Buying a Mattress for your Bed

I am a fan of sleeping. If there was one thing I wouldn't skimp on, it's a good mattress and good bedding. After all, what they say is true, you spend about 25 years sleeping. My husband and I took a long time finding our first mattress together. I was clueless about mattresses then, so the mattress we chose eventually was the exact mattress we tried in a hotel while we were on vacation. That was about 8 years ago and the bed was one size smaller than the king we have now. That mattress served us well. We had to buy a new one when we moved. Armed with a little bit of mattress knowledge, we picked our king-sized mattress and so far, we have no qualms about it. See how thick it is? It has a pillow-top!

Sure, mattresses in the Philippines can be very inexpensive and sizes can be customized too. But, please go for the experts like Dunlopillo. Your body will thank you in the long run.

If you're currently shopping for a mattess, there's actually a Dunlopillo mattress sale that's starting tomorrow at BGC. Why not stop by and check it out? You're welcome.

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Ital Design Offers Dunlopillo Mattresses at Special Prices in Celebration of Its New Showroom 

In line with the launch of the newly renovated showroom at MC Home Depot in Bonifacio Global City, Ital Design will be providing special prices for its premium Dunlopillo mattresses from July 16-19, 2015.

This generous gesture celebrates their one of a kind luxurious showroom, innovated to enable customers to imagine the possibilities that the mattresses and furniture hold. Ten uniquely decorated vignettes in styles appealing to every type of customer feature the Dunlopillo mattresses, which are highlighted in every display. Whether you’re a bachelor, a student, or a mother of five, Ital Design and Dunlopillo have furniture pieces and sleeping solutions for your personal haven in store.

What can customers expect from visiting the new showroom? An introductory discount for Dunlopillo’s new model mattress Elena, which will be sold at the special price of 50% off. All-time favorite mattresses Romero Premium and Firmest Luxe will also be included at reduced prices. With premium goods at reasonable prices, those who are looking to decorate and furnish their homes certainly have every reason to visit the new Ital Design showroom.

Dunlopillo is also available at the Libis Showroom, the Edsa-Cubao Showroom, MC Home Depot in Bonifacio Global City, MC Home Depot in Pasig, Ayala Center Cebu, and Abreeza Mall Davao. Follow Ital Design on Facebook and on Instagram through @italdesignph.

Current Outlets:

Libis Showroom 
T: 912.4494/ 911.1672 /F: 912.3339 
Add: Acropolis Commercial Area, 
#16 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.,
Libis, Quezon City Philippines 1110

Edsa - Cubao Showroom 
Telefax: 913.1975/913.1072 
Add: No. 156 EDSA, 
Brgy. Socorro, Cubao, Quezon City 

MC Home Depot – Fort BGC 
Telefax: 815 .6217/ 815.6218 
Add: 32nd St. cor. Bonifacio Blvd., 
Global City, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 

 MC Home Depot—Pasig 
Telefax: 633.4023/634.6556 
Add: 168 Ortigas corner Meralco Avenue, 
Ortigas Center, Pasig City 

Ayala Center Cebu 
T: <032>345.1378 
Add: L315 Level 3, Ayala Center 
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City 

Abreeza Mall Davao 
T:<082> 295.9876 
Add: Unit 3115 - 3116 Level 3 Abreeza Mall, 
JP Laurel Ave. Davao City

Freebie: Custom Mood Board (and How-to)

Freebie Alert:
I miss doing mood boards. I haven't done one in ages. I know I should do one again soon. I'm just lacking the right room inspiration. If you like the mood boards I did, and have a room that you want to redecorate, I welcome requests. I'll do one for you for free if the room idea you have inspires me. :) So send some suggestions my way, and help me rid myself of some mood board craving.


Mood boards I did before:

A navy and mustard nursery

A Reader's Bedroom

A Paris-Inspired Bedroom

A Bright and Bold Nursery

A Gender-Neutral Nursery

Anyway, back to my real post. A reader requested that I post a tutorial on how I do mood boards. I am by no means an expert, but I think it's a great idea to share with you how I do them. The way I want my mood boards to look is to make it feel like a real room so you can visualize it without clutter.

I usually use Photoshop, but Keynote works too.

Okay, here we go.

For a sample image, I am using West Elm's Slipper Chair (so pretty).


STEP 1:
Scour for images of your selected pieces. Images with plain backgrounds are easier to manipulate. If you can find one with a white background, the better.

