My Move To Panama
Ask About Our
​White Glove Service
US: (214) 431-5235
​Panama: +(507) 6270-4333
  • Home
  • Buy
    • Condos for Sale in Casa Bonita, Playa Bonita Resort >
      • Playa Bonita Resort
      • 23M Casa Bonita Penthouse for Sale
      • 21P Casa Bonita Penthouse for Sale
      • 20-o Casa Bonita Penthouse for sale
      • 19L 2 Bedroom Condo at Casa Bonita High Floor
      • 19D 2 Bedroom High Floor Apt with Great View
      • 18G 2 Bedroom at Casa Bonita
      • 18A Stunning view of the ocean at High Floor
      • 16L Large Condo with Sweeping Ocean Views
      • 14B Casa Bonita 1 Bedroom for Sale
      • 9i Casa Bonita 1 Bedroom
      • 10i Casa Bonita for Sale
      • 9e Casa Bonita 1 bedroom for sale
      • 7i Casa Bonita 2 Bedroom Condo
      • 7e Casa Bonita 1 Bedroom for Sale
      • 6F Casa Bonita Large 2 bedroom
      • 6e Casa Bonita 1 bedroom for sale
      • Casa Bonita New Apartments
    • Condos for Sale in Panama City >
      • La Maison Fendi Casa Panama
      • Matisse Costa del Este Panama
      • Armani Nuovo Luxury Apartment >
        • Nuovo Armani Casa
      • Hyde by Wanders and Yoo
      • Loom Tower in San Francisco Panama
      • Vista Marina
      • Winston Churchill 3 Bedroom Paitilla
      • Amador 2 bedroom
      • Vista del Mar 1 bedroom
    • Condos for Sale in Coronado >
      • Royal Palm, Gorgona, Panama
      • Casamar Beach Community >
        • Perlamar at Casamar - 1 and 2-bedroom condos
        • Altamar at Casamar - 3 bedroom condos
      • Bahia Resort, Nueva Gorgona, Panama >
        • Bahia Resort 1 Bedroom
    • Priced-to-Sell Beach Properties >
      • Las Islas, Punta Barco-Panama
    • Houses for Sale >
      • Penthouse in Amador (30% discount)
      • Villamar at Casamar
      • Villamar 14
      • Marinazul at Casamar >
        • Marinazul Masterplan
        • Marinazul #4
      • Vista Mar Villa
      • Costa del Este House
      • Oceanfront Home in Majagual, Panama
      • Oceanfront Home in Malibu Beach, Panama
      • Coronado Farm $1.2 MM
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Land for Sale >
      • Boquete House Plus 10 Hectares
      • Absolute Beachfront Lots Pedasi
      • Farm Land for Sale
  • Rent
    • Rental Book
    • Penthouses at Casa Bonita >
      • FAQs About Renting at Casa Bonita
      • Casa Bonita 21P Penthouse
      • Casa Bonita 22M Penthouse
      • 23N Casa Bonita Penthouse for Sale
      • Casa Bonita 23o Penthouse
      • Casa Bonita 24N Penthouse
      • Casa Bonita 24o Penthouse
      • Casa Bonita 24P Penthouse
    • 2 Bedrooms at Casa Bonita >
      • Casa Bonita 6F
      • Casa Bonita 7D
      • Casa Bonita 7F
      • Casa Bonita 7i
      • Casa Bonita 8A
      • Casa Bonita 8B
      • Casa Bonita 10i
      • Casa Bonita 15B
      • Casa Bonita 17i
      • Casa Bonita 17J
      • Casa Bonita 18A
      • Casa Bonita 18F
      • Casa Bonita 18G
      • Casa Bonita 18e
      • Casa Bonita 19D
      • Casa Bonita 19K 2 bedroom apartment
      • Casa Bonita 19L
    • 1 Bedrooms at Casa Bonita >
      • Playa Bonita Resort
      • Casa Bonita 6e 1 bedroom
      • Casa Bonita 7e 1 bedroom
      • Casa Bonita 8K
      • Casa Bonita 9b 1 bedroom
      • Casa Bonita 9e 1 bed
      • Casa Bonita 12C For Rent
      • Casa Bonita 12H
      • Casa Bonita 13B 1 Bedroom
      • Casa Bonita 14B 1 Bed
      • Casa Bonita 14H
      • Casa Bonita 16h
    • Renting in Panama City >
      • Nuovo by Armani Casa Luxury Apartment
      • Winston Churchill 3 Bedroom Paitilla
      • Parque Urraca 2 Bedroom Rental Apartment
      • Solaris 3 Bedroom Rental Apartment
      • Vista del Mar 1 bedroom
      • Villa del Mar 2 bedroom apartment
      • Rental Book City Apartments
    • Renting in Coronado >
      • Coronado Golf 1-Bedroom Golf Course View
      • Coronado Golf 2-Bedroom
      • FAQs About Renting at Coronado Golf
      • About Coronado Golf Tower
    • Rental Terms & Conditions
    • Fun Facts About Panama
    • Resources for Renters >
      • Terms and Conditions
  • Visit
    • Why Panama?
    • Things to Do in Panama >
      • Monkey Island Panama
      • Fish Market Panama
      • Best Restaurants in Panama City, Panama
    • Areas to Visit >
      • Amador Causeway
    • Foodie Tour
    • Gift Videos
    • French People Moving to Panama >
      • Porquoi les Français s'installent-ils au Panama
  • Concierge
    • Premium Services >
      • In Home Chef
    • Property Management
    • Moving to Panama >
      • How to Buy Property in Panama
      • Getting Money into Panama
      • Opening a Bank Account in Panama
      • Getting a Bank Mortgage in Panama
      • Bringing Pets to Panama
      • Checklist for Bringing Your Dogs & Cats to Panama from the US
      • Schools in Panama City Panama
    • Testimonials
    • What Do Renovations Cost in Panama?
    • Condo Remodeling >
      • Remodeling - Panama Penthouse
      • Renovations in Panama-Double Apt
      • Redecorating in Panama 1 Bedroom City
      • Redecorating in Panama Amador Causeway
  • Books
    • The Panama Affair
    • FREE Book >
      • Book Download
    • The Expat Files Panama >
      • Meet the Characters of The Expat Files >
        • Jessica James
        • Savannah Grant
        • Jack Sharrone
        • Benicio Braga
  • Contact
    • About Us
    • Register for Webinar
    • Client Registration
  • In the News
  • Blog

