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genuinegirly · 02-11-2011, 12:43 PM

I've honestly never given furniture much thought. But today I seem to be obsessing over it. So I figured I might as well ask others, and share what's on my mind.

A few questions to guide discussion...

How do you view furniture?
Is it a long-term investment?
Do you prefer antiques or classic designs?
Maybe your heart is in modern lines?
Does your furniture tell a story?
Or something you pick up on the side of the road?
Is it something you collect slowly, or all at once?
Do you like purchasing sets or individual pieces?

Do you purchase new every time you move, or drag old stuff along?
Does the presence of your furniture make you feel at home?

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My parents never wanted to spend their money on furniture. They used what they were given, purchasing cheap bookshelves and other needed items from Kmart. They did try to make sure that colors matched what was already in the room, often refinishing or painting to make them work.

My husband's family had a seemingly random assortment of pieces that were collected over the years from who-knows-where... most of them were quality wood and durable, or (at least, the few pieces that survived 5 rambunctious male children were high-quality wood). When we were married, we took a dresser with us that was a piece to a set that belonged to his grandmother. His brother seems to have the rest of the set, perhaps we'll put them back together someday, but Tt seemed to have an emotional attachment to the dresser, something about working with his brother to refinish it as a kid... so we took it.

When my husband and I were married we were given a gift certificate to Restoration Hardware. It wasn't for much, we were able to purchase three towels on sale... but we spent a couple of hours walking around, pretty much daydreaming as we explored each beautifully-crafted piece of furniture. My husband usually detests shopping, and this adventure was all his doing, so this was a pretty exciting time for me. After that experience, he walked away saying, "When it comes time for us to buy any furniture, I'm going to be looking for pieces like these." The smoothly-sliding drawers, sturdy all-wood construction, etc. really got his attention. He mentioned that he always hates fighting with poorly-formed furniture. Now that we're in the midwest, we find it fun to browse Amish furniture stores, for the same reason. But for all our looking, we've never purchased anything.

The thought of spending thousands of dollars on a single piece of furniture is daunting. But then I think of my favorite pieces of furniture, and I realize that they are all classic, well-built pieces. I suppose I won't complain when my husband finally decides we're settled in enough to purchase the furniture of his dreams.

I love antiques, and sleek, modern edges. I'm especially enamored with antiques from the art-deco era. My mother has been kind enough to hold a few pieces of furniture for us at her house, things friends have passed along: a matching twin-bed bedroom set with art-deco lines. But they're really not compatible with a queen bed in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment. Hopefully soon we'll have the space to bring them along. They speak of my best friend's grandmother's childhood. Too special for this sentimental fool to neglect. One of the dressers has a couple of broken handles. Those will be difficult to replace with something fitting to the era. I look forward to the challenge.

As a teenager I enjoyed refinishing a couple of pieces for my bedroom, really love the do-it-yourself mentality while not needing to develop particularly difficult skills in carpentry or design. Being able to live in my handiwork was a fun perk. One thing about apartment living that I dislike is the absence of a garage or other workshop space.

02-11-2011, 12:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Furniture I've honestly never given furniture much thought. But today I seem to be obsessing over it. So I figured I might as well ask others, and share what's on my mind. A few questions to guide discussion... How do you view furniture? Is it a long-term investment? Do you prefer antiques or classic designs? Maybe your heart is in modern lines? Does your furniture tell a story? Or something you pick up on the side of the road? Is it something you collect slowly, or all at once? Do you like purchasing sets or individual pieces? Do you purchase new every time you move, or drag old stuff along? Does the presence of your furniture make you feel at home? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My parents never wanted to spend their money on furniture. They used what they were given, purchasing cheap bookshelves and other needed items from Kmart. They did try to make sure that colors matched what was already in the room, often refinishing or painting to make them work. My husband's family had a seemingly random assortment of pieces that were collected over the years from who-knows-where... most of them were quality wood and durable, or (at least, the few pieces that survived 5 rambunctious male children were high-quality wood). When we were married, we took a dresser with us that was a piece to a set that belonged to his grandmother. His brother seems to have the rest of the set, perhaps we'll put them back together someday, but Tt seemed to have an emotional attachment to the dresser, something about working with his brother to refinish it as a kid... so we took it. When my husband and I were married we were given a gift certificate to Restoration Hardware. It wasn't for much, we were able to purchase three towels on sale... but we spent a couple of hours walking around, pretty much daydreaming as we explored each beautifully-crafted piece of furniture. My husband usually detests shopping, and this adventure was all his doing, so this was a pretty exciting time for me. After that experience, he walked away saying, "When it comes time for us to buy any furniture, I'm going to be looking for pieces like these." The smoothly-sliding drawers, sturdy all-wood construction, etc. really got his attention. He mentioned that he always hates fighting with poorly-formed furniture. Now that we're in the midwest, we find it fun to browse Amish furniture stores, for the same reason. But for all our looking, we've never purchased anything. The thought of spending thousands of dollars on a single piece of furniture is daunting. But then I think of my favorite pieces of furniture, and I realize that they are all classic, well-built pieces. I suppose I won't complain when my husband finally decides we're settled in enough to purchase the furniture of his dreams. I love antiques, and sleek, modern edges. I'm especially enamored with antiques from the art-deco era. My mother has been kind enough to hold a few pieces of furniture for us at her house, things friends have passed along: a matching twin-bed bedroom set with art-deco lines. But they're really not compatible with a queen bed in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment. Hopefully soon we'll have the space to bring them along. They speak of my best friend's grandmother's childhood. Too special for this sentimental fool to neglect. One of the dressers has a couple of broken handles. Those will be difficult to replace with something fitting to the era. I look forward to the challenge. As a teenager I enjoyed refinishing a couple of pieces for my bedroom, really love the do-it-yourself mentality while not needing to develop particularly difficult skills in carpentry or design. Being able to live in my handiwork was a fun perk. One thing about apartment living that I dislike is the absence of a garage or other workshop space. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy Last edited by genuinegirly; 02-11-2011 at 12:46 PM..