Free Furniture

One of the perks of having a bunch of relatives is that they usually have plenty of redundant furniture which they are happy to give away. Collecting these old furniture is a good way of saving money but it has to be done with deliberation or you might end up with an apartment that looks like a junk shop. So far, I have been offered:

1) a rattan living room set - declined because of uncomfortable cushions
2) 10 orange moulded plastic dining chairs - declined because too many and too retro
3) a bookshelf - declined because I already ordered an 8-foot behemoth
4) a Singer-sewing machine table base - no space but KIV
5) a pair of armchairs - accepted (see below)
6) an iron bed - accepted after modification (see below)

My mum's friend, Aunty Florence, gave me a pair of chintz "Dancing Dolls Chairs". When my mover went to collect them, she gave them each a kiss goodbye as they had been with her for over 30 years. The chintz would have to eventually go and what I have in mind is to repaint the wood in black and to reupholster the fabric bits in pinstriped wool - the same kind used for men's suits. I first saw one redone like this in the Brooks Brothers' window display in London more than a year ago and have wanted similar chairs ever since. However, painting and reupholstering costs upwards of RM500 plus fabric costs. So the Dancing Dolls are safe for now...

Aunty Florence also gave me her father's queen-sized iron bed which she lorried down from Ipoh. It was originally a four-poster bed but I had the four posts chopped off to fit into my low-ceilinged bedroom. This is the bed with the work halfway done.