The List: Room By Room
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I mentioned in the House Tour, Part 1 and Part 2 that there were some things we were hoping to make or purchase that will help us fill out the rooms a bit. We sold a lot of our furniture when we moved into our last apartment, and we've definitely had some oh why did we do that?! moments since we got here. But in truth, except for the full size bed (oh why did we do that?!), we didn't love the pieces that we sold. And moving into that smaller place helped make it financially feasible for Navah to move up to Burlington, for me to quit my job, and for us to pay two rents for a few months. Some furniture seems like a small price to pay for all that.
But now, in our bigger place, we would like to start slowly adding pieces that we like and that will grow with us, hopefully settling right in when we move into our own home in a few years. They don't have to be life-long loves, but we're not looking for something makeshift that we'll want to sell in a year. So those pieces take time, especially when you're working with a fairly small budget. We'll be hitting up craigslist, thrift stores, and used furniture shops. And hopefully I'll be doing a little magic on some things we already have.
Here's a little room-by-room tour of the things we're hoping to add to our space over the coming months.
In the living room:
1. A bookshelf on the far wall. This is the only thing that we really "need" (in that way that you "need" things when you actually have everything you need, aka roof over head, etc) because we still have about five boxes of books that haven't been unpacked. The old apartment had built-ins for that sort of thing, and we sold our bookshelves (see above re: selling tons of furniture).
2. A loveseat or two comfortable chairs. I decided to position our current couch by the two windows and hold out for additional seating because I think it makes the room feel cozier and more conversational than if we had set the couch to face the television. Navah's still withholding judgment on the arrangement. This will probably be the hardest thing for us to find and agree on.
3. A more substantial coffee table. I keep waiting for this one to collapse under the weight of a heavy book. Or my feet resting on it. Perhaps we also need some ottomans. Or a coffee table that doubles as an ottoman.
4. Some curtains for those windows. I'd love some nice long drapes to give the room a pulled-together, finished look once we have a few more things in place. I'd like to make them myself.
5. A more substantial tv stand. The tv stand has the same problem as the coffee table, which is unfortunate since it's holding our tv. I think it will hold for the time being, but I would love to get an antique piece that's not necessarily meant to be a tv stand but that we can repurpose.
In the dining room:
1. We want to get all that art up onto the walls. Not just in the dining room, but all over the house. Bare walls make me sad.
2. Bigger and more substantial dining room table and chairs. My preference would be a nice big farmhouse-style table and maybe mismatched chairs (if I can figure out how to pull off that look).
3. A rug. We love these hardwood floors, but rugs are a must for the peace and sanity of our downstairs neighbors. Also, like curtains, they really help pull a room together.
4. A sideboard or buffet. I saw some beautiful pieces at a used furniture store recently that would look beautiful, but unless we find the exact right thing, this is low down on our list of priorities.
In the kitchen:
1. An easy-to-clean rug or floor-cloth. Again, for the neighbors downstairs but also because the linoleum in here has seen better days. There are some permanent scuffs and spots on the floor that I'd rather have covered.
2. A small island or butcher-block cart with two stools. Because the kitchen is closed off from the rest of the space, I really want an area that allows someone to easily sit and chat in the kitchen with whoever's cooking. And perhaps gives them a place to chop some vegetables while they're at it.
In the main bedroom:
1. A headboard. I've been dying for a headboard forever, but they're super pricey for king-size beds, so it just hasn't been a priority. I stalk tutorials for making your own, and it's something that I'd like to tackle. Perhaps after I take the bar, I'll look into it more seriously and determine whether my lack of power tools will be prohibitive.
2. A rug. See above re: rugs.
3. A dresser for me up against the wall you can't see. Right now, I'm using the closet in the guest bedroom, and I put a little shelving system in the bottom, but I'd like to have some of my more regular clothing items in the bedroom, and there's room for a dresser for me. But this is a low priority item since I do have a place to store my clothes that's fairly functional.
In the guest bedroom:
1. A bed for us to put all the boxes on. Just kidding. Hopefully those boxes will be gone at some point and we'll actually be able to use the space as a guest room and craft room. I'm voting for a futon, but Navah's voting for a full-size bed. We'll let you know who wins.
2. A shelving unit for my craft supplies. I wanted to put up shelves above the desk, but after talking to the landlords, it sounds like they're not really excited by that. So we'll probably just buy some shelves for that (or re-use the ones that are in the closet now if/when I get a dresser).
3. Curtains or drapes. There's nothing in the window now, which means that I kind of tuck myself into the closet to change clothes. (There is sort of a path to the closet that you can't really see.)
