Holiday at Home
We go on holiday most years, often to Australia or the Islands. But after much debate, Charles and I decided to bank the travel savings and use them on improving our home. Thanks to a homewares shopping spree at Albany Mega Centre, staying at home is almost as good as a holiday.
Charles and I often talked about doing up the house but the desire to keep our holiday tradition was too much. I then read online that Kiwis were spending much of their savings from not travelling on improving their home. It got us talking about possibilities, and once we’d imagined a newly redecorated home, it was hard to deny that was what we wanted.
What started late last year as a cosmetic redecoration of the bathrooms and main living areas soon became a major renovation with the addition of the media room, office and home gym. With good careers, and no kids, Charles and I have always seen money as a means of buying happiness.
For the last four months it’s been a bit of a war zone at home with builders and building materials everywhere. It was somewhat disruptive but I enjoyed the challenge of organising it all.
A month ago it was finished with a great sense of accomplishment but very quickly I felt an air of dissatisfaction. All our furniture and knick-knacks just seemed so old and out of place now. It was time to visit Albany Mega Centre to look for new homewares.
We start by thinking about the new bathroom. In Bed, Bath and Beyond I find the most amazing set of cotton bath towels in gorgeous colours. I buy two complete sets with everything from massive bath sheets down to face cloths. One set is in a lush golden spice colour and the other in an aqua marine blue. Just further along, at Briscoes, we find some simple white bathroom wares that will go well with the floor to ceiling white tiles.
A quick trip to One Story gets us a lovely white desk for the new office. And while Charles heads to Noel Leeming, no doubt looking for more ‘boys toys’ for the media room, I’m thinking about homewares for the living room. It has been newly painted in a rich deep blue colour that seems to change as the light moves around it. Last week, we bought a new chocolate brown armchair from Farmers Home that really complements the wall colour.
I head into Adairs. This has always been one of my favourite stores and they have lots of things for the living room. Adairs is looking stunning with lots of autumn colours and floral patterns. It immediately makes me feel happy. I find a beautifully crafted side table made of natural woods, a stunning bamboo mirror and a very tropical looking piece of art. I start to picture how everything would look in our living room, imagining a very exotic setting like something from our trips to Bali. I laugh to myself knowing that I’m compensating for no holiday by recreating one of my favourite holiday destinations.
We make one last stop at Lighting Direct for a pair of upright lamps before heading home. I feel hugely satisfied with everything we’ve bought today. I’ve driven away from the Albany Mega Centre with this feeling many times.
Charles tallies up how much everything we’ve spent on the house has cost and I remind him about the savings we’ve made from not going on holiday. Suddenly, the idea of travel is top of mind again and, with the travel bubble to Australia open, it doesn’t take long for us to decide to take a wee holiday. I’ll need to come back to the Mega Centre next weekend for new holiday leisure wear.