Categories
Design Personal

My apartment makeover

Back in April I bought the Bang & Olufsen A9 sound system for my apartment. The A9 had looked so beautiful in the store but when it came time to take photos of it for my blog I just couldn’t make it look good which is why I ended up using stock photos from their website instead. I realized I couldn’t make it look good because my apartment looked horrible. Around the same time I was invited by the team at West Elm in Avenues to pass by and check out their store. I had only passed by the store from outside before and had gotten the impression it was an expensive brand so never really went in. But on that day I got shown around the place and I just fell in love with everything since their furniture had a very New York loft feel. Then I found out their prices were slightly more expensive than IKEA but less than THE One and it hit me, I needed a makeover. My apartment was looking outdated and I needed a fresh start anyway with my recent divorce and all so I asked them if they’d be interested in doing a makeover and they liked the idea. Last week I finally had everything done.

My apartment is a beautiful duplex located in one of my favorite places in Kuwait, the old Salmiya shopping street. The apartment has very nice space and a lot of potential but wasn’t getting any TLC. When I first moved in I was broke and couldn’t afford to furnish it properly and then later when I did have money I was spending it all on my apartment in Lebanon. Not only that but the walls had the most horrible colors that somehow seemed like a good idea years ago. The first thing I did when West Elm came over to check my place out was let them know what my issues were with the current setup and what I was expecting from the makeover. For example my living space had enough seating for around 5 people so when my friends were coming over I wouldn’t have enough space for everyone and the space I already had was very focused around the TV. I couldn’t have big lunches or dinners at my place either since my dinning room table fit only 4 people. I hated the lights in my apartment, I hated my kitchen which was an ugly purple and my living space was a bright magenta (it was a phase I went through so don’t judge me) which I honestly couldn’t stand anymore. I didn’t want a TV in my new space because I thought having a TV would be anti social plus I already had a TV room upstairs. I wanted the space to be very social and one that could hold a lot of people. Usually when people come over the groups are divided between the kitchen and the living space so I wanted people sitting in the living space to be facing the kitchen so they’re more connected. Finally I needed to have my iMac downstairs because I do most of my work on my iMac and I didn’t want to take any work with me upstairs. Based on those criteria’s we sat down and decided what we were going to do.

The first thing we decided on obviously was to change the color of the walls. They recommended I go with a dark grey which I was hesitant to at first but now I’m so glad I did. I also ended up ordering really beautiful Orla Kiely wallpaper to add a bit of color to the walls. I’ve loved Orla Kiely’s stem patterns for a very long time and figured it would give a slightly retro feel to the space which it did. I’ve also always loved baby blue walls and thought it would match perfectly with my KitchenAid Mixer so I had my kitchen painted a baby blue. I actually ended up repainting my whole apartment including my bedroom and my TV room since after I saw what a big difference it made to my space downstairs I wanted to change everything.

On my first visit to the West Elm store the first thing that caught my eye was an incredible bookcase/sculpture they had on display. I right away asked them about it and they told me it wasn’t for sale and that it was actually built by one of their talented employees out of wood recycled from their crates. It was love at first sight and I knew I had to have it. So after nagging them about it they finally told me I could take it. This was going to be the centerpiece to my living space. It was just insane looking, it wasn’t perfect, it had flaws and it was all over the place but that’s who I was and that’s why I needed this.

For the couch we decided to go with the Tillary 8-piece Sectional. It was comfortable, cozy and it would fit perfectly in my space while holding a lot of people. It came in a bunch of colors but I wanted grey which I thought was very bachelor pad’ish and worked well with the wallpaper and the black glossy floor. For the dinning room table we went with the Parker Dining Table. I liked it because it was minimal while still looking slightly retro like my wallpaper and it was also expandable so it could hold 6 people when closed and 8 when open. To give the table a funky touch we chose the John Vogel designed chairs and got matching barstool versions to use with my kitchen bar. Finally the accessories and lights, they had a ton to choose from and other than the lights I let them decide on the accessories for me and damn what a difference the accessories make. The rugs and the random accessories on my tables all around the apartment just give the place such a warm and cozy feel.

