Moving Around Furniture

We moved to northern Virginia three years ago. I never cared for the placement of the bed in the bedroom. The head of the bed was under the window and could be seen from the doorway. But it was the only way we could fit the bench at the end of the bed that made it easier to put the bedspread and decorative pillows on before going to sleep. The den on the other hand, had a couch that faces you when you walk in. I don’t like walking in to furniture and prefer it on the side of the entry. You are also in full view if you are lying on the couch. Ideally I would prefer a Murphy bed in the den but we aren’t interested in spending any money in a room that is only used for extra coat storage. So I finally got my husband to agree that we should move things around. Yesterday we switched the bed to the side of the room under the artwork and away from the window. The bench is now under the window - a bit inconvenient when removing the bedspread but something to get used to. It will make it easier to clean around the window too. And then we moved the couch to the side of the room and put the footstools back in front of the couch. It looks better - to me. It takes a while for my husband to get used to the change. It does feel like we should have curtains on the window, but I’m not interested in getting any. We will stick with the blackout shades for now. We are also looking forward to getting the Room and Board dining room sideboard that we ordered a few months ago. We have a plant stand under the large mirror that needs to be switched out. That distressed white table may go behind the living room couch. We haven’t done the usual makeovers in this house that we had done in our Midwest and DC homes. So every little bit of minor improvements helps - especially since we are in the house all of the time. 

Room and Board Sideboard

When we moved to Capitol Hill sixteen years ago we lived in a 500 square foot condo. After three years we bought another 500 square foot condo across the hall. That gave us a bit more breathing room, windows on both sides of the building, and a great apartment for anyone who came to visit. We didn’t have a dining room in either space - just a table that expanded when we had guests for Thanksgiving dinner. So when we moved to northern Virginia three years ago our 1000 square foot condo had a dining room space. But it needed a bit of something to fill in the space so we got a distressed console table to put under the mirror for several plants. Since we have been cooped up inside for over two years we decided the dining room might look better with an actual sideboard. It would give us a bit more storage space and then we could move the console behind the couch, or maybe even under the window. I’ve been looking for something for the last two months that would meet the criteria: 60 inches wide and dark wood to match the tables and chairs. We checked Crate and Barrel and Calligaris after finding some options on line. We didn’t like either one. Our go to was always Ethan Allen - but we didn’t like anything there. So we drove in to DC to visit Room and Board and finally found what we wanted without breaking the bank. Going to town reminded us of why we moved. There was construction everywhere, parking was ridiculous, and everything looked cruddy. We had been to Room and Board before but never got anything. So it was a bit of relief to see something that looked good and was made in North Dakota. It won’t be available until June but we don’t have anywhere to go and have plenty of time on our hands. It’s been a long time since we bought anything. I hope we like it. 

Calligaris or Crate and Barrel? Neither

It’s probably the worst time to buy anything - especially furniture. When we moved from Capitol Hill to northern Virginia three years ago it was the first time we had a dining room in thirteen years. We had a calligaris table that extended to seat many people, but it didn’t work quite as well in the new space. But we kept it anyway. Under the huge mirror in the dining room we added a distressed white console table to put a bunch of plants on and fill in the space. Lately we have been thinking about getting a sideboard. I really didn’t know what would look good there, but we decided something of a similar color would be best. I’ve been researching options for the last several weeks. So we visited crate and barrel to see what we thought might work. But it ended up looking much too large for the space. So we went back to calligaris for a match. The sideboard was still a bit too wide and long and I didn’t care for the top insert. And the price tag was ridiculous! We didn’t need it that bad. So this week we may check out Room and Board as there is something there that might work and won’t break the bank. I don’t have a lot of hope, and I’m not that interested either. I never thought we would be back in the 80’s with high inflation. My mortgage rate was 13-16% back then! Being on a fixed income doesn’t help either. So the furniture is a nice to have and certainly not an essential. I don’t like this feeling. 

