An Enlightening Experience

I've already made known my disappointment at the ceiling fan selection in Singapore, and lest I leave you thinking that I am otherwise satisfied with the local homeware shopping experience, let me assure you that there are other annoyances to write about in posts to come.

Today's post is to expose the ridiculous markups of lighting retailers. As an example, the 2Bears were recently browsing in the Artemide shop in Park Mall, basking in the lightbulb glow. Ms Bear was sufficiently taken by the 2-armed Tolomeo Sospensione (top image) to contemplate the S$1400+ price tag.

But ever the enterprising creature, Ms Bear decided to surf the Internet to see what it went for online. Guess what, the general saving was S$500 WITH the shipping cost included. Ms Bear highly recommends German website http://www.ambientedirect.com for an easy-to-use interface and an impressive range of lighting and other wares. The Tolomeo will land on Mr Bear's doorstep in 2 weeks. If the goods live up to our expectations, candidates for future purchase include the Caboche, the Lightdisc, and the All Light (left set of images, clockwise). As you can see I'm not a chandelier kind of bear.

UPDATE: I am horrified at the bad service offered by Ambiente Direct. More than a month has gone by without a firm delivery date. I've complained with no meaningful feedback and have left instructions for my order to be cancelled. Thank goodness I didn't order too much.