I just bought a new rug for our living room.
I have spent far too much time looking at rugs on the internet. Why are rugs so hard! Why is making a space pretty so hard.
Our lounge area was kind of fine, but it never really came together for us. It generally looked nice in photos, but it looked less nice in real life:
There are a lot of colors happening here. The rug was OK with the curtains, but it was a lot... and the massive fireguard and 1950s fire surround didn't help chill the room out.
Also, the curtains are cut to that length because when we moved in there was a radiator along the bottom of that window, but when we redid the heating system we didn't replace that one and now we just have weirdly short curtains.
We got rid of the orange bench a few months ago because the twins spent a year wiping their noses on it and drooling on it and it was too yuck for us.
Then we got rid of the rug, for a very similar reason. Clara probably had reflux as a baby and that rug took the brunt of the gross, Andy and I decided we didn't like it. I also always thought it was too small for the room, but when we bought it 7 years ago we didn't want to spend more on a bigger rug because rugs are expensive.
We switched it for the rug from Andy's old office (now Lily's room). I liked it better, but it felt even more obvious the rug was too small for the room:
The grey rug is not in as good condition as it looks in that photo either.
Anyways, back to lounge. Picking a rug is hard, and finally Andy and I both agreed on this IKEA rug:
Hopefully it will look good in our lounge! The bottom right picture made me think it might... and if not, IKEA has a pretty decent returns policy.
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Ezra is starting to grow out of his
little IKEA drawers. I decided to replace them with slightly bigger MALM drawers. The little drawers can go to the twins soon, because they are almost in two different sizes of clothes now, and someday they will each need their own drawers (right now Ezra and Lily each have one set IKEA Godishus of drawers)
And then... I decided it was time for new doormats, because when at IKEA.COM you have to make the most of life right? I am fairly sure the doormat we have came with the house (8 years ago).
Is it silly to be excited for new doormats?
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As I replace these things I remember how much price used to be THE deciding factor on all our house stuff. Past me would have spent a lot more time looking on freecycle and gumtree and facebook marketplace for drawers. Right now, I get a huge thrill from just being able to get the things that we want for hour house and to make our life easier. It does feel scary just *buying* things though. It's nominally in budget, it makes our life easier, and right now we are more short on time and effort than money. I'm not sure where that shift happened, and I am hoping at some point we will shift back to having more time/effort... but for now the IKEA truck comes on Wednesday and home improvement projects continue.
Also, we have been incredibly fortunate to have been given things at many points in our life that helped us out. When we found out we were having twins our friends gave us kids clothes, highchairs, and even the crib that Aubrey sleeps in. It feel like we are paying back to the world when we freecycle old rugs and household furniture that's no longer serving us.
What's the last thing you bought for your house? Do you buy new or used or a combination?
I like the new rug!!!
ReplyDeletePrice was the most important/only factor for me until a few years ago. There was a time when I needed to be frugal and pinch every penny, and it served me well. It took me a hot minute to realize that I was on the other side and that the decisions of Past Me had laid the foundation for a comfortable present and future. Spending money was a skill that I had to learn. But even so, furniture prices can get pretty obnoxious.
Buying used makes sense for most kid stuff since they outgrow it so fast. One thing that tickles me when I look at family photos is watching clothes migrate from the older cousins to the younger ones, and from there to our friends with kids a few years younger than the boys.
We bought a new sofa a few months ago, and a used car this week! YAY to both! I just said to my husband last night that it sometimes feels strange to buy groceries or gas and not have to make sure I have enough money first. I mean, it’s been a LONG time since I wouldn’t have enough to fill up my car with gas, but I do remember putting in a couple of dollars at a time.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to spend money on some things, but to be honest furniture is not one of them. It really just does not give me joy. When I moved into my house, my parents had some old furniture and I just took a few pieces and painted them white and called it a day. I do not enjoy trying to figure out if it is going to look good, be comfortable and be affordable.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I will spend money on food, good running shoes and nice shampoo (when I am in a place where I can use it), so there are things that do bring me joy. Oh! I almost forgot about good outdoor gear. I will happily, well not "HAPPILY" but you know what I mean, spend $700 on a lighter tent or warmer sleeping bag! Comfort is key for sure!
We mostly buy used, but even buying used it's nice to not have to think about having enough money now. Years ago, even second-hand purchases had to be deliberated about!
ReplyDeleteRugs can be SO expensive, but they really do do a lot for a space. We have one IKEA rug that we've had for years and it's held up so well.