Transformation
March 12, 2009
We used to have a study. The study had a huge desk along one wall, 16 feet long. The rest of the room was basically a long hallway to access the master bedroom. After much demolition, a little paint, a little more paint because the new paint made the other walls look old, some new furniture, we now have a den.
The only additions to the room - besides the paint - are a futon sofa ($300 at Futon Planet, including the futon and frame), an IKEA dining table ($279) which we are using as a desk, a shaggy rug ($70) from Walmart (because every other rug - shag and otherwise - was completely unaffordable), an ottoman built out of scrap wood, and a few new pillow covers.
And somehow we now have a room which is the hub of the house. Right now I am here typing this on my laptop, David is across from me on his laptop, and Finn is at the round table on her laptop. Our dog is usually lying on the sofa (had to cover it with a towel); not sure where she is right now, but she seems to have abandoned her chew toy there.
When everything came together, not only did the room miraculously become the center of our lives, but it also took on an inexplicable 70s vibe, like the cool pad I’d have had in the 70s if I would have been a hip adult instead of a pre-teen. Maybe it’s the shag or the orange or the futon. Maybe next we need to add a conversation pit…
Rock-a-bye Baby
May 7, 2006
Rocking is not only for antique collectors
My mother insisted that a rocking chair was a crucial item of baby equipment, but all I could imagine was the rocking chair she had when I was little, with turned spindles and a quilted seatpad, that looked like something you’d find in the Walton’s farmhouse.
So I didn’t buy a rocking chair. Then, when Finn was 7 months old, I was over at a Janie’s house for a neighborhood meeting. Finn became tired and fussy; there were 60 people all talking about how we need a trail along the river and she’s naturally curious, and social, and she couldn’t fall asleep. So I went into Janie’s daughter’s room, sat in her rocker, and in about ten seconds, Finn was asleep.
The most expensive baby item so far?
I went home and started scouring the internet for rocking chairs. And here is what I found: there are rocking chairs and gliders, and they are not the same (Janie had a glider). And there are rocker gliders, and I have no idea what that means. And some gliders swivel, and swiveling can make you sick to your stomach.
Here is another thing I found: rocking chairs (and gliders) are expensive if you don’t want something that looks like crap. Even if you’re ok with something that looks like crap, they’re still expensive.
So we bought a less-expensive model from Babies-R-Us (rocker? glider? I’m still not sure) and found out something else: an inexpensive rocking chair is still $319, which is a lot of money, particuarly if what it buys you is made out of particleboard and is stapled together rather than upholstered and rocks at a cockeyed angle while trying to pitch you forward onto the floor. We returned the rocker/glider/rocker-glider to Babies-R-Us. I had ignored the poor reviews. Do not ignore the poor reviews; do not buy this!
I feared that we’d have to buy the even-more-expensive Pottery Barn rocker (this, it turns out, is actually a rocker and not a glider) which is probably very nice if you have $650 lying around, and a month to wait while they custom build it. But while we were in the throes of rocking chair hell, we took a trip to IKEA.
Our solution
IKEA’s Lillberg rocking chair is not on the IKEA website (but matches the Lillberg sofa, so take a look); we bought it through catalog sales. For $99, it’s amazing – comfortable cushions, basic modern design, solid wood. Since I’m short, I have to lean against a pillow, which makes the rocking not quite as smooth, and the arms are wood, so I’ve draped a blanket over each one so that Finn doesn’t bump her head while she’s falling asleep. But for the money, and the styling, and the removable cushion covers – this rocking chair rules. (Add IKEA’s Pallbo footstool for $30 and you’ve got an entire system for helping your baby fall asleep).
If you don’t have style issues, buy a glider, but if you don’t have style issues, why are you reading this website?
Rock’n'Roll
March 9, 2006
Rocking is not only for antique collectors
My mother insisted that a rocking chair was a crucial item of baby equipment, but all I could imagine was the rocking chair she had when I was little, with turned spindles and a quilted seatpad, that looked like something you’d find in the Walton’s farmhouse.
