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Bespoke dining set

May 31, 2010

We got our flat unfurnished so we could invest in good old teakwood furniture (which is something Indonesia is known for). Another word for “old” is “recycled.” Basically meaning, they salvage pieces from old houses or furniture. Since new wood has a tendency to crack, then we wanted old wood, because years of proper drying out makes it less likely to warp/crack.  That’s just my train of thought.

BEFORE. Thanks to E for lending us his mom’s old table! It’s saved us from months of eating on the coffee table, while finding the perfect furniture-maker!

AFTER

Two-toned chairs

The side table was especially made for those days I just wanna sit on the couch and watch something on my laptop or work. It tucks perfectly under and over the couch for maximum convenience!

A little rearranging.

We were using makeshift boxes from Friven before as side tables in the bedroom. Now this modern ones are the perfect size for our Acrylic lamps from Bo Concept. Now I’ll just have to figure out a way to tuck away those pesky wires. Thank God for 3M command strip wire organizers!! (The cushion on the floor is our dogs bed hehe)

I love the dark wood finish & modern lines. I highly recommend the furniture-maker! The best thing is now there’s a table fit for all the dishes I cook!

Coming up with more custom-made modern furniture with Danni to fill up our home. I love having stuff made by Danni because:

  • Great english! He’s easy to talk to and he gets me (trust me I’ve talked to many others and there is always a disconnect because of the language barrier).
  • Great customer-service. Very accommodating. We decided the legs of the chair were too high after a week, and he came back with his men to cut them to size for free. And if anything happens to the wood, he can come over and fix it without charge.
  • Communicating via email. He usually sends me a scaled drawing of the furniture so I can see every detail & approve before making it into a 3D, and making it. He can even send a drawing of how it will look like in the room with other furniture. =)
  • Communicating via BBM (Blackberry Messenger) is free and makes it so easy to transmit questions, clarifications & decisions.

Thanks to G for recommending him to us!

*UPDATE: Click here to check out how I totally conquered those pesky wires!

Furniture by DANNI ROESTAM

  • Mobile 0818863326
  • Showroom: Jalan Ir. H. Juanda no 86, Situgintung, Ciputat 15419, Tangerang, Indonesia

19 Comments · Diplo Home, jakarta shopping

Comments

  1. currystrumpet says

    May 31, 2010 at 4:32 AM

    clever side table! i like 🙂

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      May 31, 2010 at 12:42 PM

      Thanks Deeps! Which one did you like, the on in the bedroom or living room? =)

      Reply
  2. G says

    May 31, 2010 at 5:39 AM

    Looks nice!

    Reply
  3. patricia Poco says

    June 4, 2010 at 6:38 AM

    Hey Diplowife! This really inspired me! I showed this to my fiancee. Planning to move in together soon 🙂 We found a really cheap place but with HUGE space! The surrounding neighborhood needs some adjusting to, but I figured if we can fix the place up nice enough, well easily get used to it 🙂 Hehehe. Thanks for the simple yet elegant ideas!

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      June 4, 2010 at 7:53 AM

      You’re most welcome! I do a lot of research & inspiration-finding on on the net, magazines and books before coming up with a design. I am going for modern Filipiniana look but I have yet to order my capiz lamps & accent decor.

      I am allergic to dust & dustmites, that’s why I keep the lines simple and the furni flat on the ground (i.e. sidetables) so it’s easy to clean & no space underneat for dust to hide. Thankfully it’s in line with my personal aesthetics as well.

      The great thing about custom made furni is that you can design it based on you exact needs and the way you use your home. Congratulations!!! So excited for you & your massive space! Good luck!

      Will post more furni as they come! I’m coming up with so many more! =)

      Reply
  4. Kaho says

    December 4, 2010 at 2:58 PM

    Hi! Thanks for providing the link to this post! What a lovely flat you have!! I love seeing before and after. What a transformation!! Our furniture back in the states look very similar to yours except we bought them at IKEA. We lived in a small two bedroom apartment with two kids, so you can imagine how we had to use our space efficiently! You can see the photos of our living room here.
    http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/apartment-solution/

    We live in a furnished house as my husband’s office provides furniture. You can see how I transformed our house from a very bare looking, sort of with no character to that with more of our personalities. It was a challenge as we do not get to have our furniture and furniture speaks a lot about your style of interior designing. I would love to make an entertainment center, so I’ll have to check out Danni!

    Here are the posts about our house transformation as an exchange to the link you gave me to this post!
    Living Room
    http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/before-after-☆-living-room/
    Dining Room
    http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/before-after-☆-dining-room/
    Master Bedroom
    http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/before-after-☆-master-bedroom/

    I also have posts about how I changed our kid’s bedroom and kid’s playroom, but I didn’t want to crowd your comment section.

