Room and Board Carpet

We have been thinking about replacing the living room carpet for quite a while. We always had Persian carpets, but the last carpet was a solid light blue color with a design pattern in it. It was okay, but we were always worried about the wear and tear and it would not only get dirty, but would show the dirt too - even though we have a hand held Bissel carpet cleaner for the occasional clean up job. I also prefer warm tones to cooler tones, and never really liked the solid color. So we searched around and found a lightly patterned rustic Persian carpet at Room and Board. It took another few weeks to decide if we should get it. So we ordered it last week and asked that we pick it up at the warehouse that is located in Elkridge Maryland rather than have it delivered like furniture. Yesterday we got a call that the item arrived so we decided to get it rather than wait for Monday, thinking that the traffic would be lighter. That was a mistake. It seems everyone was on the freeway heading towards Baltimore. It took forty minutes to get there and probably ninety minutes to get home because we decided to take the side streets rather than the freeway. It didn’t matter which way we went the roads were solid traffic. But we did enjoy the ride home more because it was vibrant and a beautiful day to be outside. The cities around DC are so congested and the populations so diverse. It’s always an interesting vibe. When we got home we put the new carpet on top of the old one and I was exhausted afterwards. Now I know why people have the delivery guys do the job - we aren’t cut out for it anymore. Do we like the rug? Yes - it looks more like us. But we still need to get used to it. 

Room and Board Carpet Search

When you get an email from a place you shopped before, you sometimes look at it. Most of the time I dump them all. For whatever reason I was intrigued with the email from Room and Board. Earlier in the year we got a console for the dining room - something we haven’t had space for on Capitol Hill. Since we moved to Virginia it made for a nice addition to the 1000 square foot space. But what caught my eye was a carpet they were marketing. Our living room carpet is a solid color light blue - don’t ask me why we decided on that. Obviously it would show every mark and it does. We won’t even walk with our slippers on it to avoid any undue stress. Eventually something bad will happen. Even though we have a hand held Bissell carpet cleaner, it could get ugly. So we decided to take a look at the carpet that was being shown on the email. It was also an excuse to take a ride to Bethesda and then U Street in NW DC. My husband didn’t like the carpet at all up close. It almost looked machine made. We always had Persian carpets in our Midwest house but left all of them there because we had no room here. The trend these days is very light carpets without a lot of dark colors and patterns. In fact we turned one of our carpets upside down in the den to tone the colors down. So we looked around the store at a few more in the showroom and found one that looks fairly interesting and was within our budget. The problem is is that the size we want can’t be shipped - it requires delivery to the unit. So I called to find out if it was possible to pick it up from the warehouse somewhere. It’s not the typical carpet as it is very thin. Apparently it can be done but we haven’t made up our minds yet. The house changed to cooler tones in the living room but I much prefer the warmer colors. This might be one option to pull all the rooms back together. We will have to think on it. In the mean time I hope we can keep the existing carpet in reasonable condition. 

