Kids Room Inspiration: Bunk Beds

My 6 year old daughter and 5 year old son have been bugging me for a bunk bed for quite some time now. And more so since our vacation at Legoland Malaysia because the hotel rooms there have bunk beds for the kids. They're currently sharing a room with a pull-out bed, but I'm sure that's not as fun for them right? ;p So I've been looking around online, trying to get some ideas. And boy, even I got excited with the idea of having a bunk bed! These designs are amazing!

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IKEA in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

When we went to Hong Kong last month, I knew I just wanted to go shopping in one place only. I wasn't interested in going to the night markets or the fashion outlets, just IKEA. Yes, I was on a mission lol. ;p I've been lusting over so many of their products for the longest time and was so excited to finally be able to visit an actual store! The last time I was able to go to an IKEA was in Singapore 4 years ago.

Our main itinerary was really Disneyland, but we had a free day to do whatever. So I did my research and found out they had 3 branches in HK - Causeway Bay, Kowloon Bay, and Shatin. We decided to just go to the one in Causeway Bay since we really haven't been around that part of the city yet during previous visits. So at least we could still explore after with the kids.

We took the MRT to Causeway Bay and we were supposed to go out at exit E which was the closest one based on the map. But we ended up in a different exit (probably because we were looking for the nearest elevator since we had 2 strollers) and I had to ask somewhere for directions. Good thing we were still pretty close, and we finally reached the place after walking for a few more minutes.

The IKEA I went to in Singapore was huge and it was like a warehouse type building. Here, we had to go down an escalator since the store was in the basement. So it was definitely smaller, but still complete.

I love how the store is laid out into different sections as you walk through (living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc.) which makes looking for things more organized. I totally love the set-ups of the different areas, especially the bedrooms, which gives you a lot of inspiration when setting up your own space. It makes you want to buy everything and redo your whole house, ang gaganda! ;p

The kiddie bedrooms were so cute too. Miley was like, "Mom can this be my room?" There were so much I wanted to buy (like that leaf canopy below) but we had limited space in our luggage so I had to prioritize.

Of course, the kids were getting so bored already after a while (including daddy), but they got excited again when we reached the toys. And thank goodness for this little play area that kept them occupied for a bit while I looked around. ;p

I thought we had reached the end of the store, but then there was another level going down and that's were all the accessories and decorations were pala! I was drooling over all the trays, plates, bowls, picture frames, artworks, and many more. Haaay, pwede ba iuwi lahat? The 2nd basement was also where you pick up the items you liked from the upper level (like beddings or furniture).

paper napkins

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We were so hungry after since it was already lunchtime. I was excited to eat in their restaurant but I got disappointed when they only had a small cafe without even any tables or chairs. Basically, you just buy your food and eat standing up. Good thing we were still able to eat their famous meatballs which were so yummy!

Oh how I wish I could buy everything I wanted and bring them home! Can they just please open an IKEA store here in the Philippines already? Anyway, stay tuned for my shopping loot in the next post! :)

www.ikea.com/hk/en/

Photo inspirations: From bump to baby

I never had a maternity shoot in my first 2 pregnancies. So when the third one came along, I knew I wanted to document my growing belly since this might be the last time I got pregnant (we're perfectly happy with 3 kids but who knows in the future... whatever is God's plan for us. ;p).

I spent a lot of time on Pinterest just searching for pegs that I could recreate at home. And I found a lot of gorgeous ideas which were my inspiration for my before & after pregnancy photo. I think this is just a perfect way to capture the miracle of life and how awesome the journey of being pregnant is. If you're expecting, here are some creative ways to do that bump to baby photo. :)

source: Pinterest

source: Megan Petersen Photography

source: Portrait Ave

source: Baby Space

source: Simply Rosie

source: Pinterest

source: Pinterest

source: Out of the Blue Photography

source: Blee Photography

DIY: Idea on how to update a ceramic stool

One of my favorite pieces in our house is this ceramic stool which I got from Uniwide. I'm really happy with the color (well, it was the only choice on hand when I bought it)...

