If I were an interior decorator, I’d probably drive the architect nuts with my specifications. Fortunately for them, I’m not. So it was just me that I drove crazy when we were buying accessories last year prior to moving to this house. I was so particular about everything that I started wondering if I was a control freak. Not just any pendant lamp would do for the stairs, not just any table lamp and floor lamp would do for the living room, not just any piece of furniture, not just any color for the walls…
Down to the minutest detail, my specifications had to be satisfied — even with the door knobs, cabinet door handles and drawer pullers. Because I wouldn’t delegate the job of choosing them to the real estate people, Speedy and I had to comb through the home depots and builders’ supply stores to find something that would satisfy me. No white metals (they remind me too much of surgical tools), no bright shiny golds (overly bejeweled matrons come to mind) and definitely no antique/filigree style designs (eeeww). I wanted clean lines with brushed brass finish. It took a long time and several trips to various stores to find what I wanted and I wasn’t even fully satisfied.
I would have preferred that everything matched but the harsh and maddening reality was that every time I saw a design I liked, there wouldn’t be enough stocks. I remember going to Ace Hardware at SM Megamall, immediately spotted a drop dead gorgeous cabinet door handle, only to be told that only three pieces remained in stock. So, I had to make second, then third, choices. And there still weren’t enough stocks. It was tempting to tell the store manager to shut down the store but that wouldn’t have helped me. So, I had to buy the cabinet door handles and drawer pullers in several designs.
That’s the reality of shopping for home accessories in the Philippines. Unless you’re willing to order the stuff and go back to the store again and again (and you can’t even be sure if your orders will arrive on schedule, or even arrive at all), you have to content yourself with what’s available. The trouble really is that manufacturers and importers don’t sell directly. They sell to dealers who sell to wholesalers who sell to retailers who sell to the public. When the retailer says they’ll order an out-of-stock item for you, that means they’ll get in touch with the wholesaler who may not have the item in stock so he’ll have to go to the dealer and so freaking on, and so bloody forth. No online ordering either. To make a long story short, at least, I did manage to get everything all in the same brushed brass finish.
Above and below, the round handles for some of the overhead kitchen cabinets and the shoe cabinets.
Above, the interior door knob of the front door.
The matching dead bolt and handle on the outside.
Above, the door handle with lock on all bedroom doors. Got these, as well as the front door set, from Wilcon Builders. That’s our bedroom door above…
… and that is Sam’s. Yes, yes, a red door. Her room has a black, white and red motif and it looks fantastic.
The same door handle went into all other interior doors including the one the leads to to second floor veranda, above. Unlike Ace Hardware where there weren’t enough stocks of anything, Wilcon had sufficient stocks so that all interior doors have the same handles. I mean, wouldn’t it look awful if the doors in the same corridor all had different handles?
Above, what went into the doors of some closets and the rest of the overhead kitchen cabinets.
That’s the design I liked most, but there were less than a dozen pieces left at Ace hardware, so they could only go on the drawers of the kitchen island.
When we furnished the study/office, the custom made book shelves, drawers and desks came with handles and pullers. Fortunately for me, despite my disappointment with the quality of the woodwork, the handles and pullers went with the color and motif of the rest of the handles and pullers that we had previously installed all around the house.
It’s not like everything’s complete. There are still some cabinet doors without handles (told you, stores don’t often have stocks) while the others have the old stuff that came with the house. I’m hoping that I can complete all the handles and pullers, and have them installed, before the end of the year.
Same here in Chile. We have the same problem when we buy or order things. If the lack of variety is not the problem then it’d be the terrible service. My husband always hits the roof, which is funny because he’s Chilean. I guess we got spoiled in Japan where we lived for a long time. Excellent variety and service over there.
Naku, service is another thing. I don’t know how they train sales people these days but I really hate talking to sales personnel who don’t know the products they’re selling. We bought a pendant lamp and we were assured that use those energy saving lights but when we got home, turned out that only incandescent bulbs could be used. Sus.
Didn’t you drive Speedy crazy when you two were looking for household stuff? I drove my husband nuts when we were decorating our house. Like nung naghahanap kami ng vanity lamp, we went to every store we could think of pero wala akong makitang gusto ko. Tinanong niya ako kung ano daw bang klase hinahanap ko…ang sagot ko hindi ko alam. Basta, I’ll know when I see it. Nakakasalawahan kasi sa sobrang dami ng choices. Hate na hate pa naman niya ang shopping (kapag hindi electronics niya ang bibilin).