Fixin’ Up the House - the Little Things

We moved to northern Virginia three years ago. It’s the first place we haven’t really “done up” to our taste. With the pandemic it probably needs it more than ever, but we just didn’t have the inclination. The place looks okay, but not “cozy” - at least to my standards. A couple of weeks ago we rearranged the bedroom furniture so the head of the bed is away from the window. And we moved the couch in the den to the side of the room rather than walking in to it. It all looks so much better! That made visible a couple of things that needed to be addressed. The boxes that were under the bench by the foot of the bed are now under the window. Because they are sitting on the wood floor instead of the carpet, I needed to put sliders under them so as not to scratch the floor when pulling them in and out, and also attach to the back so they wouldn’t scratch the toe kick. We then had one of the lamps repaired so now it works like it should. There were four ugly plugs that stand out against the white wall that needed to be better camouflaged. I pulled out the very large adapter we used in our Capitol Hill condo and put the only white plug to the right, two black plugs on the left side, and put two plugs in the extension cord. Then all the cables were tied together and lifted off the floor so the vacuum cleaner wouldn’t get caught up in the wires. If we had a king bed you wouldn’t even see the wires and plugs. But we have a queen so there is the extra space. The three way plug that was once used there is now in the bathroom where we now have a small dehumidifier running, but need more plugs for other things. I can’t believe there was only one plug put in this bathroom! Then the small Persian carpet that was in the foyer by the closet was put back in the kitchen where it belongs. We purchased a Ruggables rug a few months back that never stayed put and just didn’t look that great. Then on the balcony we finally refurbished the baskets that hang from the seats with annuals. Now it looks fresh and pretty even though the flowers face the outside. At least when we sit out there we can enjoy them. It doesn’t seem like much but when you have a 1000 square foot living space everything needs to have a place and be functional. Since we probably won’t ever put in a second bathroom in our bedroom closet that may become the next project. We have so much junk in there it needs to be purged. We probably won’t ever use the twin bed that is stored there and taking up space. I’ve seen “closets” that might work nicely there that have shelves and doors and hanging racks. The discussion now is to either remove the candy dish in the foyer because it’s too busy or find something less ornate. Since we had to use the furniture from our other house not everything really goes in the new one. We did purchase a dining room sideboard a few months ago that we hope will create a cleaner look. If we ever see it we’ll need to decide next steps if needed. Oh - the shade in the dining room is crooked. We should probably get that fixed……

Ethan Allen Visit

Our home in the Midwest was systematically redecorated from top to bottom. When we moved to DC thirteen years ago, we got most of our furniture from Ethan Allen, but I missed working with our designer Glenn. So when we moved to Northern Virginia six months ago we brought along what we thought would fit, but knew we might eventually get at least a new living room because the carpet was too big and the couch was too small for the new space. I contacted Glenn to see if he might be able to help - and he was as happy as I was to do just that. So we had an opportunity to see Glenn when we visited our old home town last week. I sent the floor plans and photos of our new condo to him beforehand so he could work up a few options. We first met for breakfast, and then met him at the design center to see what might work. It was like old times. It will take a couple of months for everything to be made and delivered. I’ll need to figure out how to donate the few pieces we have before the new furniture arrives. That will be the biggest challenge because there are a lot of rules and regulations about securing the elevators for certain days of the week. We hope everything goes well. It was a really nice day and I know our home is going to look very different. 

Persian Carpet Critters and Flowers

When we lived in a big house in the Midwest we needed big carpets for all the rooms. So we had several Persian carpets that were made of silk and other materials. We even had a wall hanging in the dining room. They were simply lovely! When we moved to DC we had no space for any of them and we left them all behind. Now we have collected three over the last ten years - all about the same color scheme, with some common elements. I especially love the whimsical animals that are incorporated somehow and the beautiful flowers. The horses and birds are cute, and the Isfahan carpet we brought home from Iran is probably my favorite. The creatures look mythical but bring a smile to my face every time I look at them. I do miss our carpets but they unfortunately would not have fit in this house. I just read something today that people with less possessions are happier? I tend to agree with that and am content that we downsized to this tiny space. But I can't help but think about them once in awhile. I guess I'll need to look at some old photos and continue to appreciate the ones we live with now. 

New Carpet for Long Hallways

It's been over ten years since we moved to DC from the Midwest. We moved to an over one hundred year old building on Capitol Hill to 500 square feet of living space - quite a big difference from a one acre lot, 2500 square feet, a BIG driveway, and a big dog. But as with anything else big or small, things wear out - especially when one lives on the first floor where there is a lot of foot traffic. The carpet was showing wear and tear for quite some time - especially the seam at the turn of the hallway. So this week the carpet was replaced right after the walls got a fresh coat of paint. But since the industrial square carpet that can be easily installed and removed as needed was not selected, very long rolls of material had to be configured outside of the building before installing it. But before any of the week could begin, the old stuff had to be removed. I can only imagine how heavy these bundles were to haul in and out. The crew is still working on the project today - you can smell the glue and hear the banging. By next week it will become an afterthought. But it's nice to get a fresh look once in awhile. Too bad it's installed just in time for the historic snow storm and blizzard predicted for today through Sunday.