I can’t believe how my place looks so different after the makeover. I still need to buy my dinnerware and a few more accessories from them but the overall look is done. The difference is night and day and I now love spending time chilling on my couch listening to music while browsing on my iPad or hanging out with friends. Friends are also loving the fact that I don’t have a TV in the space since without it all the attention goes on socializing. To think all this started because of my Bang & Olufsen A9. I just wanted it to look good at home and I ended up getting a whole makeover done around it. Now my A9 looks like it was made for the space and the bookcase looks like it was built around it. If you’re interested in checking them out, West Elm is located in Avenues Phase III near Harvey Nichols and opposite Life with Cacao. Here is a link to their [Facebook Page]

Photos of the bookcase and accessories were taken by the super talented @tammyque




Categories
People

The old photographer

Those of you who’ve been following my blog for awhile will remember the story about the old photographer in Kuwait City. If you don’t this old post of mine has links to all the previous posts on him [Link]

On my way to the original Kuwait Bookshop last night I decided to pass by and see if the old photographer was still there. I tried passing by a few times over the years but the store was always closed when I did. Last night he was there. I walked into the store and said hello, right away he made me sit down in the one chair in the store while he stood next t ome. The store was a mess with papers, photos and boxes lying around everywhere. The store was no longer functioning, he wasn’t developing photos or doing photocopies, or selling anything for that matter. He asked me who I was, I wasn’t expecting him to remember me since he’s 92 years old and he as expected he didn’t. I asked him what had happened to his collection of old cameras and he told me they were stolen awhile back. He then proceeded to tell me about how he was robbed of KD15 as well. I was having difficulty trying to understand what he was saying since he was kind of all over the place. While sitting in the chair I noticed some old black and white photos of a fire in the city taken back in what could be the 60s. He had previously told me he had sold all his photos but I guess there must be some random ones lying around the place.

I couldn’t stay long and had to leave but I asked him if he needed anything and he told me if I knew of someone decent who could come and clean up the store for him. Someone who wouldn’t steal from him. I told him I’d get it sorted and come by next week.

I figured I could go to the store with some volunteers and just tidy the place up and throw out the garbage. I wouldn’t want someone else to do it since they might end up throwing out his old photos which I think should be preserved. Now I’m not good at organizing cleanups, I’ve never actually organized anything before (I think) but if anyone wants to come and help me clean up and tidy his store next Sunday or Tuesday evening then [Email Me]

On a side note I have no idea what else can be done to help him out. He clearly needs someone to take care of him and he has no one…




Categories
50s to 90s Mags & Books

The original Kuwait Bookshop

Everyone knows about the Kuwait Bookshop located in the basement of Muthana Complex but not a lot of people know of the one located near the Sheraton roundabout. The Kuwait Bookshop at the Sheraton roundabout is their original location and has been there since the 1960s. I passed by last night with a friend and we ended up picking up a couple of books. Their top floor is full of old stuff and you can even find prints from the 70s just sitting on the shelves untouched and covered in dust. If you’ve never passed by there you should before the building ends up getting demolished. They’re located right on the Sheraton roundabout in Kuwait City to the right of Al Sawan Travels.

Note: The pictures in this post date back to 2010




Categories
Funny Music

Arab Times drew some pants on Miley


[Source]

At least the color matches with her backup dancers.

Thanks Ahmed via




Categories
Events

Event: Japanese Pop Culture Festival

A Japanese Pop Culture Festival will be held at the National Library of Kuwait on September 12 and 13 in corporation with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Japanese Embassy. The Festival will include various events, among them will be a Shadowloo Showdown qualifier, Anime drawing contest, figure drawing contest and a cosplay contest.

