Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Now that I live in a bona fide suburban neighborhood (for the first time in my life), I’m enjoying the new sense of community.  So, when I saw the sign for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day event at the local community center, I was determined to be there.  The Pumpkin Festival was so much fun, that I figured this one would be great too!

As often occurs in the life of a new home owner bent on decorating and renovating, though, my Saturday quickly whizzed by in a whirlwind of visits to Lowe’s, Home Depot, and furniture stores.  Which left little time for Irish-themed revelry and merriment.

That being said, the day was a great success.  I found a wonderful outdoor furniture set (with green cushions, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day).  And the store was offering to put an extra 10% of the purchase price of a store card back on it.  A great place to hang out as the weather gets warmer, and free money to boot!  I must have the luck of the Irish.

Balance

As fun as it is to learn about the furniture, building material, and other decorating and renovating related stores in my area, it’s also been a great joy to get to know my neighborhood in a whole different way.  Namely, by venturing out into the great outdoors.  Each weekday, I head out at sunrise to a nearby trail to join the deer, bunnies, and coyotes in their morning jaunts.  The simple quiet of the morning brings a peaceful start to the day.  (Much needed before I hit the freeway!)

And then on weekends, I try to strike a balance between all the home related errands, and really enjoying all the beauty of the area to which I moved.  Because, like most people, I didn’t buy just four walls, a floor, and a roof.  I moved to where I wanted to live.  And on a beautiful spring afternoon, hiking through the hills near my house, I find that I am home.

Imagination

I have a great imagination.  In my mind, I can picture just what all the pieces for my home look like.  A round side table for the reading nook, made of glass and steel, to counterbalance the rectangular dark wood dressers and bedside tables.  A red couch for the living room, with cushions that stay firm (though still beyond comfortable, of course), and a magical fabric that doesn’t fade or stretch, ending up resembling a pug dog.  The wrinkles are adorable on a puppy.  Less so on a couch.  And a coffee table that is modern and unique, yet friendly, inviting you to pull up a plate and use it as a dining table.  (I can’t be the only one who gives into the desire to relax and eat dinner in front of the TV, rather than sitting in the dining room like a grown up.  In my defense, when the latest Mad Men disc arrives, I pretty much bee line it to the DVD player.  I’m hooked.)

Alas, the real world doesn’t allow my decorating fantasies to come to fruition as briskly as I might desire.  So this weekend, it’s off to more furniture stores I go.  Because, one of these days, I’m going to find these dream pieces.  Until then, you can find me curled up on my pug dog.  I mean, couch.

Rejuvenated

After well over a year of house hunting, then several months of the purchasing process, and a few more months of diligently searching out contractors, it was time for a break.  A little time off from analyzing cabinet colors.  A breather from furniture shopping.  And the complete dismissal of thoughts of how much is this all going to cost?!

Where does one go to get away from it all?  The magnificent, breathtaking Yosemite National Park.  Gazing up at the unyielding granite walls of the valley erased all thoughts of granite countertops.  Being surrounded by towering sequoias made me forget all about cabinets.  I was surrounded by such ancient, amazing beauty, that the beautification of my home took a back seat.  Throw in some sore muscles from a very robust six hour hike to Glacier Point, and booming thunderstorms that went on for days, and the focus shifted fully away from home, and quite completely to where I was.

It was only a few days, but it was a great reminder of how much I love to travel, and how rejuvenating it is.  Ahhh…

Happily ensconced

The new furniture has arrived!  And it is beautiful.  And big.  Actually, it’s massive.  If Vikings descended upon my home in an impromptu invasion, I could build a fort out of this stuff, and it would be impenetrable.  Not only are the dresser and chest wider and taller than most I’ve seen, the bedside tables are pretty substantial as well.  These are all meaty, solid wood behemoths that are certainly claiming their place in my bedroom.

Now, to purchase the bed.  I found a lovely one, with a very simple, curved wood headboard.  My hope is that once it’s in place, the other pieces don’t bully it and make it feel (and look) small.  But being as it will get the most attention (I will be giving it my undivided attention for eight hours a day, after all), I have confidence it will stand up for itself, knowing that although it may be different from the others, I won’t love it any less.

DIY may be in my future

I’m fairly handy.  I’ve replaced quite a few doorknobs (a bevy of roommates through the years required locks to be changed after each departure).  I’ve refinished furniture.  And I’ve painted multiple rooms, including a kitchen ceiling.  (I could barely hack a mere few hours of craning backward as I painted above me.  The breathtaking masterpiece that is the Sistine Chapel ceiling is of course an incomparable achievement.  How you were able to endure four years of it is beyond me,  Michelangelo.  I guess that devotion is part of what separates geniuses from mere mortals…)   But breaking up tile, pulling out cabinets, removing a wall-length mirror, and unwiring a massive flourescent light fixture?  Those sound like pretty involved activities, and ones where I may very well do more harm than good.  And so I contacted the professionals.  I tracked them down at a home show.  I asked friends and colleagues for referals.  They came to my house one by one.  And then they sent their estimates for  materials and labor.

The ability to speak the English language pretty much left me at that point.  And the sound of the ocean’s rushing waves filled my ears.  Huh?  What?  They did not seem to understand that this was a little bitty house, and not one of the very large ones in the near vicinity.  That as much as I adore my very first house, if I spent what they were proposing, it would be my one and only house ever.  Call me a dreamer, but someday, years down the road, I may just have a hankering to live elsewhere.  And it would be delightful if that was an option at that point.

Or, very possibly, I’m the one who does not understand.  That the masterpiece they will create for me is well worth every glowing penny.  The gleaming cabinets, sparkling countertops, and twinkling lights will be a worthwhile substitute.  To ever travelling anywhere again, or to eating food other than rice and beans.  Then again, maybe not.  So, I may just have to get that toolbelt ready, pull out a sledgehammer and a power drill, and DIM (do it myself).  Or, at least some of it…

All this time, it was right in my own backyard

That may not be the exact quote from Wizard of Oz, but I think it was something like that. Movie quotes aside, the furniture store that had the elusive pieces I was looking for was right in my backyard. I spent the better part of a day driving ALL over Los Angeles, searching for beautiful furniture. Traffic aside, L.A. is a diverse, fascinating place. So many cultures and languages are represented across the city. Despite the fact that my furniture search was a bust, it was great to check out all the little enclaves. I even got to partake in some fabulous LA cuisine, provided by a fusion food truck that was providentially parked across the street from one of my destinations. Shrimp, and beef, and chicken tacos, oh my! (Had to tell the incredulous chef inside the truck that yes, I really did want three tacos. After a day of traipsing all over the city, my ravenous belly was very demanding…)

Had I only been searching for a red velvet headboard studded with blingy crystal buttons, or white lacquer chairs, I’d have been set. But as my taste trends more to the classic – solid, streamlined, dark wood furniture with clean, simple lines, I was out of luck at the diverse shops, big and small, that I wandered about. But then, the very next day, on my way home from Trader Joe’s, I passed a little place near my house. The windows shouting “going out of business” caught my eye. Not a huge place, but hey, worth swinging by for a quick look. Voila! Eureka! Guess what, Toto! There were the fabulous dressers and night stands. And as a bonus, a very chic little breakfast table for the kitchen. I could hardly believe my good fortune. No matter that the bed that came with the bedroom suite wasn’t quite to taste, and the table didn’t come with chairs. With these few pieces found, ordered, and on their way to my house in 10 business days or less, I’m confident the rest of what I need is right around the corner.