Decorating your home is really exciting, but can also be quite daunting. If you are in the Philippines and, like me, you are looking into purchasing affordable home furniture that’s also promising when it comes to quality and design, San-Yang might just be of help. But, is it value for money?

House improvement is something almost every housekeeper/homemaker think about almost all the time. In the Philippines, big-name furniture shops like Home Depot, BLIMS, Our Home, Mandaue Foam, and probably even furniture stores in Binondo and Divisoria are easily the go-to places for home improvement. We also have Philux, Pottery Barn, Ikea, Kenneth Cobonpue, Ethan Allen, FURNItalia, and Studio Dimensione that are like dreamlands for every mom (or interior designers or anyone who, like me, loves things like these). Sometimes, though, our imaginations can be too much for our bank accounts. Either that, or it’s just not practical anymore. So while we mentally design or decorate our house, we should also consider practicality. Is it budget-friendly? Like, pasok ba sa budget mo, mumsh? How much are you willing to spend for this kind of furniture? How will this be of use at your home? Things like these should be weighed over because if it is only going to be a figurine that’s going to sit on the display rack forever, shelling out $$$$$ would really be impractical, don’t you think? Unless of course, you’re a collector or a fan of something then it would be understandable if you’ll invest on something like a Php250,000 painting or some sort.

We just moved into our new place. We’ve been here for a month now but we still haven’t fully completed our “house project”. Well, it’s technically not a house so let’s just say “condo project”. The usual “important” things like fridge, sofas, washing machine, spinner and dryer, air conditioners,  electric fans, stove and other highly essential kitchen stuff, beds and dining set — we already purchased them early on.

Anyway, these things are things we use all the time so we need quality stuff. FYI, quality doesn’t always have to mean branded or expensive. It’s just that when it comes to these “important” things, I would rather spend, say, Php 40,000 and use it for 10 years than buy something for Php8,000 and just end up buying another one then another one then another one after just a few months. Of course, you have to always mind your budget and it’s always helpful to check out different shops first (you might get the “same” black couch for a cheaper price!). I don’t know about you but I am a sucker for bargains. If, for example, I’m looking for a red accent chair and I see a gorgeous one in Studio Dimensione which is exactly what I’ve been dreaming of. But then in another shop, I found a cheaper one that’s just as pretty but not as red and not exactly built the way I imagined it to be. My decision? 95% chance is I’d go with the latter. Why? 3 reasons: 1) It’s still red and it’ll still look good on my living area (assuming it really does); 2) I could save money and use the money for another home improvement stuff, food for the family or perhaps movie tickets; and 3) Whatever chair that is, Pottery Barn or secondhand Japan bargain shop, I’d still probably secretly fart on it. Lol!

Moving on, I decided we need a bookcase or shelf or some kind of rack in the living room. Honestly, it’s not because we have a lot of books but because I just want it for decoration. Something I can place family photos and stuff.

I looked for something that would match the style of our living room which is pretty easy because we just used neutral colors. The problem is, I’m not willing to spend a lot of money for it. What did I do?

1: Check Carousell for secondhand items. I never found anything to my liking and budget (I honestly didn’t have a budget. I just want something super cheap like less than Php 1,000 if possible! Haha!!)

2: Fossick through Facebook Marketplace. Almost the same items come up but with different prices from different sellers. Some look really great and there were times when I tried searching for the same item (same look) that’s cheapest. I probably did it for about a week and it just gave me a headache. LOL. There are COD options which I prefer so that I won’t be scammed, but ultimately, I decided not to go through with it. The main reason behind is that prices are at around Php5,000 at least and again, I’m not willing to spend it on a shelf that’ll only hold decors. In my defense, I was on Marketplace for a week and when I initially planned to finally purchase one, I was kind of convinced that Php5,000 is already pretty cheap for a decent shelf or bookcase. — BUT NO. YOU STILL HAVE OPTIONS!

3: Contact a carpenter. I asked a contractor we know on how much he would charge for a shelf (I showed him a sample design). I will provide the materials and I will pay him for the labor. He quoted me Php1,200 initially to which I asked if that’s the last price and he gave it to me for Php1,000. Yey! I went to the nearest hardware to ask how much a 3/4 plywood costs. It’s around Php2,000 for one. Like the standard one, I guess. Of course, I asked them if they have anything cheaper. They said they have this other kind of plywood (sorry I forgot to take note) which is only Php1,800 each. I thought hard about it. Part of me wants to just buy a ready-made shelf and I don’t know why. So I just made this my fallback option if in case I can’t find a ready-made shelf that’s cheaper by the end of the month.

4: Consider building it on my own. Or have Rael do it for me. I was thinking, if all else fails, why not build it myself? Or have my husband build it for me? That would save us Php1,000, right? Haha. I know, I know. You must be thinking about how cheap or frugal I am. Oopsies!! Well, Php1,000 is something for me. Besides, making furniture can be fun. My dad used to build a lot of stuff and do a lot of amazing work at home and he sometimes lets us help and it’s really really fun for me. But then again, I still have yaya problems which means I have a house to keep and a tot (who, by the way, is extra clingy to me) to take care of. Not to mention work and, uhm, my ability (ability?? haha) to be super duper lazy.

5: Check Shopee. I almost forgot about this online empire. Sorry, Lazada (I’m not inclined to check there because of the shitload of bad reviews especially when it comes to furniture and home stuff). Like browsing through Facebook Marketplace, I am faced with an overwhelming number of items, many of them are the same but with different sellers. As usual, I spent a lot of time there browsing back and forth. Finally, I found San-Yang items. While there are “outside sellers” offering good prices for San-Yang furniture, I opted to check San-Yang’s official Shopee account. They have several options which confused me to some extent, but I found one that only costs Php1,800 and so I decided to never lay my eyes on other items so I won’t get confused or worse, end up getting one that’s more expensive. Again, even Php500 matters to me. LOL. The problem is, with Shopee, I won’t be able to get the item on that same day. It was a Saturday and sadly, they deliver items across Metro Manila after 1-7 business days. Bummer.

So what now?

Well, purchasing a shelf is not really a need so it can wait. However, it’s something I am kind of obsessing about. I WANT IT NOW.

It’s pretty lucky that I went to visit a close friend the next day and she has this shelf in her living room. I told her I’m looking for one like that and she told me she got it for only Php 1,500 at Puregold! So Rael and I went to Puregold and guess what, it’s a San-Yang shelf! We didn’t find the exact shelf though as it’s apparently sold out so we ended up with another one and I couldn’t be happier.

We got this ladder shelf in oak for only Php 2,399! It was originally worth Php2,800+ but they had a sale going on so we got a pretty good deal.

Quality-wise, I can’t say it’s super durable yet but so far, I can say it’s made of high-quality materials. The frame or beams are made of metal and the shelves are made of good-quality particle board. Installation was also very easy as it came with a thin manual with straightforward instructions and illustrations. No need to be a DIY expert.

San-Yang also offers other furniture types: cabinets, TV racks, coffee tables, etc. So if you’re looking for something affordable, I could really recommend it. That is, if its style is also to your liking. Check them out online here, or visit selected branches of Puregold, SM Supermarket, and Savemore, as well as Landmark Trinoma.

Okay, time for me to spruce up this shelf! I’ll probably blog (or vlog?) about it soon. Vavoosh!!! ♥