So that's everything on the list for now. I will, of course, keep you posted as we find things that work. It's oodles of fun to plan out a new space, especially when we love where we're living so much!
Hope you all have a great weekend. I'll be studying for the bar, brunching, and doing a little furniture shopping!
Katie
But now, in our bigger place, we would like to start slowly adding pieces that we like and that will grow with us, hopefully settling right in when we move into our own home in a few years. They don't have to be life-long loves, but we're not looking for something makeshift that we'll want to sell in a year. So those pieces take time, especially when you're working with a fairly small budget. We'll be hitting up craigslist, thrift stores, and used furniture shops. And hopefully I'll be doing a little magic on some things we already have.
Here's a little room-by-room tour of the things we're hoping to add to our space over the coming months.
In the living room:
1. A bookshelf on the far wall. This is the only thing that we really "need" (in that way that you "need" things when you actually have everything you need, aka roof over head, etc) because we still have about five boxes of books that haven't been unpacked. The old apartment had built-ins for that sort of thing, and we sold our bookshelves (see above re: selling tons of furniture).
2. A loveseat or two comfortable chairs. I decided to position our current couch by the two windows and hold out for additional seating because I think it makes the room feel cozier and more conversational than if we had set the couch to face the television. Navah's still withholding judgment on the arrangement. This will probably be the hardest thing for us to find and agree on.
3. A more substantial coffee table. I keep waiting for this one to collapse under the weight of a heavy book. Or my feet resting on it. Perhaps we also need some ottomans. Or a coffee table that doubles as an ottoman.
4. Some curtains for those windows. I'd love some nice long drapes to give the room a pulled-together, finished look once we have a few more things in place. I'd like to make them myself.
5. A more substantial tv stand. The tv stand has the same problem as the coffee table, which is unfortunate since it's holding our tv. I think it will hold for the time being, but I would love to get an antique piece that's not necessarily meant to be a tv stand but that we can repurpose.
In the dining room:
1. We want to get all that art up onto the walls. Not just in the dining room, but all over the house. Bare walls make me sad.
2. Bigger and more substantial dining room table and chairs. My preference would be a nice big farmhouse-style table and maybe mismatched chairs (if I can figure out how to pull off that look).
3. A rug. We love these hardwood floors, but rugs are a must for the peace and sanity of our downstairs neighbors. Also, like curtains, they really help pull a room together.
4. A sideboard or buffet. I saw some beautiful pieces at a used furniture store recently that would look beautiful, but unless we find the exact right thing, this is low down on our list of priorities.
In the kitchen:
1. An easy-to-clean rug or floor-cloth. Again, for the neighbors downstairs but also because the linoleum in here has seen better days. There are some permanent scuffs and spots on the floor that I'd rather have covered.
2. A small island or butcher-block cart with two stools. Because the kitchen is closed off from the rest of the space, I really want an area that allows someone to easily sit and chat in the kitchen with whoever's cooking. And perhaps gives them a place to chop some vegetables while they're at it.
In the main bedroom:
1. A headboard. I've been dying for a headboard forever, but they're super pricey for king-size beds, so it just hasn't been a priority. I stalk tutorials for making your own, and it's something that I'd like to tackle. Perhaps after I take the bar, I'll look into it more seriously and determine whether my lack of power tools will be prohibitive.
2. A rug. See above re: rugs.
3. A dresser for me up against the wall you can't see. Right now, I'm using the closet in the guest bedroom, and I put a little shelving system in the bottom, but I'd like to have some of my more regular clothing items in the bedroom, and there's room for a dresser for me. But this is a low priority item since I do have a place to store my clothes that's fairly functional.
In the guest bedroom:
1. A bed for us to put all the boxes on. Just kidding. Hopefully those boxes will be gone at some point and we'll actually be able to use the space as a guest room and craft room. I'm voting for a futon, but Navah's voting for a full-size bed. We'll let you know who wins.
2. A shelving unit for my craft supplies. I wanted to put up shelves above the desk, but after talking to the landlords, it sounds like they're not really excited by that. So we'll probably just buy some shelves for that (or re-use the ones that are in the closet now if/when I get a dresser).
3. Curtains or drapes. There's nothing in the window now, which means that I kind of tuck myself into the closet to change clothes. (There is sort of a path to the closet that you can't really see.)
So that's everything on the list for now. I will, of course, keep you posted as we find things that work. It's oodles of fun to plan out a new space, especially when we love where we're living so much!
Hope you all have a great weekend. I'll be studying for the bar, brunching, and doing a little furniture shopping!
Katie
