Remember my first post on the Project Condo series? I shared my top 5 things to buy for my apartment before the year ends and 6 months into living on my own, I'm still not done with the list. Moving into my own apartment has taught me a couple of things. One: nothing ever goes as planned. Two: It's very expensive. It took me forever to buy all the furniture that I have so far and really prioritized the things that I needed the most so that I can live like a decent and independent 20-something I.T. Consultant in her own space instead of a college kid in a dorm.
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| My futon style bed |
The first thing that I mentioned in my list of furniture to buy was a bed. I had the following requirements:
1. Full or semi double size
2. Dark solid wood (not laminated)
3. Shelves as a head board
4. Drawers underneath
After looking around for some time for a ready-made bed with my specifications, I realized finding one really wasn't that easy. Most of the bed frames that I saw at the mall were made with laminated wood, didn't utilize extra storage and didn't have the shelving that I wanted. I came so close to buying the Gunther bed from SM Our Home which is made with Malaysian rubberwood. That piece had six drawers but had a normal flat headboard and goes for about 24k. I thought it was a pretty good deal, but my mom advised to check all my options. Mandaue foam also had good options, and while they also had solid wood beds that go for 18k each, none of them had both shelves as the headboard or drawers underneath. I wasn't one to settle for something that I didn't love, so I decided to have a bed customized. For the meantime, I slept on my mattress, futon style.
My mom, sister and I took a trip to Tagaytay one weekend and checked out the furniture makers in the area. It was really a random selection for us, since we didn't have a specific contact person. We ended up going to Jasren Furniture shop because it was right next to a place that sold different plants and herbs. We bought taragon, basil and mint plants before heading into the shop.
Talking to the shop owner, Adela, we were given options for the kind of wood that we wanted for our bed. She gave us suggestions on the design and the type of wood varnish. She asked for dimensions which we were prepared to provide. I made sure the dimensions fit my room no matter the orientation. I didn't want a headboard protruding by my window if I decide to arrange the bed differently.
We chose mahogany for our wood since it is very durable and is known to resist rotting. I was deciding between having the bed frame covered in wenge varnish or painting it white but the shop owner advised us that white isn't the best option for mahogany as it tends to bleed through the paint and what you'll end up getting is a white bed with reddish brown splotches. My sister chose the timber's natural color since it suited her apartment better. We finalized our transactions, gave our down payment and exchanged cellphone numbers so that they could notify us when the bed frames are ready for pick up.
It took a while to return to Tagaytay because the shop operations were affected and slowed down by typhoon Glenda. The store owner asked us for more time to work on the beds, which was understandable. So we waited a couple more weeks and arranged to borrow a pick up truck from my uncle. When we finally got the notification that the bed is ready, my mom, sister, brother and I drove to Tagaytay to see the final product. The headboard alone took 2 grown men to carry as it was really made of solid wood! The surfaces were smooth and are of good quality and I was pretty satisfied with the end result. For a bed that was only 15k and made of quality and durable timber, I say it's a pretty good deal.
Delivery charges are expensive as you might expect. From Tagaytay to Mandaluyong, they said they charge around 3k for each bed delivered! Good thing my uncle's driver, my brother and my boyfriend helped us move the bed into the apartment.
Because of this new addition to the condo, I get more and more excited to come home and rest on my bed. Because of the overhead shelves, I no longer had the need for side tables. I styled my bed with monochromed sheets and a pop of yellow using throw pillows. I also got some led Christmas lights and used it in lieu of a lamp and I loved how it turned out. My bedroom feels more grown up but still dreamy. It took me several months to get the exact bed that I wanted, and seeing how it fit my apartment so well, I can definitely say it's worth the wait. :)
Contact Jasren furniture shop in Tagaytay: 0916-7245331
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