So I didn’t buy a rocking chair. Then, when Finn was 7 months old, I was over at a Janie’s house for a neighborhood meeting. Finn became tired and fussy; there were 60 people all talking about how we need a trail along the river and she’s naturally curious, and social, and she couldn’t fall asleep. So I went into Janie’s daughter’s room, sat in her rocker, and in about ten seconds, Finn was asleep.
The most expensive baby item so far?
I went home and started scouring the internet for rocking chairs. And here is what I found: there are rocking chairs and gliders, and they are not the same (Janie had a glider). And there are rocker gliders, and I have no idea what that means. And some gliders swivel, and swiveling can make you sick to your stomach.
Here is another thing I found: rocking chairs (and gliders) are expensive if you don’t want something that looks like crap. Even if you’re ok with something that looks like crap, they’re still expensive.
So we bought a less-expensive model from Babies-R-Us (rocker? glider? I’m still not sure) and found out something else: an inexpensive rocking chair is still $319, which is a lot of money, particuarly if what it buys you is made out of particleboard and is stapled together rather than upholstered and rocks at a cockeyed angle while trying to pitch you forward onto the floor. We returned the rocker/glider/rocker-glider to Babies-R-Us. I had ignored the poor reviews. Do not ignore the poor reviews; do not buy this!
I feared that we’d have to buy the even-more-expensive Pottery Barn rocker (this, it turns out, is actually a rocker and not a glider) which is probably very nice if you have $650 lying around, and a month to wait while they custom build it. But while we were in the throes of rocking chair hell, we took a trip to IKEA.
Our solution
IKEA’s Lillberg rocking chair is not on the IKEA website (but matches the Lillberg sofa, so take a look); we bought it through catalog sales. For $99, it’s amazing – comfortable cushions, basic modern design, solid wood. Since I’m short, I have to lean against a pillow, which makes the rocking not quite as smooth, and the arms are wood, so I’ve draped a blanket over each one so that Finn doesn’t bump her head while she’s falling asleep. But for the money, and the styling, and the removable cushion covers – this rocking chair rules. (Add IKEA’s Pallbo footstool for $30 and you’ve got an entire system for helping your baby fall asleep).
If you don’t have style issues, buy a glider, but if you don’t have style issues, why are you reading this website?
Crib Notes
February 19, 2006
Why is furniture overdesigned?
When we lived in Dublin, Ireland, there was a furniture story on Mary Street where they changed the window display on a regular basis; week after week it was more horrifying, with more complex furniture. One week there was a living room suite with whitewashed Louis XIV details and pearlized beige upholstery. This was not inexpensive furniture.
In search of a coffee table
When we came back to the US we found a similar problem with American coffee table design. We just wanted something simple. What we found were coffee tables with distressed edging, pop-up tv trays, Mexican nailheads, Queen Anne legs, multiple wood species, smoked beveled glass and metal pulls. All in the same table! And these, amazingly, were not inexpensive!We could have bought an IKEA table, and believe me, we have a lot of IKEA furniture, but we really wanted something more permanent, that we could have for a long time. Something not made of fiberboard with wood veneer.
We eventually had to have a table custom made (cheaper than the tables we saw at Mor Furniture for Less). I describe the style as Hip Asian Restaurant.
In search of a crib
I was really worried we wouldn’t be able to find a crib. After a trip to a baby superstore an hour from our house and careful internet search, we found that most cribs looked like rejects from Sleeping Beauty’s castle; way too complex for my taste. We decided they were guilt-cribs for parents who felt like they couldn’t give their children enough.
There are a lot of cool cribs out there (check out some of the models on the giggle website) but we didn’t want to spend $750 and up for a piece of furniture we’d only use for a few years.
My favorite inexpensive crib
We finally found a relatively plain crib from Pali. The model is called April, and although it’s not as spare in design as I’d prefer, after we removed the gold-colored casters (sacrificing convenience for aesthetics), I really like the look.
The crib does not convert from a crib into a toddler bed into a child’s bed and then into a dog house and later a wet bar. But it’s very sturdy, basic and unadorned, and under $350.
