Thoughts from a tindera

With the prospect of European flea markets and Dutch design beckoning at us from across the miles, Marlon and I agreed to take as few of our current set of belongings as possible to make space for new finds. 

This plan excites the stuffing out of me because I love design, I love vintage stuff and I've been longing to sink my teeth into a good flea market for years! And Marlon? He's just been itching to tear through the house stuffing junk into a big black garbage bag. Having first moved to Singapore with just two suitcases, he's always remarked to me with a mixture of wonder and horror how much stuff we've accumulated since... well, since I've moved in. And I have to admit he is right.

After spending a couple of hours being overwhelmed by just how much crap we had, Marlon and I decided to divide the tasks according to our strengths. I, being the internet addict, would sell our furniture on Craigslist and Gumtree; Marlon, being the brawny male, would haul all the stuff we wanted to get rid of into the living room for a good old-fashioned garage sale. 

The man has visual merchandising skills! A must-have in every husband.

Let me tell you, the last two weeks of organizing all these sales has taught me much, the hard way, about furnishing a home.

First is, take your time. Marlon and I were nest-crazed newlyweds who powered through the entire process in just a few weeks. Haste leads to waste; it also leads to Ikea. Which is cute and fun and great for a newlywed budget, but not for everything.

It's not that our stuff is hideous (on the contrary, we've had a good number of compliments on our home), it's just that it seemed ridiculous to go through all the trouble of shipping furniture made of particleboard planks *ahem*Ikea*ahem* all the way to Europe. For example, our bookshelves, as cleanly designed and useful as they were, might not even make it in one piece!

Happy to have sold this baby for a decent price. Cat not included!

Second, furniture is an investment; buy only things you'd want to keep forever or those that will command a decent resale value. I had my fair share of buyers who agreed to take my stuff, but when factoring in the cost of transport, found that they would pay almost double what they intended to spend. These people just flaked out on me altogether, and it pissed me off. In the end, I had to sell things for dirt cheap just to dispose of them.

I am amazed by my friend Ayessa, who lived in Jakarta for a nearly a year with only a bed and appliances until she and her hubby could save up for solid antique teakwood furniture. Talk about willpower! It is stories like these (plus awesome design blogs like Design*Sponge and Apartment Therapy, among others) that inspire me to put more time and care into furnishing our next home. And happily, Marlon has agreed to let me be the captain of that particular ship.

So as I bid farewell to our bargain-priced furniture, I also say goodbye to Ikea rampages and impulse buys... and hello to mood boards, flea markets and (crossing my fingers) some very thoughtful shopping!