Buying any type of furniture is a terror-filled experience for me. I know little about design and decor. While I like individual pieces, I cannot put them together into a coherent image or arrangement. Furniture shopping is not a fun experience. Recently I planned to purchase dining room furniture. After watching hours of programs on interior design, I hoped I knew the important things I needed before going to the store. I even had enough common sense to measure the room before leaving. My current dining room is an eclectic (hodgepodge) mixture of decorating styles, so I made a list describing every stick in the room. My crib sheet said to consider a whole list of thing about the size of my family, number of friends, etc. It all boiled down to how many people I wanted to stuff in the room at the same time, I had no idea. The list I had swiped from a convenient commercial website wanted more decisions. Did I want to mix and match style and piece or purchase a set?
At last the big question, money. How much did I want to spend? Well, I know how much I had in the bank and I knew I couldn’t spend it all, but I like quality. I like the fine feel of craftsmanship.
Hummmm, the bloody sheet went on about the size of the room dictating the number of pieces I can buy. I would rather have one chair built by an exceptional craftsman, than a room of cheap junk. Next were room size and the size of the table, this I knew about. It’s simple geometry, I made an A. Small room, small furniture, which is simple enough. Small rooms only have room for a table, chairs, and things hanging on the walls. Let’s see, the crib sheet say big room contain table, chairs, hutch, and maybe a breakfront. Who wrote this? What is kitchen storage doing in a dining room? Hasn’t anyone ever heard of a butler’s pantry or china closet?
I’m told that the dimensions of a room specifies the furniture. Rectangular rooms are easier to deal with than oddly shaped rooms. I can see that, a triangular room, while interesting, would pose some difficult decorating problems. This sheet is too much, now it’s telling me that decisions on new furniture should be made on the dining room’s current decor. Well, that’s what I trying to change, I don’t like the current decor. Why should I consider the current colors, drapes, and wallpaper before buying something new. Changing that stuff is cheap compared to the money I will spend on the furniture. I’ll trash the whole lot to get something I like.
Well, I’ve finally reached the end and the “expert’s” crib sheet. It’s only marginally useful. However, it did score a few points:
- Know what you have;
- What size is the room;
- Be ready to throw everything out;
- Pick the table first;
- Round dining tables generate a warmer atmosphere;
- Leave plenty of room around the table;
- Don’t over stuff the room with Kitchen Furniture;
- Buy what you like, even if no one else does; and
- Have deep pocket when buying craftsmanship.
I think that boils it down. I like round dining tables, never saw anything but round pedestal dining tables on a cruise ship. Well now, where’s my wallet, credit cards, and checkbook, I think I’m going to need all of them before this is over.