Saturday, August 25, 2007

A Pictorial Journey Through Four Wings Apt. 18C

To give you an idea of how we're living these days, here are a few photos of our apartment here in Bangkok.

Here's the front door from the other side.


This is our living room. The building supplied the couch and easy chairs; we were lucky to get the cream upholstery, which makes for easy decorating. We had the walls in this room painted and were very pleased with the results. We still have a few things to hang on the walls, once we find them. We're also considering a carpet for this room. There was no possibility to remove the built-in shelving unit -- "the Monstrosity" -- so we've tried to disguise it as best we can.


The TV room is where we spend much of our time. As you can see from the view, we're right in the middle of downtown. We were happy to figure out an arrangement in which the TV is hidden unless you're actually sitting on the couch to watch it. This was set up as a formal dining room, but we had the building management take out the dining room table and chairs. (We don't "dine" very often.)


The kitchen is small but functional. There's a storage pantry just off the kitchen. We have to use a water cooler because the tap water in Bangkok is definitely not safe.


A hallway leads back to the three bedrooms and bathrooms. The carpet is made from yak wool; Patrick got it from a Nepali carpet maker who works with Tibetan refugees.




This is our music room / office / spare-bedroom-in-emergencies. We turned the twin bed into a daybed for lounging. It's been a lot of fun to play with color in this room.


Here's our guest bedroom. This is the room we've spent the most time trying to fix up, including tailor-made bedlinens and curtains, and cool tribal cushions from a hill tribe in northern Thailand. The mirror on the left-hand side wall is a reproduction of a traditional Nepali carved window.


As you can see, the guest bathroom is spare but very clean. Each of the three bathrooms has a sink, toilet, and full bathtub with shower attachment. Each also has its own water heater, so we never have any problems with running out of hot water ... not that there are any cold mornings in Bangkok!



Our bedroom needs the most work. The curtains are a distressing splotchy battleship grey, made from some sort of weird acrylic. We'll eventually replace them, get a bed skirt made, and hang something above the head of the bed. At least we got rid of the hideous Embassy-issued lamps.


It's a great apartment -- just the right size for us. We're really happy here, and it's such a pleasure to come home to a cozy place like Four Wings 18C!

4 comments:

Carmi said...

Hi Jen & Patrick! Your apartment is great! I love the view from two sides you have in your living area.

Unknown said...

What a great apartment! It's very beautiful and the view looks great. I guess you haven't invested in a telescope yet...

Not sure that I could live with a kitchen that small. As a frequent baker, I have to have my space, but then again... the superior will find a way to make it work.

Glad to hear that things are going well. All I can say is that with those beautiful floors, I would be sliding around in my socks all the time... WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Lorena Duncan, MFT said...

Hey Jen and Patrick, nice to see your new digs. Ike and I had a lovely visit in NC and while there celebrated Karen's birthday. We also caught up on THE BLOG courtesy of your momma,Jen.

Of course, when your brother saw "the monstrosity," like any good southern boy he said, "Well that just means you have to fill it up with some fine china and crystal!"

Love to you both. Now that I know the blog spot, I'll be checking in more often.

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