More black stuff! I tested a LOT of cheaper pedal bins, but nothing comes close to Brabantia pedal bins. The base is super grippy on the floor, the pedal mechanism is easy to operate without much down pressure and the lids soft close too. The bin came with some Brabantia bin liners which tuck away out of sight for a cleaner look (it’s the small things!).

Smallest sized bins for the bathrooms, toilet brush too.

Hello charcoal toothbrush (I actually boght this AGES ago and never used it). All black erythang!

Who even writes by hand anymore?!

LAPOD lap desk for when I’m gaming on the couch.

Wide enough for my small wireless keyboard and mouse which can be put away under the wooden board when not in use (can store remote controls in there too!).

Mobile installed. Always good to add a bit of movement to a space!

SO many ugly toasters and water kettles out there. Considered the Smeg ones but there was too much chrome, found these Alessi ones and pulled the trigger!

All black erythang!

Leather Orbitkey key holder came in the mail too. It’s lovely.

I’ve always wanted a Noguchi coffee table, but could never justify the price. I had a replica when I was in uni, it was terrible, but replicas have gotten decent now. The glass is the same thickness as the original at 19mm (it’s damn heavy), and at $400 vs $5300 (for the original) I thought I’d at least try it out before forking out on the real deal.

Fridge came in too. It’s the only fridge of this size on the market that is narrow enough to fit in my space without it sticking out by 10cm+. HUGE gap on the side which I might use to build a wine bottle holder, or something to store my Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Entrance nook is coming alone nicely.

It’s been a lot of fun moving in. I’m absolutely obsessed with plants and plant cabinets at the moment, it’s all I’ve been researching on the web and YouTube. The hobby is much like aquarium keeping, which I love and miss a lot. I’ve been thinking about setting up an aquarium again (especially as Sydney’s best aquarium Aquaristic is literally a couple of blocks away from me) but now that I’m starting a greenhouse I think I’ll put the aquarium on pause. I’ll develop a green thumb yet!

Got around to hanging some art on the walls.

Also had Wonderful BFS in to install my retractable screens.

I had the frames custom powdercoated to match.

They slide away completely out of sight.

They look amazing. Almost Japanese!

I had Wonderful BFS install retractable screens on all sliding doors. They did an awesome job (lovely Korean couple) and I’m super happy with how they work and look!

I’ve been looking for concrete themed stuff for the apartment as the whole building has so much exposed concrete (which I love!). I impulse bought this concrete tray from Temple & Webster (along with the super plush rug pictured below) and sadly it’s a lot darker than the apartment concrete, it somehow looks a bit cheap too and feels quite rough as well.

They call the Honda Jazz the “Fit” in Japan. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff this little car can pack!

Making IKEA furniture can be frustrating IF you don’t take your time following the instructions. I read a review of this couch that complained about the construction process, and that it took them 6hrs! I thought, surely not?! 4hrs later I was done… yup it was a lot more complicated than I thought it was going to be but I find this kinda stuff fun. It’s like playing LEGO!

Not quite the B&B Italia lounge I’ve always desired, but it’s an IKEA sofa bed (for guests) which I thought was both interesting looking and highly functional. The sofa backs can be moved around (I could put them in the centre so I can sit and play the guitar on the other side for example), the whole top half lifts up and there’s a tonne of storage space (perfect for 2 pillows, sheets and a blanket for guests).

I’ve been enjoying parking in the middle of my 2 carpark spaces which has made loading easier, but today this rude bastard’s Maserati was parked in one of my spaces.

I left a note on his windshield. Bastard!

2 of the spare bedrooms have these ugly mirrors. Mirrored wardrobe doors were so in fashion once. Personally I hate them! Gotta figure out how to cover up the mirrors somehow. White vinyl (temporary wallpaper) might be the go.

The walk in wardrobe in the master bedroom is an IKEA PAX system. It’s a beautiful dark brown wood finish but it’s covered up with these really dated bevelled door which are a MUCH darker brown (almost black) and just look so heavy. I’ve decided to remove the doors and rock an open closet (the shelves and other systems like shoe holders and drawers) in the lighter wood will look amazing. I just need to find 2 door replacements at IKEA for the last 2 doors closest to the wall (will most likely use full length mirror doors).

Wasn’t a fan of the cheap and high wearing rental carpet on inspection and it’s not grown on me over time either. It’s far from plush, and looks a bit corporate. I did a lot of research on carpets and it seems like wool is out, and polyester is in as it’s got great stain resistance, which is a great thing as Mia does throw up on my carpet from time to time and cleaning the carpets has always resulted in visible stains.

I found some really awesome looking polyester carpets online that had really nice texture. I went for a trip around the block the other day and it turns out one of the web sites I had checked out has a showroom in Rosebery. Whilst I was there I got a quote for laminate vinyl wood flooring too as they had a range that was on sale. That night when I went back to Maroubra Mia had spewed up in the bedroom! I took that as a sign to avoid carpet altogether and go for timber floors. I’ve since had them over the measure my space for a quote. The hard part will be choosing the right flooring as they can’t match the flooring that’s already in the apartment, and trying to match it might look silly, so I may have to go for something completely different (to contrast) to make it an obvious design choice.

Previous owners drilled this ugly IKEA console into the wall at the entrance with HUGE ugly white brackets. So annoying! Will remove it and either replace it with another console, or a bookshelf/display shelf for my toys, or a bench and shoe holder. Needsa more thought.

Still one of my fave original art pieces. This painting by Artist Abbey McCulloch adds a lot of colour to a white wall.

I was determined to never buy another IKEA product ever again, but after talking to Nick (Turner) about it the other day I think I came off as a bit of a brand snob. He mentioned that some pretty awesome designers are doing stuff for IKEA these days so I thought I’d drop in. I got there too early though, so thought I’d have a $5 breakfast whilst I waited for the store to open!

Impulse buying. I ended up buying WAY more stuff than I intended!

Respected British designer Ilse Crawford did some vases for IKEA so I thought I’d check them out. Bought the little matte black one for the bathroom and also bought a cheap IKEA 3 piece set (soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and tray) as it was also in matte black.

Perfecto! The matte black finish matches all my matte black bathroom hardware.

Also picked up this vase by Ilse Crawford.

Looks huge in the picture but it’s actually really small. Couldn’t resist this lamp. A solid marble base with a black braided cable which I paired with a naked LED bulb that looks great.

I was eyeing The Post Floor Lamp by Muuto design. Not cheap at $1,349. This looks and works a LOT like it for a fraction of the price so I pulled the trigger on it.

It’s very adjustable (can even point it up to the ceiling) and the back of each lamp is a massive push button so you can turn them on and off individually. The braided black cable is a nice touch too. IKEA are upping their game!

I’ve been really picking up the pace with the move and have been moving a car load’s worth of stuff every day for the past week. My Grandma used to check the lunar calendar to find the best date for me to move in to my previous houses, she’s not around anymore so my Mum has found a friend who can not only come over and bless my place, but she’s able to find me a good fortune date to move in too and it happens to be the 8th of Feb (my lucky number!).