What is it about simply rearranging the furniture that can make a space that felt cramped, stale, unlivable suddenly feel open, alive, welcoming? After a long winter and dreary, rainy spring, the living room was feeling like a prison.
First I vacuumed and straightened it up and that made it a little better. Then, we gave away the love seat that we inherited with the apartment (My former roommate, our landlady, said she didn’t want it and we could keep it or trash it as we pleased.) and we moved the television from the back room and put it in the corner where the love seat once sat. (I didn’t want the tv in the living room, we had it tucked away in the spare bedroom; but for several reasons the arrangement really wasn’t working, so I’ve had to compromise.) We also brought the recliner out from the spare room and stuck it in the sunny corner in front of the plants.
I thought the recliner would make the room seem cramped, but I can tell I’m going to want to sit there and read, it’s a very comfy corner now. I still wish we had a nice armoire to hide the tv in; but that will have to wait. At least that corner now has more room for Bella to play in. Now if we can only keep her from punching the buttons on the VCR….
At least the new arrangement works for me. Even though today was rainy and cold and we were stuck inside instead of getting to the park, I was feeling pretty happy. Bella, however, still frants and fumes when she doesn’t get her afternoon walk. I don’t think she’s very impressed with the new arrangement.
