Home Decorating

This month's Green Living department article reminded me of a rather strange event that occurred when we purchased the home we’re living in now.

It was a bit of a challenge setting up our furniture and decorating this home. We already had our furniture, knick-knacks and wall hangings, and weren’t planning to buy anything new.

Placing furniture in the odd-shaped living room, setting up the bedrooms, and even placing my trinkets around the house were all tasks I normally wouldn’t think twice about—just put what we have in the rooms and be done with it.

But not this time! The open-space living room and kitchen—each with a different type of flooring and divided by an angular boundary—made it incredibly difficult to place the furniture without it looking very odd. On top of that, the mantle-less fireplace in the corner didn’t work with any of our wall hangings.

Even the knick-knacks, some with more of a Southwest theme, didn’t suit the faintly Mediterranean interior, with its tile floor, rounded hallway entrance and pale green-gray paint we’d chosen for the walls.

I worked at it for what seemed like forever—moving furniture around, trying different combinations in each room, placing each little tchotchke here and there. At some point, I developed the sense that the house was actually “talking” to me: “No, do not use that knick-knack,” or “Yes, you can place that bookcase there.” It was the craziest sensation, and one I’d never experienced before. Creepy at first, but I eventually accepted it and just took the direction!

I didn’t bother lingering over how it was that our house seemed to have its own agenda for how things should go. We were more than pleased with the end result, and I decided I was happy for the guidance—I was even “allowed” to place our one purchase, a big Roman numeral clock, above the fireplace. Perfect!