ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Of reader polls, antiques and home offices
January 28, 2009
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Denise Holtby
YOURHOME.CA
When I told my husband Dean that the question of which room in our home we should tackle next was this week’s Yourhome.ca poll, he thought it was a great idea.
However, when I suggested that we simply follow the advice of readers, he responded in the usual way when faced with one of my suggestions. First, a slow, silent stare, then a snort followed by a harrumph. Finally, a shrug of his shoulders and the admission, “We can’t decide anyway, so why not?”
And so, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will abide by the votes of readers and tackle whichever room is chosen by the end of Wednesday, Jan. 28. (Cast your ballot on the front page.)
As I write, our home office is ahead in the poll, so we’ve been talking about what needs to be done in that room. For us, the question is always, “What do we do with the furniture?”
You see, prior to moving to our current home almost four years ago, we lived in what had been Dean’s family home for almost 100 years. Dean grew up in that house and our children were the fourth generation to live there.
No one ever moved out of that house – instead they died and were carried out, leaving all their stuff behind. And that “stuff” included rooms full of very old, very large pieces of furniture.
Many of the more ornate and fussy Victorian-style pieces have gone to good homes with people who don’t mind dusting frequently. We’ve kept the items that are plain, functional and sturdy, such as the sideboard pictured above. It’s one of my favourite pieces in our collection.
But our former house was larger, so now we find ourselves with too many pieces of furniture for our smaller space.
That’s how we’ve come to have a bedroom dresser, complete with a rather ornately carved mirror, in our office. We also have a desk so large that we had to bring it in through a window because it wouldn’t fit through the door or hallways.
All this, plus a bookcase and a piano stool (don’t ask!), in a 3.5 by 3.5 metre room! Sigh.
But figuring out what to do with the pieces in the office isn’t our only furniture challenge right now. Earlier this week, a beloved elderly relative with Alzheimer’s was moved on short notice from one floor of a nursing home to another.
Unfortunately, the new room has no space for her treasured china cabinet, the first piece of furniture she and her husband purchased together. It was an antique when they bought it, and they’ve owned it for more than 60 years.
So now, even though Dean and I already have more than enough furniture for two people in a small house, the china cabinet stands in our living room, awaiting a family decision on its fate.
Meanwhile, I’m looking for suggestions on inexpensive but functional desk and office storage systems, preferably with some kind of green bona fides.
One option is to look for two smaller console-type tables at auction that could be repurposed into desks. I saw this idea on an episode of Home Heist called “Holy Smokes!” and loved it.
The other option is an IKEA-style “office system.” I imagine this would be quite functional, but lacking in personality. Not green, either.
How about you? Have you recently created a home office? Or are you perhaps planning to give your existing office a facelift? If so, do you have any ideas to share? I’d love to hear them.
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(Editor’s note: Read up on home office tips from Colin and Justin and Debbie Travis.)