Coveting thy neighbor's decor
I have spent a number of years envying a particular neighbor's decor. Her windows were right there when you mounted the staircase closest to the path heading to our parking area and she often left the blinds open. (Sometimes she would leave them wide open and then give a mildly offended look when you happened to see into her place, which was amusing and annoying when you considered that you couldn't help but look, given the trajectory.) She had a chandelier where I have a ratty looking ceiling fan. The blades never stay clean, whereas her chandelier matched two lovely pictures of pink roses on the wall nearby. I normally hate pink, but even I had to admit the simple elegance in the unity of elements. I loved the way things blended, even though individual elements stood out from the others. I went out of my way not to stare into her place, but this weekend while I was in my home clothes on my way to wash my car, one of her pictures was sitting outside. And then I saw the sign: Moving Sale.
By the time I got inside, a good deal of her things had been sold to other folks in the complex. Her couch went to my next door neighbor and my downstairs neighbors got some other things. But a number of her framed prints were still left, and I could totally envision how they would look on my walls. They were bigger than the sorts of things I usually hang and they were also many times more elegant. I surprised myself when I snapped up three of them and then went back to see if there was anything else. I was a even more surprised when I brought back two of her chairs and a rose throw pillow. I normally complain about having too many couch cushions. To be fair, it seemed I arrived after she'd decided to drop the prices, so I got a decent deal. I'm so used to having to rationalize every purchase, though, as you can see here. But all that aside, I'm happy every time I look over and see the pictures hanging, and yesterday Robert figured out which cords I needed to get my TV working properly, and to hook my DVD player to my stereo.
Now all I need is a steam cleaner and a few other touches, and this place will be even more awesome.
By the time I got inside, a good deal of her things had been sold to other folks in the complex. Her couch went to my next door neighbor and my downstairs neighbors got some other things. But a number of her framed prints were still left, and I could totally envision how they would look on my walls. They were bigger than the sorts of things I usually hang and they were also many times more elegant. I surprised myself when I snapped up three of them and then went back to see if there was anything else. I was a even more surprised when I brought back two of her chairs and a rose throw pillow. I normally complain about having too many couch cushions. To be fair, it seemed I arrived after she'd decided to drop the prices, so I got a decent deal. I'm so used to having to rationalize every purchase, though, as you can see here. But all that aside, I'm happy every time I look over and see the pictures hanging, and yesterday Robert figured out which cords I needed to get my TV working properly, and to hook my DVD player to my stereo.
Now all I need is a steam cleaner and a few other touches, and this place will be even more awesome.