Date: Thursday September 12 and Friday September 13, 2013
Time: 6PM
Location: National Library of Kuwait

Shadowloo Showdown includes the following games: Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition ver. 2012, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, King of Fighters XIII. To sign up to it or for more information on this festival visit this [Link]

via 360dewan




Categories
Information Kuwait

Kuwait a better place to live in

Kuwait is one of the top 10 biggest improving cities according to the latest Liveability report by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The rank is calculated based on 30 factors spread out across five categories: stability, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and culture and environment. Check out the article [Here]

Thanks Bassem




Categories
Food Healthier Lifestyle

Finding Quinoa

Since Sultan Center keeps running out of quinoa, here is a tip. You can buy quinoa locally online from natureland.net. They’re never out of stock. [Link]




Categories
Events Sports

Event: Skatepark Scooter Competition

This coming Friday August 30th you can compete in the Skatepark Scooter Competition. There will be two categories, amateur and beginners. Registration is available at Skatepark and entry cost KD3.5 per person. There will be prizes.

Date: Friday August 30th, 2013
Time: 5PM
Location: Marina Skatepark

For more information call Carlos on 99059203




Categories
Kuwait Law

Kuwait Law: Sexual Crimes

Last week I was helping out a friend with a university project related to sexual crimes under Kuwait’s Penal Law and I thought it would be something interesting to share on the blog as well because there’s a lot of confusion on the subject. Whether you or I agree or do not agree with the law, please stay safe and legal readers.

Note: Where I have written a person is guilty and age does not matter, that means the age does not matter for the crime to occur. That does not mean the person gets punished if underaged, instead juvenile laws are followed.




Categories
Food

Top 10 Restaurants in Kuwait

1- Caribbean Hut Restaurant
2- Tatami
3- Mais Alghanim
4- Al Boom Steak and Seafood
5- Edo
6- The Chocolate Bar
7- Fish Market
8- Solo Pizza Napolitana
9- Maki
10- Slider Station

That top 10 list is based on Trip Advisor and even though I don’t think I agree with it, I’m having trouble putting together my top 5 list yet alone top 10. My #1 would be Open Flame Kitchen but after that things get blurry. Whats your top 5 list?




Categories
Animals & Wildlife News

Plan to ban wild animals

The Interior Ministry in cooperation with the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) is said to be looking for ‘pet’ wild animals which put at risk the lives of citizens and residents, reports Al- Anba daily. The authorities have called on residents and citizens to notify them if they are aware of any wild animals in their vicinity. The daily added, the authorities plan to confiscate wild (pet) animals and punish their keepers.

This is done in the best interests and safety of the people. The sources added the Kuwaiti Penal Code punishes those who neglect animals and the civil law punishes the owner by forcing him to compensate the victim if attacked by the wild animal.

The source pointed the concerned authorities have received several complaints accusing people of breeding wild animals such as tigers, lions and crocodiles. Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti man shot dead a crocodile with a bullet to his head after the reptile crept into his house recently in Salwa, reports Al-Rai daily.

According to reports the man was at work and his maid called him to say she could not enter the house because a big lizard was in the doorway. The man rushed home and found the ‘pet’ crocodile which had reportedly escaped from its keep from a neighboring house. [Source]

It’s about damn time.

via desertgirl




Categories
Automotive News

Stolen car found behind police station

A car that was stolen four months back was found not by the police parked behind a police station. Hilarious. [Link]




Categories
Automotive

Take the Kuwaiti online driving test

I scored a 17 surprisingly. The hardest part was trying to understand the poorly translated questions. [Link]




Categories
Videos

Khairan with a drone

Another video shot with a drone, this time in Khairan. [YouTube]




Categories
Food

My favorite salmon dish

Had a great salmon dish today and I think its currently my favorite salmon dish in Kuwait. Surprisingly I had it at The ONE restaurant in Marina Mall. Who would have figured.

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