt that it was time to revamp my place. This condo has seen several people come and go. I first moved in here with my older sister and her family (husband, baby and the yaya) back in 2010. When she graduated, she moved to the province of her husband which led to me and Annie living alone for a while. Annie eventually moved out after graduation because her new job was situated in Quezon City and commuting in Manila is a bitch. In between all this, we’ve had several furry visitors (4 cats and 5 dogs) come and go as well.
When I decided to redecorate the place, I didn’t have the capacity to do everything in one go. The floor was my biggest problem because they’re in the shade of a dirty peach marbling. But since I’m poor and retiling is not only laborious but expensive, that’ll have to wait.
What I did instead was I removed around the furniture and added small but new elements to the space. I’m not formally trained in interior decorating but I did have the power or the internet. Let’s just say Pinterest was my most used app during all this.
Bought this rug/banig last Christmas at Greenbelt 5. I knew early on that I wanted to infuse a lot of natural textures and color to the space so I kept an eye out for local crafts in bazaars and online. I brought in some greenery (bought from Cubao) to add color and to see if I can actually take care of something that wasn’t a dog.
After going through several websites, OLX ads and Facebook groups, I’ve come to realize something that Manila has been missing: eclectic-border-bohemian inspired home pieces. I have been obsessing over these maximalist-themed interior decorators on Instagram and every time I click on tags to the brands they get their stuff at, it’s always way too expensive or they don’t ship to the Philippines. It’s frustrating since I’m on a budget and I don’t want to settle for buying all my things at the SM Department store.
I’ve actually been toying around with the idea of starting my own online shop wherein I sell the kinds of items I’ve been looking for at affordable prices. You’ll be able to find incense holders, tapestries made in India, wooden boxes, etc. Thinking of also selling my bayong with the pompoms.
What do you think? What are things you’ve been wanting to get for your space but aren’t accessible atm?
*Photos taken by me using the Samsung S4 camera.
JAMIE SEES 