how are the mattresses and couches over there?

We're trying to figure out what to ship from the States and we know that mold and mildew can be a problem with stuff sitting in containers for months. Can you get decent mattresses in Nairobi, or should we risk bringing ours over? I have the same question for upholstered furniture.

thanks!
morikins

You can get very good, locally made sofas and armchairs here - which I know cost quite a lot less than in the UK. (half the price?). You might be a little limited on fabric etc. but there is still a pretty impressive range to choose from. There are plenty of side of the road options (people doing uphlostery), but I would recommend a shop called 'Nishit' in School Lane, Westlands, Nairobi - who make sofas, chairs, curtains etc. and are a cut above the others. They also sell imported mattresses (Slumberland). In addition it's poss. to get Slumberland mattresses in the big supermarket Nakumatt. Other furniture stores like Tile and Carpet, even Nakumatt etc. sell ready made leather sofas.

I don't know about shipping, but once your things arrive in Nairobi, then the climate is v. dry so we never have problems with mildew (we obviously used to suffer badly from this when we lived at the coast).

If the shipping is going to take a long/undeterminate amount of time and you do decide to buy sofas and mattresses locally, then at least you will get them soon (sofas take 2 weeks to make), this way you can at least sit/sleep comfortably until the rest of your stuff arrives?!

If you have a very special mattress at home -then chances are you won't get one identical here so it might be worth shipping.

Fantastic information. Thanks so much. Local it is!

If anyone has any happy/ horror stories of shipping stuff, please share.

morikins

Oh sychronicity - gotta love it! Was pottering about in the industrial area today and asked a furniture sales bod if it would be possible to buy extra material (of the type that is being used to cover some cushions etc) - guess who they said did all their cushions etc...Nishit & Co behind the Saritt Center (and yes, I spell it differently EVER time)! The only nugget I have to offer is a telephone number:020 4447036.
H.

If you are at all used to sleeping on American mattresses...and my wife echos this sentiment, SHIP YOUR MATTRESSES! The foam-slabs that are inexpensive really suck. Anything that is of decent quality is going to be relatively expensive compared to what is available in the States.

If I were to do it over again, I would go to Mattress Giant, Sleep Experts, etc... and pick up an inexpensive box spring/mattress and have it shipped. There are mattress bags with industrial-size silca-gel packs that could control your issues with moisture...

Not trying to argue with the Admin, by any means. I just had a horrible experience with Kenyan mattresses...may have been the cheap ones we were on...but I would never again take that chance.

Good luck!

we have a slumberland mattress from nakumatt - easily comparable to what you can get at a mattress warehouse in the states, and presumably cheaper to just buy - even at Nakumatt prices of around 20,000KShs - than to ship something. in past, we've also had the higher quality foam ones (they're navy blue with white border, though not sure the brand) and they've been comfy as well.

Check out http://www.tilecentre.com/html/showrooms.htm

We have just bought 150 sq mts of floor tiles from them - very competitive prices (oh yes, we did the rounds!). They delivered on time and with charm (we are not easy to find)! The company also stock a huge selection of upholstry/curtain/weighted net curtain material. They appeared to have a good selection of mattreses, pillows and bed linen - although some of the thread counts on the bed linen was so low you could spit peas through it! Cafe is too bad either!

having said all of that - I'm just about to finish a quick job with some material bought from Nishit. Visited the place - great selection of material (really really nice) but pricey compared to the UK.

Off to do battle with the sewing machine - enjoy the railn folks (isn't it great o see green again?).

H x

Well done!! Sounds like you have been hard at work and managed to get loads done!

My advice would be don't sweat too much over the sewing machine yourself though. I made all our curtains in Dar es Salaam - did most of them when my parents were out staying for their first trip and have endless guilt about the image of them cutting out fabric on the floor. Only afterwards did I discover side of the road fundis/tailors who run up curtains and cushions in double quick time for a comparatively low price. Just give clear instructions and measurements or get them to come over and measure up themselves.

I also got some lovely ready made, weighted, UK pinch pleated and lined from mitumba, the Toi Market behind Adams Arcade off Ngong Road. Always get compliments over this set that hangs in our dining room. If you venture right inside the market, behind Toi School they have curtains plus a huge range of velvet ready made, lined curtains in all sorts of dusty colours that can be lovely cut up for cushion covers too.

Ohhh, it's so creative living in Africa !!!! Tee hee!!

Found a recommended local lady who - after detailed instructions managed to incorporate the selvage in such a way that it "featured" on one of the seams...maybe the clarity was lost as my Swahili speaking husband (although it makes mefall around when he puts on the serious face and speaks ok swahili but sounds so "Damn British" when he opens his trap!) gave the instructions...

But you've given me food for thought as I am returning to the UK with rather empty cases...one day my dream will come true and I will be able to zip through the airport with nothing more than hand luggage and a bottle of gin
h x

Anybody have a good recommendation on where to get couch covers (americans call them slip covers) made up? Palacina had exorbitant prices...

Have to say that getting any type of furniture made at great prices is a lot of fun! If you can dream it and draw it precisely - you can find somebody here to make it for you!

Would say that nice sheets/bedding are difficult to find in the right size/color/quality....one of the few things I had to focus on buying on the holiday trip home!

Hi! No need to ship the mattress. There is a company called MEKAN, who even does customized mattress. Pocket spring, organic cover, memory foam..
We bought one of their range, wasnt very happy, they immediately changed it with a different type of mattress... I am very happy and may even consider shipping my mattress back home when I leave here.... try

Am i the only one intrigued as to why this post has apparently had 3448 views (to date)?!!

I know?! So many page views?! Must be a euphemism for something unimaginable?!

My husband is buying a new mattress for our bed because he is convinced that the one we have is giving him a bad back. He wants one with 'memory foam'
It's pricey but he's found it at Mekan, in Brick Court Building, Woodvale Grove, Westlands

I'm guessing the topic might be attracting spam bots harvesting content for use in future spam messages.

This is an old thread, but my topic is relevant so I thought I might post here.
We are moving to Nairobi in a couple of months from the US and are on the fence about bringing our mattresses, which are hogging v. valuable space in our container! After reading this thread I am inclined not to bring them. That being said I am bringing lots of sheets.
I assume the bed sizes go by their UK names, rather than the American ones. Are (UK) Super King (US King) sized beds common? Do people find that they fit in the bedrooms of houses? I would hate to waste space bringing sheets for a bed that we can't fit into our room! If not, we'll just be going with the (UK) King (US Queen) size.
thanks!

You can get mattresses custom made here and custom made beds depending on the space in your bedroom - so bigger sheets are always useful to bring in. You can get smaller sized fitted sheets etc. (Mr Price - Home) - plenty of singles - queen size (UK) - but King and super King is a challenge - so bring them - good idea!
You often end up with more space in Kenya than you would have back home - so let's hope you can fit in a king sized bed!
Good luck!