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      December 5, 2010 at 6:39 PM

      Thanks for the links, I am definitely checking em out! Go for it and post! I would love to see before and after pics of the kids rooms! I love love love IKEA too! Such beautiful pieces at such affordable prices. I just came from a trip to KL last weekend… the main purpose of the weekend trip was to shop in IKEA (LOL!) because you cannot find the same things here or you might but at 5x the price. So we combined shopping with visiting a new country, but I’m disappointed in myself for not maxing out my 60Kg limit! I was 12 or 14 kilos underweight (GASP!) Will do better on our next IKEA run to Singapore on May! =P

      Reply
      • Kaho says

        December 8, 2010 at 6:12 PM

        You’re so lucky!!! I would love to go to KL for IKEA shopping purpose and of course I will do touristy stuff as well. I might not come out from the store though. I LOVE IKEA, too. I can do a lot of damage to our bank account.

        Here’s my kids play room with all IKEA items. This is the room that might best reflect my style in our house as it is furnished with everything we own as opposed to other rooms furnished by the housing.
        http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/kids-play-room/

        This is our girls bedroom.
        http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/before-after-☆-kids-bedroom-2/

        Reply
        • thediplomaticwife says

          December 9, 2010 at 4:19 AM

          My husband is always on the look-out for promo fares on air asia. You wouldn’t believe how much the tickets are! The one for Singapore in May 2011 was 10,000 IDR per roundtrip ticket. Isn’t that insane??? We just make sure to set a budget for how much we will spend on IKEA though and I’m proud to say that in KL we stuck to our budget. And the extra 30KG was also very cheap – around 200,000 idr. It just makes more sense for us, because shopping for home accessories is so much more expensive here. 100usd would get you so much more in IKEA than here in Jakarta.

          Checking out the links now!

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My new favorite nook in the flat « The Diplomatic Wife says:
    June 26, 2010 at 9:00 AM

    […] we got the first of our new custom-made teak furniture delivered, I now have a new favorite spot in the flat: the couch with my new side table. […]

    Reply
  2. Our new custom-built teak hallway furniture « The Diplomatic Wife says:
    December 29, 2010 at 12:51 PM

    […] Check out other furniture Danni made for me here! […]

    Reply
  3. FOR SALE: Solid Teak Dining Set for 6 | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 15, 2012 at 1:12 PM

    […] seems like only yesterday that I had our first pieces furniture custom-built. I was so excited that I even wrote about it here. However due to a series of events, I am having to sell my beloved dining set. Pictures and details […]

    Reply
  4. FEATURED ☆ Our Jakarta DiploHOME on Living ETC Indonesia | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    August 30, 2013 at 9:05 AM

    […] table and some monoblock chairs. After saving up for our car for an entire year, we finally bought our first dining set. We would save for a few months and buy a few more pieces of furniture each time. I know I […]

    Reply
  5. DIPLO HOME ♖ Our bespoke teak hallway furniture | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 7, 2013 at 5:28 PM

    […] Check out other furniture Danni made for me here! […]

    Reply
  6. DIPLO HOME ♖ Media Wall Teaser | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 8, 2013 at 11:18 PM

    […] Dining set + side tables […]

    Reply
  7. DIPLO HOME ♖ Organized Display & Storage in our Jakarta Bedroom | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 22, 2013 at 4:23 PM

    […] you remember how dark our side tables used to be? I asked Danni to strip the color and give it a wax finish to reveal the beautiful wood grains of […]

    Reply
  8. DIPLO HOME: Solid teak filing cabinet + wall-mounted desk | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 27, 2013 at 7:06 PM

    […] Dining set + side tables […]

    Reply
  9. CONTENT TO RENT | Make it Blissful says:
    May 28, 2014 at 12:56 PM

    […] wise words takes self-control, patience and sacrifice. It took me a year before I bought our first dining table. Building a home purposefully gives immense joy even in the simplest action, like sitting down to […]

    Reply
  10. DIPLO DESIGNED: Full-length mirror says:
    August 8, 2014 at 3:52 PM

    […] Our dining table and chairs […]

    Reply

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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DISCLOSURE

I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

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SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE So one really meanin SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE

So one really meaningful part of our trip was @santaclausmainpostoffice which is right outside of @santaclausoffice.

🎄 @diplobaby wrote a postcard for Santa

🎄 He also wrote some postcards to his friends

🎄 I wrote a postcard to @diplobaby to remember our many firsts in this trip.

For the last 2 we were lucky that our hotel @glass_resort  had many FREE POSTCARDS  and STAMPS and we didn’t have to go to the post office. They conveniently sent it for us.

His close friends were happy to receive them and I also loved getting our own post. So cool!

Please don’t forget to LIKE this post to see more family adventures & travel tips!

If Finland is on your bucket list then definitely SAVE THIS!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage #diplobaby #diilofamily
SEEING SANTA Everyday is Christmas Day in @santac SEEING SANTA

Everyday is Christmas Day in @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi! 

While we were walking back to our hotel @glass_resort guess who passed by and was sweet enough to roll down his window to say high.