National Gallery of Art Furniture and Portraits

It seems we have been going to the National Gallery of Art a lot lately. I participate in the 52Frames photo challenge every week and the subject matter has been generally suited at this place. Last week was “Women” and this week is “Men.” Between the portrait gallery and the American History Museum there are a lot of options for “nostalgia,” and “texture.” Although I spend a lot of time narrowly focused on the project at hand, sometimes I try to look beyond my purpose and take in all the other sights in the galleries. That includes finding the first floor that includes sculptures and early American furniture. I’m not the kind of person to read about every article. I prefer to walk through the galleries without a lot of gazing. If something becomes interesting I’ll take a photo and maybe look it up after the fact. Aside from the furniture are all the lovely portraits. The Monet and impressionists are my favorites, but the Gilbert Stuart portraits of the early presidents and other pieces are really nice. The colors and tones are quite beautiful. I think I prefer the west building to the east, but the underground walkway feels like space mountain. There is definitely something there for everyone. Maybe that’s why we end up visiting so much. 

National Gallery of Art Furniture

I have to admit that I used to love early American furniture. Our bedroom in the Midwest was typical of that style with posts on each corner of the bed, matching full length mirror, armoire, and curtains that matched the bedspread. When we moved to Capitol Hill none of the furniture we had would fit. And since we bought the tiny condo while we still lived in the Midwest, it was furnished with a more modern vibe and clean lines. So when we visited the National Gallery of Art recently, we walked through the early American furniture section after first stopping by to see the Degas ballerina. Since my favorite person from those days was John Adams, it was good to see his and Abigail’s portraits on display. I didn’t pay close attention to the detail on any of the pieces, but was struck by the arrangements that were shown in each corner of the room. Each collection had either a desk or dresser, with matching vases or porcelain pieces, with a portrait of someone hanging above each representing the time period. At one point I was too close to something and the overhead warning was sounded. How embarrassing! But in order to get a decent photo that’s what happens sometimes. Anyway, it was an interesting diversion from the usual paintings and sculptures in the gallery. I’m sure we will be back again soon. 

Ethan Allen Ottoman Saga

It’s finally over! The long awaited ottoman finally arrived yesterday. When we moved to northern Virginia last year, we brought with us the furniture from our tiny Capitol Hill condo. After a few months, we decided the Persian carpet was much too big and the loveseat was much too small. The furniture was replaced with a larger sofa and a plain rug, along with a recliner chair for my husband. What was missing was something to put your feet on as this was also our tv watching space. Rather than have a coffee table, our preference was to have an ottoman that a tray could be placed on if and when the occasion dictated. For whatever reason the furniture took forever to arrive. We ordered it in late September and it showed up at the end of February. We ordered the ottoman in early March and it arrived in June 30. At least the lag time was more understandable with the whole world shutting down since March. Since we have to schedule an elevator for large deliveries in our building, we did. But then the time changed to late in the afternoon. So we told the delivery guys that we would just meet them behind the building and have them put the ottoman in the trunk of the car. Then we carried it up to the house. We always had Ethan Allen furniture in our home - in the Midwest and DC. We are happy with the outcome, but it took a very long time. 

Ethan Allen Furniture Signatures

Our entire home in Milwaukee was furnished by Ethan Allen. We had a great designer take us room by room, including an addition to the house that required more furnishings. It all started with a pillow that we happened to purchase from him and the relationship grew from there. We left most - if not all - our our stuff behind when we moved to a tiny 500 square foot condo on Capitol Hill almost fourteen years ago. So when we moved last year to northern Virginia, a lot of what we had didn’t really fit in the new space - particularly the living room furniture and tribal Persian carpet. What was our tiny monk’s room in the large closet space on Capitol Hill no longer worked in the den. So when we visited Milwaukee last year, we met up with our same designer and worked out a plan for new living room furniture and a sleeper sofa for the den. All the photos and blueprints were sent beforehand and he knew our general likes. Half of the furniture arrived in November, and the rest finally arrived last week. What’s interesting is the information attached under the cushions of the two couches and chair - signatures of all the people who touched that particular piece of furniture. It’s a QA process of sorts. Anyway, for the most part we are finally set barring a matching sofa ottoman due in April, and some final rearranging and the space. It’s finally starting to feel like home.