February Focus: Day Twenty-Eight
Every so often when the mood strikes, I’ll rearrange my apartment furniture. I just did it the other day, putting my coffee table over near my tête-à-tête chaise couches, which has a matching ottoman but has since moved to the side. It now looks like a mini living room over by my Murphy bed; a pain to move every time I want to go to sleep, but much more pleasing to look at. I hope it will deter the cat from jumping on it, as I see the evidence of her hair strewn all over the cushions.
On the whole, I take good care of my things. I want to have nice things, even as I bring more antiques inward. I want a place for everything and for everything to fit. It has to look just so. There’s a distinct theme here in my home, and I’m ready to elevate my items. I just don’t want to go broke in order to get there.
I have expensive taste. It’s only come out in recent years. I used to look for the cheapest items possible from Ikea or Wayfair so I could “save money.” So everything around me would just end up looking cheap and needing replacement. It wasn’t until my dad one day told me to just “get the good stuff,” purchase things made to last and worry about the cost later. That culminated in the Murphy bed. The tête-à-tête couches. And my custom Amish-made bedstep, which took six months to get here, but the craftsmanship will last a lifetime.
Good home furnishings are just as much of an investment as anything. I’m in the quality phase of my life. The heirloom phase of my life. The idea that if I feel as though my items are precious enough in the now, they will also be in the future for whoever comes next. That’s the real value, I think. Though I draw the line at a $3,000 couch. Or a $1,000 Amish-made desk chair. Maybe.