Roll down for the quick conversation. I’m glad I caught it on camera.

TD was pretty impressed that his car is also red. 😂

Mind you his facial hair looked totally real!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage
NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2: For the 2nd Museum we cho NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2:

For the 2nd Museum we chose
SAINT PETER’S CATHEDRAL ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE

🤍 Impressive cathedral even from the outside. If you are interested in the Church’s history, or even just history, this place is a must!

🤍 Off to the right is the stairs to go to another time, to see the ruins underneath the current cathedral. 

🤍 You get to see what was built here before the cathedral even up to the years before Christ.

🤍 I was really impressed with the mosaic tile flooring

🤍 You can see how Christianity evolved in Geneva over millenia 

🤍 There were a lot of deep wells. I wonder how they dug them out during simpler times? Some people even dropped credit cards. Be careful because once something falls out of your wallet, it’s gone. 

🤍 If you have fear of heights there are parts on the floor where there is a bigger distance from the ruin to the flooring. I got a bit scared in those parts.

🤍 We explained what we learned to @diplobaby and he was very fascinated with it. From the coins of the old days, the combs, how baptisms were done and how old these things were… he soaked it all up.

🤍 It’s so important not to underestimate our kids. If we share what we read and explain things to them even a museum like this is interesting. 

🤍 When we got out at 11, we walked back to the shuttle to get back to TD’s office. We saw some things like canons that made us realize how little we have explored of @ville_de_geneve! Must come back for more!

🤍 shuttle was like a private bus coz there were only 2 other people with us!

Night at the Museums is a great way to explore the city on a budget!
#UDWinGeneva #diplobaby #diplofamily #undiplomaticwife
NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 1: Last 13 May we went with NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 1:

Last 13 May we went with some colleagues & their families to check out Night in the Museums for the first time!

A FEW TIPS:

🤍 Doing the “Nuit des musées” is another way to see more museums in Geneva on a budget.

🤍 To avoid long lines, you can buy tickets online for chf10/adult. Kids are FREE.

🤍 BUT you might not get the pink lanyard/ID if the museums run out. No worries, nobody checked us.

🤍 Included in your ticket are FREE shuttle buses to take you from different points to another. So no need to buy regular train/tram tickets.

🤍 There are less people in the shuttles too, so this is good if you don’t like crowds. 

🤍 It starts at 5pm & ends at 12mn. But some museums close earlier

🤍 This year we started at 7pm and only got 2 museums done. If you get 2 in one night, it’s already worth it. 

🤍 Next year we will definitely start at 5 to see more museums.

🤍 And it’s better to schedule & book where you will have dinner, otherwise everything is totally full. 

🤍 For our group of about 20 (coz we were with 2 other families) we were able to get tables at McDonalds. 

🤍 If it’s rainy, use a lightweight hooded down jacket that can easily be folded like our favorite @uniqlo UltraLightDown Jacket. The cool thing about it is if you have not time to go to a coat check, you can roll it into it’s own bag.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM @museum.geneve 

✨ We prioritized this because we knew the kids would love learning about the animals, the environment and even the crystals.

✨ It’s interesting because it’s also interactive. 

✨ It’s small but packs a punch and has several floors so the kids didn’t even want to leave. 

So happy we are exploring @ville_de_geneve more!

#UDWinGeneva #diplobaby #diplofamily #undiplomaticwife
TRUFFLE TIPS When buying truffle products, it’s TRUFFLE TIPS

When buying truffle products, it’s important to know what you are buying. I’m not an expert but I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned over the years. 

Did you know that many TRUFFLE OILS only contain faux truffle flavoring?

⚡️Try to buy oils that contain small truffle bits to know that it’s a genuine truffle infusion. 

⚡️If the oil is clear (or even if it’s not), it’s important to read the ingredients list & make sure that it lists truffle/truffle infusion as an ingredient. 

⚡️Truffle flavor(ing) is not real truffle.

⚡️Black truffle is more common & cheaper than white truffle.

⚡️TRUFFLE SALT is cheaper but less flavorful than truffle oil. It’s great to layer on top of truffle oil when making truffle popcorn, eggs or pasta. But used alone the flavor isn’t as strong as time goes by. It’s good bang for buck though!

⚡️TRUFFLE POWDER is nice to have to give that truffle color, but not a must. It’s also more expensive coz it’s pure dried truffle.

Swipe to see how much we get them for at @tkmaxxat. We always go to @tkmaxxde when we go to Germany to get fancy things to fit within our limited budget.

As for the @turci_firenze traditionally infused truffle oil, we get them at an affordable price in @elcorteingles when we are in Madrid.

We don’t have it all the time, but when we want to treat ourselves at home we make our favorites:

1. Truffle popcorn for movie nights
2. Truffle scrambled eggs for weekends
3. Truffle cream pasta for special meals

What are your other truffle tips?

What are your favorite truffle dishes? #diplotummy
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