STEP 2:
Clean the image so that only the piece that you want is left. Erase even the white background. Keynote's "alpha" or Photoshop's "Lasso" will do the trick. You need to delete the background even if it is white.

Using Keynote: Click and drag out the color/s you wanted to make transparent. Do this over and over again. See what I mean if your photo is not clean?

Using Photoshop: Use the lasso tool to select the chair, then ctrl+shift+i to invert the selection, then hit delete.

Cleaned up image using Photoshop.

STEP 3:
Layout your mood board. Add text or numbers to identify the pieces. Here I used my Reader's Bedroom mood board and replaced the swivel chair with this one.

Here's the before photo:

STEP 4:
Share the love!

Crafts/DIY: My Own Matera (ish), Finally

 
 
 
Okay, technically, this is NOT a do-it-yourself. I had it made by someone else.

I've been eyeing the Matera bed, designed exclusively for Design Within Reach by Sean Yoo. If I was still living in the US, I might have already bought the king sized Matera without the storage. But I just moved to the other side of the world, and shipping the Matera is out of the question.

So I had someone craft it for me.

Here are the before photos:

And here's the Matera-ish bed in the room. Yes, it has a dark stain. *smile*

Here's a closer shot of the headboard.

I wasn't able to take pictures of the drawers in the process, so these would have to do. Our bedroom is super super tiny, and I don't have a wide angle lens with me so pardon the photos.

The drawers are not built-in. They are removable so I can clean under the bed easily with a Swiffer (I love it on wooden floors). I can take them out and put them in another room if I wanted to.

There are two drawers on each side of the bed (so that's a total of 4), equipped with swivel casters (those that can rotate a complete 360). Thank you Martha Stewart for the inspiration.

There you go. Short and sweet. I will post other bedroom updates soon.


PS - Ivory sheets from Simply Vera. Coverlet from Dwell Studio for Target. Grey pillowcases from Target Home.


  

Design: Voyage Bed

  
  

Voyage Bed
Image from Kenneth Cobonpue

I first blogged about Kenneth Cobonpue (pronounce co-bon-pu-e) when I got inspired by the Le Petit Voyage crib to make a nursery mood board.

Le Petit Voyage Crib
Image from Kenneth Cobonpue

Cobonpue's Voyage Bed has been sought after by Brangelina a while back, and now, it's one of the main pieces of Maroon 5's Never Gonna Leave This Bed music video.

At $3,460 for a queen and $4,590 for a king, it's such a splurge. I'll just enjoy looking. :p

     

     

Shopping: Springtime Bedding

  
  
Thank goodness winter is almost over. I can see signs of spring now. Leaves are starting to grow on the rose bushes outside our house... cherry blossoms are starting bloom at the park... and pretty soon, there will be people playing at the beach volleyball court around the corner.

One easy makeover to do in the bedroom is to update your sheets with a touch of color that's perfect for spring. Here are some of my favorites:


Organic Bloom from West Elm
I just love this oversized chrysanthemum design from West Elm. This is probably one of their most sought-after bedding designs, because it keeps on coming back after being sold out. Maybe West Elm's telling me to get it already before they're gone for good.

 Image from West Elm

Honeycomb Sheet Set from Anthropologie
This one from Anthropologie makes me think of stained glass. I adore the jewel tones, don't you?

Image from Anthropologie

Annabel Duvet and Shams from Serena and Lily
The Annabel fabric from Serena and Lily is just perfect for a girl's room, especially when mixed and matched with crisp white linens.

Image from Serena and Lily

Marimekko Saarni Sage Bed Linens from Crate and Barrel
Here's another one that reminds me of springtime ferns.

Image from Crate and Barrel

    
    
    

Love: Kidtropolis

You know, Kidtropolis reminds me of something Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would do. Kidtropolis designs and creates custom children furniture. They're all amazing.

Fairy land:

Once Upon A Time:

Play Time:

...and my favorite...

Merry Go Round:

    

Baby: 40 Winks on a Budget - Cribs edition

Cribs can cost a lot. Here are some crib choices for your little one that will not break the bank.
Budget: $150

What's your pick?

1. Ikea Gulliver Crib, $99.00
2. Graco Lauren 4-in-1, $139.00
3. Stork Craft Lauren, $95.48
4. DaVinci Alpha Mini Rocking Crib, $137.66
5. Dream on Me Bella 2-in-1, $140.97

Design: A Reader's Bedroom

Here's a mood board for my other sister who's a book-lover.

