Small passages

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After the dining room table took center stage, I redecorated the living room, the family room, the kitchen and the master bedroom.  Out with the old and in with the new.  Which is funny since as you know the new dining room table is old and beat up.  But no matter.  Making decisions and purchasing furniture and appliances was the easy part which surprised me because I usually over-analyze design decisions to death.  Upholstering, designing and sewing were much more difficult and time consuming but I enjoyed the satisfaction I got by seeing my handiwork adorn various parts of my home.

Out of money and time, I decided to take a break from my decorating frenzy and spend a few months letting things settle.  There are a couple big projects left to do, but they will have to wait until, oh I don’t know, I win the lottery or something.

It was nice to finally have the house put back together and the sewing machine stowed until my next moment of brilliance.  Plus I was glad to not have to encounter straight pins in my bed which I also used as my cutting and measuring board.

And I was doing so good.  That is until last weekend when I decided the carpet in the downstairs hall just had to go.  Right then.  Right now.  There was to be no time to waste.  First you should know that this is a very small hall.  I should also point out that nothing had happened recently with this carpet, it had actually looked pretty bad for quite awhile but on this particular morning I could take it no more.  I ripped out the carpet and padding and after my weekly trip to Home Depot for the right tool, pulled up the tack strips.  Wow.  What remained was a crappy looking concrete floor with glue stains.  Such an improvement.

Now what?  I agonized over what to do because what I really want are wood floors which I can’t get because in addition to the problem of no money, my very old dog would have a heck of a time getting around without carpet to steady him.  The myriad of choices in flooring was overwhelming.  Maybe I should just paint the concrete, or re-carpet, or get vinyl or stone or tile or a rubber backing.  Back at Home Depot I stared blankly at the choices in the flooring aisle and because I was lacking all inspiration, picked up a cheap carpet runner and returned home dejected.

Reminding myself that it’s just a tiny little hall and I’ve been known to do an entire house in a couple weeks, I returned to Home Depot intent on coming home with a solution to my dilemma when I found a beautiful tile medallion.  Yes!  This will become the centerpiece of the hall I decide.  I then imagine that I shall get a new light fixture to go above the medallion to mimic it’s shape, and maybe some new artwork or a mirror on the wall, or should I do some wall sconces, and what about new paint or wallpaper?

Describing these decorating dilemmas to my sister later on the phone that night, I find myself slightly embarrassed to be obsessing over such a small project in an insignificant hall leading to the laundry room and I make fun of myself by telling her I don’t know why I’m going to so much effort, since it’s not the Taj Mahal!

And then I realize yes it is.  It’s my Tajma Hall.

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Let’s table that

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“One cannot plan for the unexpected” ~Aaron Klug

Sometimes I just have to redecorate something for no apparent reason and tonight I realized why.  It’s the one area of my life over which I have total control – I am the Queen and Ruler of my design dominion.  The big boss, the big kahuna, the Donald, and seeing things change quickly is like waving a magic decorating wah-la wand.  Often my projects begin on a whim as in the purchase of the dining room set which came to me while browsing through antique stores in Orange during a cool autumn day.  Ok, actually that is kind of sane and it’s so not true which is the nice girl way of saying it’s an outright lie.  Except it was a cool autumn day.

Truth.  I’m going to tell you the truth which will not sound like the truth but actually is.  You’re just going to have to trust me which should be easy for you to do because I’m from the Midwest and I have an honest face.

I was in a period of transition in my life, yeah, another one (shocking) and found that walking through a labyrinth provided great moments of relaxation and often some pretty cool earth shattering revelations. And they’re a free form of entertainment, what could be better than that?  Seriously.  So while driving over to the closest labyrinth in a church garden about 30 minutes away, I was looking forward to getting a great message during this circular walking meditation.

The theory of the labyrinth is as varied as each who walks through it but my approach is to enter the labyrinth with a question and as I get nearer the center I try to quiet my mind.  Pausing in the center for a few minutes I listen to the sound of the wind, and to the birds chirping and am interrupted out of my flow by the blaring of a car horn.   I turn and accurately retrace my steps while listening for my internal guidance counselor to provide “the” answer or even better to drop another BIG message.

Hearing nothing, I slowed my steps as I realized that I was about to step out of the labyrinth.  And then I heard, “Buy a dining room table.”  I was like, say what?  No not really, that would be one of my kids, but in any event I was sure I misheard.  I was stifling a laugh because labyrinth etiquette calls for quiet and again the voice which was now booming said, “Buy a dining room table — today.”  Now chuckling, I thought ok, I can do that.

Apparently it wouldn’t be my day to create world peace or anything equally lofty.  No, my spiritual message for the day was to purchase furniture.

Now, where to find “the” table?  How would I know if I was buying the right one?  I told my daughter the message I had received in the labyrinth and as usual the look on her face was priceless and indicated that she thought I was crazy.  She suggested we change the topic and have lunch at a cute sidewalk café located in the old town section of Orange.   Lunch was great but I just couldn’t let it go.  I mentally reviewed all the places I could find a table and finally decided on the furniture consignment store near my house.

We were headed to the parking lot after lunch and although I was anxious to get to the store, we decided to quickly browse through just a couple antique stores on our way to the car.  Typical of all good antique stores, they were filled with every old knickknack on the planet and I wondered where they had spent their time prior to landing on the store’s shelves.

In a dark back corner under stacks of books, plates and lamps I spotted a table which stopped me in my tracks.  It wanted to be yellow but had chipped paint which showed early incarnations of blue and rose and the years of use showed through the faded floral fabric on the chairs which were also adorned with whimsical tassels on the cushions.  It had definitely seen better days but there was something about it and I knew in an instant this dusty table and chairs would soon be a part of my home, and I knew I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

The table was delivered the next day and with the exception of a good cleaning, today remains in exactly the same condition in which it was found that day in the antique store.  This is the only thing in my house which has remained the same  since the arrival of the table because suddenly everything else in the house looked and felt and was all wrong.

This free walk through the labyrinth had soon turned into a very expensive day.

“I love the idea of finding great design in unexpected places.  A beautiful piece of furniture adds more than function to any home, it adds real life.” ~ Joe Ruggiero

It’s only money.

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