With only 45 days until we get the keys I am stepping up the decoration plans for Number Seventy Five.

Today closed out the search on two items I have been hunting for:

1) I really wanted vintage botanical prints in postcard or A4 size to hang in a group above the bedroom. The kind of prints you see absolutely everywhere along the banks of the Seine at 10 Euros a pop. This presented two problems, firstly, no trips to Paris planned (sob). Secondly, I am way to cheap to spend 10 Euros + frame costs each for a group of 8-12 prints. Then today, via isuwanee, I discover Vintage Printable. Vintage Printable provides public domain antique scientific, naturalist, and other images for you to print or download. All.For.Free. Success.

2) Having lived in rentals since I left home at 18 I have never been able to hang pictures without fear of losing my rental deposit. One of the most exciting things about Number 75 is I get to hang what I damn well please on the walls (mwahahaha!). And what I really want is a map wall. Specifically, this map wall, which I found via Centsational Girl. Do you think the fact that it is currently 20% off will help me swallow the $50 shipping charge. $50... $50... Dammit.

We have no furniture. We moved to the Netherlands into furnished accommodation and stayed that way. Now that we have bought Number Seventy Five we need furniture. Quite a lot of it. Which is fine. When we decided to buy a place we sat down and worked out what we would need and how much it would probably cost. The money is put aside (no credit cards for us) and we are eagerly awaiting our spending days.

Early on we knew we wanted to splurge on key pieces. By splurge I mean get great deals on things we liked. In the Netherlands it can take up to 12 weeks to get furniture from purchase to delivery so we began our research early. We found a good promotion on the sofa and armchair w wanted which reduced the price by 800 Euros. To good to miss we talked to the firm and were told that if we ordered now and paid a deposit we would get the promotion price and they would deliver it in July when we move in.

Fantastic, we thought, and handed over the deposit. I knew it had been too easy.

Last week both the Husband and I had missed calls on our phones and voicemails asking us to call about our sofa. A sense of impending doom commenced.

Today I had the following conversation with the furniture company.

Me: Hello
Sofa Person (SP): $MyName? This is $Furniture Company about your sofa.
Me: Ok
SP: Your sofa is ready. We would like to arrange delivery
Me: I don't need the sofa until July. I don't want it delivered now.
SP: Sorry?
Me: I ordered the sofa to be delivered in July, not now.
SP: Oh, but, oh. Well you need to pay for it in full in week 27
Me: When is week 27? What date?
SP: and then it will be delivered to (name of storage place, can't remember) and you will be charged 10 Euros a week for storage.
Me: No.
SP: Sorry?
Me: I ordered the sofa in February, during a promotion with the agreement that it would not be delivered until the week commencing 13th July. We were not told at any point that we would have to pay for storage.
SP: Well the store should have told you.
Me: Well they didn't. I wouldn't have bought the sofa in February on promotion if I was going to be charged storage fees.
SP: Well it is company policy.
Me: That is not my problem. We were not...

SP starts talking

Me: No. Stop. I am telling you now that we were never informed of this. We ordered a sofa for the week commencing 13th July. We were told that we would be contacted in June to arrange delivery. I would like my sofa delivered in July. I am not paying for storage.
SP: The shop should have told you, they made a mistake.
Me: Yes, but I didn't make the mistake. I am your customer, it is not my responsibility to know your company policy, it is your store's responsibility.
SP: But my order book is not open for July. It is too far in advance.
Me: Well why don't you call me back in June?
SP: Uh... um... ok, so I call you back in June?
Me: Yes. Call me back in June *big huge sigh*. Goodbye.

This is just the first piece of furniture. This does not bode well.

So once upon a time Chez Larsson posted about her wardrobe and it had these amazing doors, which she had cleverly done herself.

Image from Chez Larsson

Courtney liked the design so much she made a tutorial about it.

Image from Modern Homebody

Apartment Therapy liked it so much they featured it.

Anneliese liked it so much she painted her whole hall that way

Image from Apartment #412

Which is where I found it and promptly fell in love with it. I see it working either in the downstairs bathroom (if I decide on partial tiling only) or as a feature wall in the living room in a medium grey. Planning, planning...