Archive for the ‘den’ Category

COFFEE TABLE

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Even though we just had a ginormous sale to move out all the crazy furniture accumulation (which happened “somehow” through no fault of my own – how dare you think that) I might have picked up a few new pieces recently.

Maybe. Probably. Assuredly.

It’s a sickness? Or an incredible talent? Let’s not put labels on it.

So, in a round about way of getting to the point – I found another coffee table for the den. This one makes number three million of the den coffee table options or something. It’s round, it’s from Craigslist, it’s Italian, it’s travertine and it adds just a touch more brown and taupe to my colorless den. Glass coffee table tops? They just don’t seem to last in this high traffic, high mess area.

Chihuahua for scale.

Beautiful flawless travertine top, which weighs eight thousand pounds give or take.

I spent all Sunday caressing, sanding, oiling, buffing and restoring the walnut base to it’s original glory. Cleaned up pretty nice, if I do say so. Very nice.

The cowhide still won’t relax  (it needs a steam). No painting, no reupholstering, no replacement for the shelving unit, no lighting and no art installation has happened. Obviously. Chesterfield? Looks like it’s staying for the long haul. Haven’t had a single urge to replace it – which is unbelievable – but that thing is a good comfy beast.

Everything is of course all brown and dreary and waiting patiently for the rest of the room to be addressed. One day brown town will be conquered. But, like everyone else in the entire world, we’ve been super busy with less than blogworthy boring stuff eating up our time and meager resources. Trying to slowly get motivated to work on the house and restore it back to it’s presale condition, even though everything has turned to anarchy and weeds and madness. Better to live in a little bit of denial and take a small breather, methinks.

Cowhide

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Step one of updating the crap out of the den was painting I guess? Oops. I got a cowhide instead.

I don’t control what my lady love Craigslist offers up on any given day, so this big ‘ol light cowhide popped up and BAM, forget painting. Painting sucks anyways.

Mr. cow needs to relax and flatten out after being folded up and stored away. RELAX DAMMIT.

Otherwise, I’ve been slammed with getting stuff ready for the big sale and the house looks like a hoarding bomb went off and I dare not show the madness overtaking our homestead. It is abysmal living in what feels like a storage shed. Updates and previews soon? I hope? Yes?

DEN, continued

Friday, April 1st, 2011

I mentioned that the den was oddly laid out. I swear, it totally is. It’s tiny, has three entrances, a huge built in desk and most importantly houses the precious cable and television that our lives and decor must revolve around. I watch TV unashamedly and I love it.

Check out the small walking gap between the desk and the chair. This is precise reason the sofa is always in the corner – there is physically no other place it can go. I know, it’s not ideal, but it’s all the space allows for. Suck it den.

This office half of the den is one of my least favorite parts of our home, but ironically, also the place where I spend insane amounts of time. I’m not bitter. I’m not totally seething with fury over this.

When we bought the house the first thing I wanted to do was rip out the desk. This plan was vetoed, but every time I clip that desk edge with my upper thigh I dream of taking a sledge hammer to this thing.

This stupid effing desk. This ugly bulky poorly laid out terrible crappy built in desk. I try to avoid photographing it since its dumb and ugly and I hate it – and normally its covered in paper – because yeah, bloggers lie. My desk is this clean on photograph day or like once a month for special guests.

We can’t tear it out because all the flooring would have to be replaced and frankly, I’m just not willing to dump a bunch of cash into the desks removal and the repair that goes with it (because, oh yeah, there is even more stupid effing wainscoting that would have to be dealt with and the last thing I’m paying for is to fix that hot mess).

I would like to put a door on the weird open section since its stupid. Also, I need to move the electrical outlet down inside the desk, because WHY IS IT OUT THERE ANYWAYS? Then all the ugly cables could be hidden, and not by loose papers, but by being smarter than a desk.

Does this very simplified floor plan explain what the layout dealio is? There isn’t a lot of leeway for another type of furniture layout – although I have tried and failed – so our biggest hope is to just get the right pieces and live harmoniously with the awkward space through sheer perseverance and willpower.

On a happier note, I did recently acquire this vintage Eames DCM chair. This has been on my must have list for forever and I’m ecstatic to report that it is much more comfortable than the Eames shell chair I was rocking before. My big ol’ booty is supported and lower back is enjoying the scoopyness.

I actually picked the chair up on the same trip that I found the lotus pendant. I grabbed it in a little antique store along with this vintage Winnebago toy as a gift for The Boy. He loves motor homes? I guess that’s something you can love right? He’s always trying to convince me we need to get one and is constantly showing me craigslist postings, but if we go traveling via a car I want a vehicle we can stuff furniture into. Talk to me about a box van, honey pants.