Custom Teak Furniture in Panama...a Surprisingly Affordable Choice

4/21/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Like most Americans, I equate the word custom with expensive. I had a custom wrought iron and marble table made 15 years ago, and it was so expensive that I'll probably be buried with it. I thought I was resigned to a life of factory-made, but Panama changed that.

I simplified my life when I moved to Panama, but after a few years in a city with as many malls as Dallas, my stuff had seemingly given birth and multiplied. Stuff like blankets for the 3 nights a year when I'm cold, and thick terrycloth bathrobes for when I travel. 

I don't like clutter, so I thought the answer might be a bed with storage. I had seen functional storage beds before, but they always seemed to be cheaply made. As I looked for a high-quality bed with pull-out storage drawers, I realized that they didn't exist. As a last effort, I thought about having one made. 

I took several photographs to a Panamanian woodworker named Ezekiel. His shop is not a showroom… it’s just a shop. To say it’s not glamorous would be like saying dog food is not filet mignon. Imagine an entire row of exclamation points after "not glamorous" and you get my point.

I had seen Ezekiel's work and I liked the quality. I stopped by his shop one day when I was especially dressed down, and I chatted with him about what I wanted. Okay, "chatting" probably doesn't encompass the wild hand gestures that involve ordering something custom in a language that I don't really speak, but we had a nice charade-like interlude. Within a few days, he came to my home, and I showed him drawings and pictures of what I wanted. He took notes and measurements for over an hour. He left with a 50% cash deposit and a promise to return with a custom teak bed in a month.

I’ll admit that I was nervous. Panama is a cash society, and people here are used to doing 99% of their transactions in cash. But a receipt isn't the same thing as a guarantee from a credit card company. My typical feeling, though, is that if someone needs to steal from me then they need the money worse than I do. I’m happy to say that I've never been stolen from in Panama.

Three weeks after forking over the cash, my husband and I stopped by Ezekiel's shop unannounced. To my great relief, my bed was in various pieces… but it was in progress. At the month-mark, we called to find out the delivery date, and Ezekiel said it would be another week. This didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was that after a small delay, Ezekiel showed up with his teenage son. They spent the day building the bed in my condo from the pieces they had created in their shop.

It was exciting to have a bed built in front of my eyes. After it was put together, I felt like a kid with her first bike. The design was exactly like we had discussed, and the color was perfect. Plus, the freshly cut teak wood made my home smell amazing.

After the success of the bed, I designed a toilet-to-ceiling cabinet for my bathroom. Most bathrooms have several feet of wasted space above the toilet tank, and my condo was no different. I wanted to utilize that space with a super-sized medicine cabinet. As you can see from the photo below, it looks like it came with my bathroom. It is absolutely perfect in every way.

After two successful projects, my brain shifted into full creative mode. I decided I'd had it with the myriad phones and laptops and cameras charging in various spots of my apartment. I wanted an entertainment center with an electronics recharging module that would hide all those unsightly cords. I literally drew the design for this piece of furniture based on items I wanted to include--such as a tower fan that I can't live without, my flat screen TV, and four shelves of a recharging station. 

My next project is a special side table that attaches to my couch. I fell in love with the concept of a "swivel side table" at the VIP movie theater in Panama City. I sit in the over-sized reclining chairs at the movie theater and am able to drink wine and eat sushi without sitting up. It's such a level of relaxation that I decided I had to have a Lazy Swivel Side Table at home. Yes, I just coined a new phrase since I often feel too lazy to move a muscle when I watch movies... but I still want to enjoy my wine and cheese. 

Now here is the best part. If you're wondering what my teak-spirations cost, hold onto your credit cards. The bed was $800 and the bathroom medicine cabinet was only $750. Inexpensive custom teak furniture... just another reason that I love Panama. 

Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Melissa Darnay is a marketer, a serial entrepreneur, and a relocation concierge in Panama. Learn more... 

    Archives

    July 2021
    July 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright 2015-2023 Choose Panama Inc. All Rights Reserved.