House of Trouser

It's been a couple of weeks since I moved into my new flat with my mate Adam - he's already requested he doesn't feature on this blog (sorry mate, it's happening) - and it's now starting to properly feel like home.

Over the summer, I picked out and posted about a few items that I was planning on personalising the place with. Always true to my word, here's why they should bring back Changing Rooms:

Remember the ice bucket I picked up for 50p. It's now sitting pride of place in the middle of our dining table, largely collecting unpaid water bills. 

Say hello to Uffie. I had this album artwork custom printed onto canvas just before I left home for uni. Uffie's since been through four house moves and still sits pride of place on my bedroom wall, which is a very manly shade of maroon!

My Nike mirror box is another pride and joy that I couldn't decorate my bedroom without. I managed to get this for free as an ex-display piece when I worked at Office, in exchange for helping my boss out on the rota. I was obviously a shrewd negotiator as, thinking back, I would have done the shift for the money anyway.

I bought this Southern Comfort mirror for just £3 and it's now livening up the rather bland white walls in my bedroom. I'd thought about swapping the frame but I think the battered old original looks pretty good already.

 
Ahhh the maroon wall! It's actually starting to grow on me and I think it contrasts pretty well with my framed copy of Rumours (I know, so Indie, right?). The wall is quite large so I'm considering sticking a few more vinyl covers up there - what do you think?
And finally, our lovely lounge (on a dark and dingy day). The wall running the length of it is absolutely massive and I've not really worked out how we're going to fill it. I've still to get something sturdy enough to hang up my Louisiana Steamboat mirror which might go some way to breaking up all the space. And of course, I've found a great home for my records...

I'm pretty pleased with how it's all looking. Time for you to get out though - MTV Cribs are dropping by.

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Flat Furnishing

If you've been keeping up to date over the last few weeks, you'll know that I've been on the hunt for a flat. Well, I'm happy to say that a deposit has been paid and a move-in date set. So, with the countdown to the start of September underway, I've started looking at items to fill the flat - besides its already awesome furnishings.

As much as I love a trip to IKEA (who doesn't?), seeing what you can pick up from a car boot sale is much more fun - as I'm writing this, my brother has just text me from one to see whether I need an N64 or a shisha pipe. Of course I do. Last week I came back with this little lot:

 

Pretty similar to the Louisiana Steamboat printed mirror I bought a few weeks ago, this Southern Comfort mirror was coming home with me as soon as I saw it. The frame's a little knackered on it but is definitely part of its charm. For £3, having my favourite tipple up on the wall is an absolute steal.

First things first, I'm not a skater; I can't even pop an ollie. But I really like the battered old look of these decks and, for 50p each, they could look great mounted on one of my bedroom walls. It might be that the wall won't bear them (or they might look ridiculous) but there's no harm in being a quid down.

Finnish vodka ice bucket. 75p. Tawk ta me.

While it's not exactly decorative, this portable BBQ is really worthwhile. There are some great green spaces and parks around the new flat so it makes sense to have this. I managed to haggle the fella down to sell it at £6. For a barely touched Weber, I knew he was kicking himself as soon as he made up his first price.

I'm not usually this moody. It was very warm, ok? Good.

Ok, so this last one's not really for the flat but I thought I'd share it anyway. I don't generally search the clothing rails at car boot sales but this stood out at the end of one stall. When someone's selling an old skool Yankees shirt for a quid you can't really say no, can you? It's pretty massive but makes a decent over shirt for lounging around in and will be perfect for taking on holiday next month.

By my calculations, that's less than £12 spent. IKEA's meatballs are over-rated anyway...

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