Saturday 30 April 2016

The Big Switch - Part VI

This is most likely going to be the last (or at least next-to-last) post about The Big Switch - almost everything is done now, with a few decisions left to make for me and some last bits to move around.

Part V ended with Saturday and my intention to restock the living room cabinets/sideboards on the Sunday, and that is what I did.
Also, I set up the lamps that we had bought at IKEA on Saturday, and I dug out the wall clock we used to have in the living room years ago, before Steve gave the room its former makeover and it didn't fit the colour scheme anymore. Now, it couldn't fit it any better! 

But see for yourself; this is Sunday:

The Third Room was beginning to look like its usual self again:
 

The living room cabinets/sideboards now face each other, instead of sitting next to each other along one wall. I am not yet happy about the TV and the rather ugly little table it sits on (a hand-me-down from my family); also, this is probably not going to be its final place. Right in front of the radiator is not a good idea, but until I have made my decision, it will sit there and can be easily moved later. And only then am I going to hide the cables behind the skirting board.
 

The colour scheme for this room is all in this vase, a 1950s piece I inherited from my grandmother:


Setting up the lamps, I was so pleased with my choice! I had been advised against grey lamps; the person saying that was of the opinion that the room would be too grey altogether then, but I knew what I wanted and think they look good and match the room in general very well:


On Monday, I didn't do anything involving my new (or old) rooms; I worked, had a doctor's appointment, worked some more and went to the gym. 

Coming into the kitchen on Tuesday morning, I thought I'm still asleep and must be dreaming, because this is what I saw:


Thankfully, the snow didn't last. I went to the office as usual on a Tuesday, and by Wednesday, the world looked more to my liking again:


That evening, a friend I had not seen in a few years came to see me. She brought a large bar of chocolate (she knows me!) and a bunch of pale pink roses. I think pale pink looks very beautiful in front of the grey wallpaper in the living room:
 

Thursday morning, it snowed again, but I was already on my way to work and didn't take a picture. Just take my word for it - the snowflakes were HUGE and rather wet; they looked as if artificially made for a theatre production or a film!
Again, the snow did not last, and it was sunny again by late afternoon.

On Friday, I had my new settee delivered:
 

We set it up together last night - it was not at all complicated, all the necessary pieces were there, and I genuinely enjoyed it. If you ever buy anything from IKEA that needs putting together and you don't feel like doing it, call me!

23 comments:

  1. On my way to IKEA, so expect a phone call from me! HA!!
    LOVE your new sofa/couch/settee! (We say couch or sofa but I notice it is called settee in England too!)
    And I really do like the flowery wallpaper on the grey background and those pale pink roses, well...you know I love them.
    I also like the lamps in that color too, I think they look great!
    I really love the view from your place, your snowy photo...you could play with that a bit in photoshop or something and make it look like a painting! (I love it in the sun also!)

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    1. Ring anytime, Kay, my IKEA Support Hotline is open to my friends 24/7 :-D
      The view from my place never ceases to please me, no matter the weather or the season.
      Glad you like all my new things!

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  2. Yes, I, too, might have second thoughts about the position of the television. I like the grey lamps very much. It's all looking very good. Like you and unlike some of our fellow bloggers I've never had any problems with IKEA self-assembly.

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    1. He he Graham, I think we both know whom you are referring to ;-)

      As for the telly, I have even briefly considered removing it completely. But I do like to watch the news, and there are precious few series I enjoy, and the odd film from time to time, or documentary.

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  3. It looks so good, nice couch and the lamps are perfect for the room. Snow twice, it's almost May. I remember less than ideal weather in Stuttgart, but I don't remember that.

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    1. Thank you!
      It's not totally unusual for it to snow in April, but it is definitely not welcome now. Altogether, April was colder than what was meant to be winter according to the calendar!

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  4. It looks wonderful. I love both of the papers. So pretty in both colors! The blue settee and the grey lamps are the perfect complement. Just beautiful.

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    1. Thank you! The settee may look blue in the photo, but it is actually a relatively dark grey, darker than the wallpaper but not as dark as to look black (I wouldn't want a black settee).

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  5. The wallpaper is lovely, and the new settee makes all the difference and goes well with those lamps (or the other way round). I'd probably not want the TV in front of the window and radiator either but of course there are often all sorts of complications when it comes to technical appliances and where they can best be placed. Hope you can solve it to your satisfaction.

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    1. It is just a huge, bulky piece of technology that doesn't look particularly nice compared with the rest of the room. But I am sure the other corner is a better place for it, if only for access to the radiator and the window.
      I'll think about it some more and try the other corner soon.

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    2. I think that might be a good idea :)

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  6. I love all of it! I'm fond of the color grey/gray. I'm amazed that someone actually told you that about the gray lamps. I can't imagine interfering like that. I'll be interested in how you hide your cables. They are my mini plague. Not the tv ones so much but the computer ones are a mess.

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    1. The comment about the grey lamps was not interfering, Nan, it was an advice well meant and coming from someone whose opinion I really value.
      The TV cables should be able to go behind the skirting board (at least partly), and thankfully, the computer ones are behind the desk in the living room where I only really see them on Saturday mornings when hoovering and cleaning :-)

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  7. Oh, this looks so lovely! I like the way you took your color scheme from your grandmother's vase. And the new settee and the lamp which matches it so well are very successful. I love those roses! I feel as if I want to go buy roses, now. Hope you have seen the last of the snow!

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! I like the idea of my roses having inspired you to buy roses for yourself now :-)
      We, too, hope that this was the last snow for the next 7 or 8 months...! It's the 1st of May today, and many communities have organised village fêtes and parties; it would be so much nicer for them and their visitors if the sunshine we have right now (just gone 10:00 am) would last.

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  8. Everything looks lovely; I love the grey lamps and your new settee! The pale pink roses are beautiful against the wallpaper. I adore roses and am planning a small rose garden whenever we find a house to buy. I need a cutting garden to keep up with my desire for fresh flowers in my home!

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer! Roses are wonderful, and I am sure I'd have some as well if I had a garden on my own.

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  9. If we lived closer, Sayaka would no doubt take that 1950s vase from you!:) You've organized the rooms really well, I'd love to hire you as an interior decorator, my house is so messy you would be shocked to see it! I love order but I am so disorganized and so lazy! We have lots of IKEA shops, when we lived in Rome we went there and I wanted to buy everything! Luckily here in Sicily there isn't one in our town, the closest one is about 300km. away so no chance of temptation!

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    1. Francesca, if you pay for the plane ticket, I'll fly over and reorganize and decorate your home - lo farei volentieri :-)
      And should my vase ever go missing, I'd know where to look for it...!
      From your recipe videos, your place looks neat and tidy, and always clean.

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  10. I love the colour scheme, the blue sofa is a nice addition and brings out the colours well in the rest of the room. I'm sure once you've tried a few situations with your tv you'll find the right place for it but overall you must be very happy with your new rooms as they now have your personality stamp on them. :)

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    1. Thank you, Karen! I am indeed very happy with the result of that rather intense week :-)
      Btw the settee is not blue, it is a middle-dark grey, not quite charcoal. I suppose the light and my camera give that "blue" impression.

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  11. It looks really, really lovely. I like that you used your grandmother's vase as your starting point and inspiration, it gives so much more meaning to your scheme. I really like the sofa, wallpaper and grey lamps and think that you have some very elegant mid-century pieces of furniture. x

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    1. Thank you, Gillian! This compliment coming from you, whose taste I admire, is extra special :-)
      x

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