keeping y'all on your toes

Don't get too comfortable at my house. I'm bound to throw a curve ball. I generally don't do anything hard core like paint a new colour without consulting my cohabitant, Ben. But I like making things in my environment just right, which means experimenting with lots of different set-ups and combinations.

Take last night for example. I was tired, but a tiny seed was planted in my brain - why not rearrange your main floor furniture? It all started with me disassembling Vi's designated play spot in the kitchen. Being a mover and shaker, one spot isn't required anymore. Her basket of toys fit perfectly in the one cupbaord in our kitchen that is designated for such things. What was I going to do with this empty spot? Now, let's give my main floor some context. It is just over 500 square feet, and contains our kitchen, dining room/living room, coat closet, and powder room. Don't forget the fireplace in our kitchen. Furniture-wise, it basically contains our 7 foot harvest table with 8 chairs in the living/dining room and 2 leather chairs and an ottoman anchored by a wool rug. Well, I decided that the leather chairs should move from the spot in front of our front windows (see the blank spot in front of our windows now)...

to in front of our fireplace (sans the ottoman and wool rug). The chairs are about 32 inches wide and deep, so they are a tad big for the space (as Ben mentioned), but I really like it. After Ben sat down, he had to admit he liked it too. :)

First, it seems everyone loves to sit in the kitchen, and all we had was a stool and 2 IKEA stool-type things that were stacked so you could sit on them. Not a lot of comfortable seating. Also, when I'm in the kitchen prepping or cleaning up, I like to feel included, instead of separated from everyone sitting at the table or relaxing in the chairs (that used to be in the living/dining room). Second, I like the looks of them in the kitchen. Third, after moving the chairs, I could centre my table on the ceiling light and art in the dining/living room. 

Fourth, we could bring down our bench from the third floor and put it in our living/dining room as extra seating. And fifth, Vi now has a lovely wool rug in her bedroom which softens her room and is perfect for playing!

I did all this (minus the wooden bench - I needed an extra set of hands) before Ben got home from work. I love seeing his face when he walks in and sees everything moved...once again. Even Ro smiled this morning when she came downstairs for breakfast. She knows her mama too well already. 

Don't worry, I think the furniture is safe for tonight. :)

Tam