Trendy Hitched

As if our work demands are not enough to get us bonkers, hubby and I had decided to embark on another renovation for our humble abode. Something minor, I may say, but still took (and continuously taking) a dent in our already measly savings account. The stress levels however, are far better than what took place back in early 2010.  The difference? We got a contractor to manage it for us this time. Not an ideal situation for someone like me who was able to do things on her own last year (now don’t get jealous, I got an engineer for a dad, an architect for a brother, and an achiever/coach for a mom). But being a good wife who doesn’t want to further pressure my already worn-out-from-a-new-role hubby, I agreed to it. Not without having to point out every now and then how expensive our contractor is charging us.

Anyway, the whole renovation thing got me scrambling again for some new ideas for the other parts of the house (despite the fact that no one knows when we will have a major renovation again). My brain’s probably so bored with numbers and stress that it needs to be refilled with some creative juices. Here are some of my inspirations for the next who-knows-when renovation.

I hope these images got you fired up. Tata!

Photo credits: Houzz

Whenever a friend asks me what present I want to receive whenever one goes out of town, I’d automatically say “Magnet!” For some reason, I can’t get enough of it. Or maybe I just like the way it sticks to our fridge.

Initially, I wanted just magnets of places I and/or hubby visits. Since we often travel for work, I thought that’s achievable. It is but will probably take like a century. Most of our travel is in the Americas or Asia region. I wanted to fill our fridge quickly so I included those souvenir gifts from our family, friends and office mates.

Here’s a snapshot of our fridge today.

I hope to fill this more in the next coming years.

Today is the start of the new year and I already came up with a few things I want for us for this 2010. Take note though that this list just contains all those what have you’s in the kitchen so watch out for the other wish lists.

1. Beka pans: Currently, we have two non-stick Beka pans (Beka Line) but I want another large pan good enough for sauteing big amounts of meat. I also need a large stockpot for cooking pasta and the like.

2. Le Creuset cookwares: I simply couldn’t get enough of their cast-iron wares. I got their black onyx edition of the 5.5 quart french oven, grill pan and pour saucepan early last year and now I just read that they’re going to release a new line of color – CASSIS. How cool is that, huh! Anyway, a few addition to my le creuset collection would be nice such as a 3.5 quart round casserole with steamer insert, square dish stoneware and a panini press.

3. WMF sets: I just love the collections of their creamer and sugar set, a tea pot and salt and pepper mills. I really wish I can find an outlet store of WMF so I don’t have to spend a fortune in Rustan’s to own these pretty sets.

4. Noritake chinaware: We already have a few chinaware but I want a fine china that we will be treasuring for a lifetime. Platinum wave collection is timeless and beautiful, and expensive too. Hahaha, so maybe I’ll have to put this off to 2011 wish list. )

5. Oneida silverware: We got a nice Oneida Garrett set as a wedding gift last year. However, the set is good for four people only. I hope to find the same model in the streets of Vietnam where it was bought (the model we have is no longer available in Amazon nor in US stores).