"It's not that I have too many clothes... It's just that I have a small closet."
- Me
I had long despaired of finding a good closet. I didn't think it was too much to ask. I wasn't talking about one of those walk-in ones where it looks more like a boutique than an actual closet. All I wanted was only about 50 inches wide with drawers and, most importantly, a mirror installed in one of the doors. I don't have a full-length mirror on my room so whenever I dress, I have to go out and check myself on the "hallway" mirror. And I'm not one of those people who are always satisfied with their first outfit... sometimes I go on three outfit changes so you can imagine how much time it takes to dress up.
Uneven doors, disjointed, bottomless drawers, and under the bed storage
Another reason why I wanted a new closet was because the one I had was already falling apart. It was one of those generic ones you see being sold on most furniture stores like SM Homeworld. While it may look ideally perfect for my needs, the workmanship left much to be desired. I had to re-install a metal rod instead of the plastic one it came with because it curved due to the weight of the clothes. Soon, the drawers' bottoms gave out so the the top drawers contents toppled down to the bottom (In a way, you can call it a bottomless drawer hehe). The closet door also went out of alignment that I couldn't open the closet door without opening the drawer. Suffice to say, I am never going to buy one of those closets again.
Easier said than done... because there aren't a lot of places in Manila where you could buy a good quality closet.
My options: 1) Have it custom made; 2) Buy second hand from those antique stores in Evangelista; and 3) Persist in finding the perfect closet.
I was seriously considering having it custom made but I didn't know who to ask. This probably would have been my best option, but I didn't pursue it.
For buying second hand... I saw these two closets which had mirrors in front over at the second hand shops at Evangelista, Bangkal. One of them was just my style - the mirror had flower etchings and there was even a hidden drawer! But, sadly, it was too small for my needs. The other one was a bit large and a little austere for my taste, but I could work on it to make it more "pretty." And they were pretty cheap. Again, I was seriously considering buying the latter (and restoring the former and maybe selling it) but the main drawback was that it was an antique. It wouldn't surprise me if one night a white lady showed herself on the mirror or a child was suddenly hiding inside the closet. *Insert me screaming* No, thank you.
The third option was a trial in patience. I went around different furniture stores and had a tape measure in my bag for several months just in case I find a prospective closet. I ended up going to Waltermart Makati and up to S.B. Furniture to look at what they have in stock. I think this was back last year, later than September, I guess. They had really good quality closets and some of them even had mirrors! But!!! They were too large for my wee condo. If it wasn't too tall, it was too wide. There was no way it could fit in my room and still have room for people to walk on. Fortunately, they had a website and I looked it up. They get their furniture from Thailand and if I wanted a design, I could order it and it will arrive... in two months! Two months seemed a long time to me so I didn't place an order and just hoped that I could still find my dream closet. Fast forward to 2012 and I was still suffering with my old closet - some of my clothes stored under the bed because the drawers were useless. Yeah... I was regretting not ordering from overseas by then.
Hopefully, I thought that maybe their next shipment of furniture - which the friendly people at their store told me would come by February - would have my dream closet. I made a pest of myself calling and calling them to ask if the furniture had arrived yet and did they have a closet with a mirror on it. The answer was always "no, not yet."
Then one day, I went to the store by chance. I asked. Again. And was told, again, that they didn't have it. But! One of the people remembered a closet that was ordered by someone and was going to be shipped to Pampanga. I looked at the picture and there it was - a three-door closet with a mirror!
Princess Wardrobe
The sales associate told me that someone ordered two of the model and he was going to check if that person will still get two. I was mentally willing the unknown person to take only just one while he phoned the other branch. And then... YES! I got it! Wasting no time, I whipped out my credit card and asked when it could be delivered. And, what do you know - it will be delivered the next day!
Before and (Happily Ever) After
So... thus ends the case of the sad, sad closet. Now it's a happy closet. Look! It has butterfly handles and stuff! (LOL!)
Thanks to the friendly and helpful people at S.B. Furniture and to the unknown person from Pampanga who ordered two of these and only got one. I hope you really didn't need it, because I really, really did.
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S.B. FURNITURE
4th Level, Waltermart Makati, Chino Roces Ave. cor Arnaiz St. Makati City