1. Color palette: Walls - Behr, Billowy Clouds. Ceiling - Benjamin Moore Aura Hazy Skies. Baseboard and Ceiling moulding - Benjamin Moore Aura Decorator's White. Pinks, sage greens and browns are the main colors that I used in this mood board.
2. Main Light: Restoration Hardware, Avia Flushmount ceiling light - for a diffused and soft glow in the bedroom.
3. Photo wall: One of the must-haves in this bedroom is a photo wall installation. Her walls are made of concrete, and putting up photo frames is a hassle. Here is a picture hanging system from Vidal which uses a ceiling rail and cord system to hang frames without drilling holes on the wall. Wall art - Famille Summerbelle Papercut Paris map and Keepcalm shop "Keep Calm and Read On".
4. Window covering: Overstock.com Serenity Rice roman shade behind Ikea's Hedda Blad curtains to control the light coming in.
5. Display glass cabinets: Her bedroom has one whole wall devoted to book display. Here is Ikea's Hemnes glass-door cabinets to store and display books as well as other accessories. To keep clutter in the cabinets to a minimum since the glass is transparent, I suggest using white media boxes like these from Ikea.
6. Desk and task lamp: Target, Merlot Fenton wood and glass-top desk. Ikea, Barometer task lamp.
7. Chair: Ikea's Skruvsta swivel chair in Krokek fabric brings a bit of whimsy into the room with its colorful pattern.
8. Sheets: Crate&Barrel Marimekko Saarni Sage bedding.
9. Nightstand area: Nightstand - CB2, Century nightstand. Lamp, already owned. Alarm clock, Bed Bath and Beyond T-Bell Analog alarm clock. Carafe/glass, Crate&Barrel Bedside carafe.
10. Other accessories: Pottery Barn, Galvanized Pails as organizers. CB2, The End bookend.

Hope you like it N!

 

Design: Paris-inspired Bedroom Mood Board

My sister is planning to renovate her room soon. She asked me to create a mood board for her using some of the accessories she has already.

She wanted a room with a color palette using light turquoise, grey and white. Her bedroom has wooden floors that I don't think she will replace anytime soon.

Here is what I came up with:

• Accessories for inspiration. She already has this stacked bubble crystal lamp (she got it for Christmas from our other sister) and she already has some miniature Eiffel tower metal objects. These became the central inspiration for her bedroom.

• Color. I am obsessed with grey walls... and so is she. For her room, I chose (1) Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Grey for the walls, (2) a darker shade for the wall baseboard, and (3) Restoration Hardware's Light Silver Sage for the ceiling.

• Bed and linens. Her room is quite cozy, so a daybed is perfect. This white Brighton daybed from Crate and Barrel has a farmhouse appeal that will lighten up her room. The damask sheets here are from Target Fieldcrest. I was in love with the Eiffel tower pillow when I saw it in iviemade's Etsy shop, and I thought it was perfect for her room. Another decorative pillow I chose for her is Dwell Studio for Target's privet pillow. She also asked for a nightstand, and this Ikea Hemnes piece will do the trick. It has a small drawer, and a shelf underneath where she can stack her magazines and books, or a storage basket.

• Rug and curtain. My sister's room has one whole wall of huge windows. I picked this sheer curtain panel from Z Gallerie with a bird and leaves pattern that also complements the privet pillow and decor. A simple bordered rug from PBTeen in her desk area will also look great.

• Desk area. West Elm's Pratt desk and their Overlapping Squares side chair have nice lines that will bring in a sense of openness in her tiny room. A small decorative pillow (not pictured) on the chair will be nice too. Adding Ikea's Lack wall shelves will give additional space to put accessories and books.

• Wall art. A vintage French art print from Cafe Badulaire and a modern Paris skyline poster from Ilovedesign2010 will link the whole room together with the bird / Paris motifs. Z Gallerie's Chrysanthemum plaque is another wall art I chose for added interest and color.

• Other accessories. To complete the whole room, some accessories I chose were West Elm's metal birds on the wall shelf and Z Gallerie's bling picture frames. On the desk, a nickel task lamp (Shades of Light's Natural Spectrum lamp) and Crate and Barrel's hurricane candle holder on the desk will bring in silver and more blues. 

I hope you like it S.