Life renovation
After 15 years my relationship with George has stagnated and we’d become two sad middle-aged men comfortable in our routine of staying home. Something was missing. Decorating our home bought us closer together and thanks to the fabulous home stores at Albany Mega Centre we’ve got a great-looking house and a new energy in our relationship.
George and I met on the dancefloor of a nightclub and that set the tone for our relationship – always going out and always having fun together. In 2019, we had a fantastic wedding and we purchased our first home together by the beach in Browns Bay. Life seemed perfect.
The pandemic put a stop to all that going out and the post-pandemic economic crisis further eroded our ability to enjoy the pleasures of Auckland life. We gradually became homebodies, sitting on the couch, sipping wine, and watching Netflix together. It bugged me as much as it bugged George, and we just couldn't help but take our frustrations out on each other. By the end of 2022, things were rough between us and I was wondering if I could go on like this.
But I still loved George and didn’t want to leave him. Watching the Living Channel together I realised that we both enjoyed home decorating so I decided redecorating our home would bring us closer together. George agreed.
After checking out various home decorating stores at Albany Mega Centre we were inspired to create a vision for our main living areas. We returned the following weekend to buy everything we needed.
The first stop was Farmers Home for all the big things. As always, they had a huge selection of stylish and good-quality items that represent real value for money. We found a beautiful leather sofa to become the centrepiece of our living room. We complemented this with two rich armchairs to sit in the quiet reading corner looking out towards the sea. We also found a set of six dining chairs, that work well with the other new seating and our existing reclaimed wood dining table. And finally, a glass coffee table, to house our much-loved books.
Less than a hundred metres away, we found ourselves at the newly rebranded Lighting Direct. We have a large vaulted ceiling in the living area and George was keen on a big chandelier. There was a wide range of stunning options, many that balanced a classical style with modern features. Fortunately, there was one that we both loved and that made the decision easy. We also found a free-standing floor lamp for the reading nook and a beautiful ceramic lamp for the table next to the sofa.
And just a few shops down, we went to Adairs for the finishing touches that would bring the place alive and inject our personality into it. Everything we’d bought so far had been somewhat plain so we wanted the soft furnishing to be more flamboyant. We started with a beautiful multi-coloured rug to sit in front of the new sofa and under the new coffee table. We found six cushions that pick up on the greens, yellows, pinks and oranges in the rug. A large mirror, a vase, a couple of throws and a picture frame also become part of our decorating arsenal.
Over the next week, as we waited for the furniture to arrive, George and I made plans for a weekend of furniture arranging ahead. We found ourselves talking more, laughing more, and enjoying each other's company in a way we hadn't in years. I realised that we were not only rejuvenating our home, but also our relationship.
At the end of the big decorating weekend, we sat on the couch side by side enjoying our glass of wine. George raised his glass and said, “Here’s to all the great stores at Albany Mega Centre that helped us renovate our home.” “Here, here.” I replied, “And here’s to me and you spending many happy years in this beautiful home together.”