Over the course of 6 days earlier this month, I picked up various second-hand furniture, plants, artworks and appliances from people selling them on Craigslist Boston to furnish Alex and Parker’s new apartment located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The result? Simply take a look at the pictures! The entire bill for furnishing the living room, the dining room and the kitchen ended up to be slightly above USD400. Unbelievable isn’t? Kinda makes me wish that Craigslist Singapore could be as good as that of US.
I learned many things from my first attempt at interior rendering using Craigslist:
1) It is okay to mix and match furniture that are different in color and design. It makes the room more unique. Get lots of plants and flowers to brighten up the room!
2) It is okay to bargain for a lower price, especially when you are buying from an individual seller. More often than not, they are willing to let go of their furniture at your suggested price.
3) Most plant sellers treat their plants as if they are their babies. You really have to know your stuff and do your homework before you attempt to buy plants from plant sellers.
4) Smile, get to know your sellers and their personal stories! Make friends!
I feel that my encounters with various people over those few days were more than mere transactions. Rather, I developed a connection with many of them in the few minutes we interacted. The beautiful Romanian girl who sold me the big palm plant for USD5 didn’t even want any money at first. She kept saying, “Please take good care of the plant, I don’t want it to die!” I still smile at the memory of her kindness. The HBS MBA graduate Mike, who sold me his excellent glass coffee table, end table, lamps and book shelf at a fraction of their original prices, would have given me the rest of his furniture for nothing, except that there is no more space in the new apartment.
Then, there was the handsome American house-husband (his cute baby girl is so adorable) who sold me the orchids, money plant, and ivies. Not speaking a word of Swedish, he was going to follow his Swedish wife and move the whole family to Sweden. Not to mention that he had his own career plan on hold for his family. How romantic! (although almost everyone in Sweden speaks English, it is still a very daring move!) Coincidentally, he said the exact same thing as the beautiful Romanian girl: don’t let the plants die.
The radiant American Indian girl who sold me a white cabinet told me about her long distance relationship with her boyfriend (who is based in Canada). I am glad that she is able to reunite with him after completing her medicine course in Boston. There was also a kind Iranian woman who sold me three of her large wall art pieces for USD15. In addition, there was a friendly Mexican couple who sold me their round glass dining table and many more. If I ever get to use Craigslist Singapore one day, I hope that I would be able to meet great people like them too.
