The first of these photos is the desk in the corner of my home office where I spend a lot of my time. The laptop is the one I've been provided with by my employers - my own is one of those beautiful wide-screen Sony Vaio's - and the telephone has since been upgraded with a digital cordless one. I'm a bloke, so it's important to get that information in at the start. The desk is by the window that looks out onto the garden, and it's quite new, in a light beech finish. Behind it, on the facing wall, is a run of light beech shelving supported by matt aluminium upstands. The shelving has lots of books, all my CD's, one of my hi-fi systems (a little TEAC micro system, but quite powerful) and a Sony flat-panel TV. Oh yes, and the children's Playstation 2. I suppose you could say it's a kind of "designer" office, which would be about right as I'm a bit of a design victim.
Now, here's the thing. A few days ago I bought three office cabinets on EBay. They're made by Kinnarps (Swedish, and a top manufacturer of office furniture) and were described as light beech finish (well, they look like beech in the photos) and as-new condition. I paid £150 including delivery, and I reckon, when new, they would have been about £300 each. Not bad, then. Well, they arrived at 7am this morning. Not only are they not light beech - they're more of an oak finish - but they're all really badly marked. They've changed the whole look of my office, and I'm very, very, very cross about it. My feng-shui is fucked, and I'm no longer sitting in designer heaven.The lesson here, of course, is to use EBay sensibly. I got myself so excited about it that I pushed all my usual questions to one side and just bought the damn things. And they are pretty functional, they just don't look very nice. (Resists temptation to make joke about women at this point.) Oh well... better start doing some work, and prepare myself for a little HNT in my next post. I need another coffee...
29 comments:
Your feng-shui is fucked and you didn't get kissed? Poor dear!
I just hate when I buy things off eBay and they are not what I had in mind. It's amazing how photos lie due to lighting and such. Now we know why no one looks like the pics we saw online for dating...lol.
It's a good thing you refrained from the "women comment," seeing as how the vast majority of your readers/fans are women!
I'm hoping for a bicep/forearm shot for HNT!
Oh, and if you'd prefer me not to be Anon...choose me a name to use here. ;-)
Anon, thanks for the sympathy, and yes - I know when to shut up :-)
As for the other things you mentioned... well, my next HNT, coincidentally, may be just what you're after. I hope you like it anyway. As for a name for you - well, I've had a little think about it, and kind of like "yoursecret". What do you reckon?
I reckon I should go to bed! Oh wait, that's not what you meant. "Yoursecret" sounds so mysterious and has a much better ring to it that "anon"...lol. So, that I shall be, yoursecret. ;-)
i've had both good and bad luck on eBay.
I'd contact the seller and tell them they misrepresented the item. Maybe they'll refund you partial paid. If not, leave a neutral feedback...that'll teach 'em.
hey WDKY, do u really believe in feng-shui? or was it just for the title of ur post?
Kimmy, I have. He's said he'll look out some that are in better condition and get them shipped down to me as soon as he can. Oh well...
Check - yes and no. Or rather, I believe that the environment in which we surround ourelves has a profound effect on our mood; and our mood has a profound effect on everything else. I guess there's an element of feng-shui in there somewhere?
I've never, ever even been on ebay...
Bless...
Sweetie have you contacted the seller? Believe it or not most sellers are very accomodating when the auction doesn't really reflect what they are selling.
I have Sky. We'll see what he comes up with :-(
I love ebay myself....but I'm careful at what I get. I just actually got some egyptian papyrus with watercolors...oh and some other stuff *looking around whistling* Hope you get different cabinets and it all works out.
Sirreene slept with her ebay seller!? *gasp*
Sirreene...
1) You picked it up and it was fine.
2) You saw it and it was such crap you didn't buy it.
3) You offered to pick it up and he made some excuse about selling it to you.
4) You met, looked into each others eyes, and commenced a long and intense affair.
5) (I could go on...)
LL - see above :-)
Don't think I can do a damn ting abot the light beech finish judging by the pic, but a quick sand and varnish should sort the marks.
I feel your pain by the way. I bought a DVD player that should have had a green neon glow under it. Would have suited lovely. It doesn't. It's blue. It's totally cocked up the ambience in my bedroom.
But for a tenner, what did I expect?
Nukie, you're quite right... maybe something to bite the children's hands just as they reach towards the cupboard with all my "acquired" staitonery supplies would be ideal? (By the way, I've set some time aside tonight to record for you.)
SL, I really do understand the impact a blue glow can have when you're expecting it to be green... I bought an amplified aerial for my bedroom hi-fi and the tiny red LED that indicates the power is on has the same effect. But for a tenner? Hey, any colour is good, I'd say
From what I can see of the painting above your desk, it's fabulous! I love the wonderful colors and dreaminess of it. I want to see the whole thing!
I'm absolutely no help at all - I tend to like mix-and-match. In fact, looking around my room right now, I don't see a single thing that goes with anything else - yet, it all works for me.
I worked at a Chinese history museum and we had to feng-shui the offices, gift shop & even the the theater. While I don't totally "believe" in feng-shui, I do like a certain ambience to an office. I want comfort but not too much. Judging by the pics your office looks to have a "coolness" about it. As in calming.
I would be beyond pissed about the filing cabinents. If you wanted thrift store, you would have went.
blech - So sorry to hear about it.
Cat, thanks - check your email.
Ruthie - I'm a little upset, but I'm going to wait and see what happens now. I agree about ambiance, by the way. The office is... well, was, pretty calming too.
I'm pretty good with my hands....I could come refinish them for you. :-)
Thanks, although it wouldn't be the first finishing-off with hands that I've experienced :-)
If I showed you my office you'd say "I didn't know a bar could have perfect feng shui?"
Ahh but it can, it can!
When in doubt do as I do, go to Ikea.
How annoying, you have this peacable designer dream about how it's going to be, and ebay shits on you. **Fume** send them over to me, actually I'm useless with loopy ebayers. The amount of rubbish being flogged. We start to play and completely forget the value of money. I've done that in all sorts of places, or my ( whichever) man has, and happily lost £300.00 quid, but didn't land up with some pointless furniture? The opposite in fact ;-)
KOW, the ironic thing is I found just what I wanted in the Ikea catalogue. Then I went onto eBay :-(
FJL, I actually think that a piece of your mind would do them good :-)
Ebay scares me. I'm sorry to hear that you got ripped off.
twice bitten now, will it make you shy of e bay?
Blue, Zooz - I'm an eBay junkie. I just need some professional help, and then I'll be fine.
I think my feng-shui got fucked at birth....
I like the minimalist look. One suggestion - feng shui says to place your desk so that your back is not to the door so as not to make yourself vulnerable to enemies.
As for the cabinets...perhaps you could add a folding screen and keep them behind that? Or, the harder way, sandpaper and some new stain/varnish.
Oh you poor darling. I know exactly what you mean. It's about aesthetic appeal and that would bug the shit out of me. Maybe you can resell them?
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