And then I saw this fabulous DIY work of art from this blog! All she did was use a couple of blue markers to make this Chinoiserie-style pattern on her plain white garden stool.

Pretty impressive huh? And it seems really easy too!

Check out this post for the full details on how she did it. Now I have all sorts of ideas on how to update my own ceramic stool! :)

Real Living Space Tea Party & Walkthrough

I have been an avid reader and fan of Real Living magazine for so many years now, so I was beyond happy when I received an invite to their Real Living Space tea party. During the event, Associate Publisher Tom Castaneda and Editor In Chief Rachelle Medina personally discussed and showed us the spaces that some of Manila's best interior designers have created at the Trion Towers in BCG.

This was the lovely office / craft room set-up that greeted us, with furniture from Heima. The free DIY workshops during the weekend were also held here. Out of all the spaces, this was probably my favorite since I just love all the colors, prints and patterns. Everything just looks so happy and girly! Gosh, I wish I could have a room like this at home where I can do all my DIY projects. Heaven!!!

This is the living area styled by Van Acuna. Hubby was with me and he instantly gravitated towards the aquarium on display (he's been wanting to get an aquarium for the house ever since before). Well, we found out that the aquarium was from ADA Nature Aquariums and it costs a whopping P140,000! That's because all the plants used are real (and imported), the glass of the aquarium is some kind of special crystal (it was so clear!), and the best part is that someone comes to your house once a week to clean the whole thing! So sulit naman pala hehe! ;p

This is the dining space designed by Wilan Dayrit, which is where cocktails was also held.

We then headed upstairs to check 2 of the condo units that were styled for the event. In the first unit, the living / dining area was by Wilmer Lopez featuring furniture from Space Encounters. I really loved the whole vintage, retro, funky style of this area.

The bedroom inside the unit was styled by Pam Tan. My favorite part in the room was probably the butterfly decals on the wall from Dimensione. According to EIC Rachelle, the designer placed them there to cover paint chips on the wall (great idea!).

In the next unit, the living area was styled by Kristine Neri-Magturo. I really like the mix of feminine and masculine elements in the space. If you noticed, there are a lot of antlers used as decors in the room, just like in the other unit, which was purely coincidence from the designers. ;p

The bedroom in the unit was styled by Elle Uy. This room is also one of my top picks since it has that whole bohemian vibe (very Urban Outfitters!). I especially love the curtains and the wall gallery.

It was such a great afternoon and the whole time, I felt like I really stepped inside the pages of Real Living. I love how all the spaces have their own distinct style - there really was something for everyone. Now, I'm even more inspired to start redecorating! Although I need to wait a couple more years before I can start placing breakable accent pieces anywhere around the house with my toddlers running around hehe! ;p

Real Living Space at the Trion Towers

Real Living will unveil the Real Living Space, the ultimate shopping and design showhouse, at The Trion Towers in Bonifacio Global City this weekend, on Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15. During this FREE two-day event, you'll get to experience the pages of Real Living like never before, with help from noted designers like Wilmer Lopez, Pam Tan and Wilan Dayrit, in four stylish spaces! But that's not all... You'll get to take part in DIY workshops and a mini trade fair, as well as speak with designers and Real Living editors about your design concerns. 

I was so fortunate to be invited to a special tea party yesterday where I was given a walk through to the spaces by Real Living Associate Publisher Tom Castaneda and Editor In Chief Rachelle Medina. Everything was so beautiful and I got so inspired to start redecorating again. Here's a preview of my favorite spaces from the event:

 Anyway, I'll be blogging about the tea party in the coming days and show you more of the gorgeous details from each of the rooms. But please do drop by the Trion Towers this weekend to take part in this event and see these amazing spaces for yourselves. :) For more information, visit www.realliving.com.ph/rlspace.