LOL He takes longer choosing things. And he’s forever comparing prices. Actually, he’s the once who drives me crazy hahaha
Thank goodness, you’re not our client! That’s the reason why we just concentrate on commercial interiors and don’t go into domestic – there are 1001 things that the typical homeowner would like to have and it’s all subjective. What could be beautiful for you could be the pits for me and vice versa. But yeah, you got cool taste for those handles/knobs. Why didn’t you try Wilcon – seems like they got everything there in their sprawling warehouse. Am surprised Ikea hasn’t opened yet in Manila. Now that would solve your problem! Btw, lemme send you the new 2010 copy once available soon. Pero hanggang tingin ka lang ha!
We did go to Wilcon’s. We got the front door set and interior door handles from them. And, yes, they had them in stock so, at least, our door handles all match. It’s the darn cabinet door and drawer pullers that were problematic and even Wilcon’s didn’t have designs I liked.
Al, we moved ha. I’ll email you. The ones you sent before until now, I still pore over them. hehehehe Thanks
Yup, I agree with you… as my husband is an architect… when it comes to the finishing stage of construction…ayun na, mas lalong nakakahilo, especially if a client is mabusisi.
And as for Connie’s taste in the handles and knobs—yes, again — I agree she has not just good taste, but one with quiet elegance.
I laughed after I read this because I am the same thing. I like contemporary style stuff and it has to match everything, including locks etc. Luckily, we have lots of stores to choose from here in the US. I am not looking forward in shopping for those things when we start building our house in Bohol. Cguro pwede ipdala sa balikbayan box na lang
And you can even order online and return them if you don’t like them, right? So, SO different in the Third World. LOL
Yup, order it online and return it (they dont question you at all) if you dont like it. Some people even return stuff khit walang receipt. I am really thinking it might be worth it to just ship stuff to the Phil.
Plus, one can ask for replacement without additional charge. It happened to me when the plumber mixed up all the shower parts and I know it was complete because I inspected them. We told the plumber to deduct the cost of the missing part against his billing but he told us just to ask for a replacement from the supplier and we were suprised. Just thinking though it was a waste because of sloppiness.
PS. I used lever door handles too. It is easy and functional especially when you have groceries in both hands.
Ms. Connie, that’s one of the things the husband and I disagreed on when we were decorating the house. I didn’t want to settle for a choice just bec. the ones I loved didn’t have enough stocks. So, ang ending, until now, 5 years later, mismatched pa rin ang handles and some cabinets have none. That’s the precise moment I realized that I am a control freak.And don’t even get me started on bathroom accessories, mababaliw ang asawa ko.
We have the same front door handle. I like the last handle best.
You’d think cabinet door handles would be easy to buy ano? And that there’d be a wide array of choices. But the moment you start going to the shops and counting the pieces they have in stock, nakaka-shock to hear that they don’t have enough stocks.
Ms. Connie, the faucet in one of our sinks has to replaced bec.of a leak. Lo and behold, the brand (HCG) cannot be found in any ACE Hardware, Wilcon, Home Depot. Grabe, only an HCG store in Makati City has stocks.
Off-topic but you might find it useful: there’s this store in 168 which has lots and lots of cheap but beautiful curtains and curtain rods. That’s one of the things my sister and I lament these days, how expensive curtain rods are.
Naku, sinabi mo. When I bought curtain rods I thought I was buying curtains already with the price! And they’re not even exceptionally attractive.
Hehe Ms Connie, kaya I stopped going to houseware stores kasi I would fret about the crazy prizes, yun bang may gusto kang bilhin but feeling mo you’re being held up if you buy it.
My wife and I have withdrawal symptoms from Great Indoors and Expo Design centers. Once you see the array of wonderful household accessories, your brain lit up and your pocket burned. We agreed never to go inside on those places again after spending fortune on renovations.
I was in Wilcon last night and I felt like I was in interior-design heaven. Too bad the pocket can only accomodate so much.
I just hope these stores would put stickers of “no stock available” on those materials low on stock. After choosing and choosing, saka ka lang sasabihan na “ay out of stock po.”
Thank goodness, you’re not our client! That’s the reason why we just concentrate on commercial interiors and don’t go into domestic – there are 1001 things that the typical homeowner would like to have and it’s all subjective. What could be beautiful for you could be the pits for me and vice versa. But yeah, you got cool taste for those handles/knobs. Why didn’t you try Wilcon – seems like they got everything there in their sprawling warehouse.
Regalhomesource.com offers a wide variety of cabinet door knobs and handles made by many brand named manufacturers such as Century Hardware, Cliffside Industries, Cool Lines USA, and Siro Designs.
The front door and interior door sets were bought at Wilcon. But Wilcon didn’t have a great line of drawer and cabinet door pullers. I see you’re marketing your site but do you deliver to the Philippines?
Through you championing details. It helped me in my assignment