ok, taking a break from the vacant rental (which is still getting spruced up daily and has had no calls).
Today I search high and low for some new furniture. Sure we live in a beautifully furnished house. But we are having a baby and have received furniture requests from family that will be visiting. (this is totally normal I'm sure -sarcasm)
One family member needs a chair in the living room. Couches are uncomfortable for her to get up and off from. So she needs somewhere to sit in a room full of couches.
She has also requested a chair in the nursery so she can comfortably sit and hold the baby. The nursery already has a twin bed in it which is what I planned to use. But once again, a bed is too difficult to get on and off from. So we have to get a chair.
The nursery is full. bursting at the seems with a twin bed, crib, 2 dressers and 2 bookcases. The chair will sit in the middle of the room for everyone to navigate around. Husband has recently said it has always been a dream of his for a ROCKING CHAIR to be in the nursery, so he can watch me sit in it with our baby. I fought him about the rocker because they take up even more space than a kitchen chair- but then he was really adamant about it. So what the hell- he's putting in his request for a chair too.
Another family member has requested a chair for our guest room. They will be staying a week and plan to use the desk in the guest room to work from home. Our guest room has a giant wood desk, but no chair. There is not really room for a chair and I use the desk for storage. So the request has come in for an office chair to be added to that room.
And also our kitchen chairs....I have 4 pressed back, painted and stenciled antiquey white chairs for our kitchen table. I love them. They have butterflies painted on them! They are a little rickety. We have some guests coming in town who are a little heavy for these beautiful but not strong chairs. Rather than risking one of my kitchen chairs getting broken and ruining my most loved kitchen set ever- I am opting to get a set of replacement chairs to put around the table for when our guests are in town. So I guess that is MY chair request.
All these chairs will be stored in the attic and brought out only when the specific guest comes in that needs their specific chair. We don't really have room for all these chairs and I am not planning to permanently clutter up my home because of these requests.
So another aspect I need to consider when looking at chairs is their weight. They need to be lightweight enough that I can lug them in and out of the attic.
Sadly, the older wing back armchairs I'm liking are very heavy.
So this seems insane. I know. It took me weeks to take these request seriously. But time is ticking to baby and the reality is that we have family coming into town for days on end and they need to be comfortable. And they will probably be coming in more frequently because they want to visit the baby.
So my day was spent chair hunting. I went everywhere. At an antique store I found a faded burnt orange Chinese rug that I love for our kitchen. But I resisted it and kept looking for chairs.
I found a contender for the living room on Craigslist for $10. I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I found a backup at Homegoods for $280 if I cant find anything else.
I found a distressed white rocking chair on Craigslist for $45. Waiting for the seller to reply to me if it is still available.
I have found several contenders for the guest room so I put that to the bottom of the priority list.
I have NOT found a set of 4 kitchen chairs. Husband thinks I'm being ridiculous buying an extra set of kitchen chairs and wont entertain my whining about it. But he has also told me I need to just accept they are going to get broken because I bought old chairs that wont support heavy people. So he ADMITS these chairs are in danger, but thinks its a waste of money to prevent the damage. I'm not listening to him, I found these chairs years ago on Craigslist and I call them the SCORE of my lifetime. (Ironically the reason the couple was selling these chairs was because they no longer felt the chairs were safe for heavy use and replaced the set with generic, stronger chairs.)
So yeah. I'm having a baby and my shopping for baby is spending my days hunting for multiple chairs to put in the house. Though it is acting as a great distraction from my anxiety over labor.
My kitchen chairs. Don't you think a burnt orange Chinese rug would look FABULOUS under that table? I cant stop thinking about it.
I'm having a baby in 3 weeks- I need to buy CHAIRS!
October 7th, 2013 at 11:54 pm
October 7th, 2013 at 11:58 pm 1381190294
I know rocking chairs take up more room, but I found it totally worth it when my son was a baby. Put a cushion and the back, and it'll be super comfortable!
Good luck
October 8th, 2013 at 12:13 am 1381191195
If you buy used chairs, hopefully you can later re-sell for what you paid.
I do think it is asking a lot of an 8+ months pregnant woman to run around and buy a particular kind of chair. It would be a lot more considerate for a person who wants a particular kind of chair to bring it with them, or ship it to you ahead of time.
October 8th, 2013 at 12:30 am 1381192213
THOUGH if I get a kitchen REPLACEMENT chair set then yes- it can be moved to the guest room between mealtimes. GOOD THINKING!
And Petunia- THANK YOU for acknowledging this is silly. Husband has been buffering between me and these requests and I really refused to entertain them for a while. So that's why I waited till I was 8 months to actually get chairs. My bad.
And I might just get that rug too. I've been looking for a perfect rug for 3 years and never found one to work with those colors.
October 8th, 2013 at 12:42 am 1381192953
October 8th, 2013 at 01:02 am 1381194155
October 8th, 2013 at 01:16 am 1381195011
But seriously ... I know you say you do not want folding chairs, but I keep 2 of these in my garage for moments like the one you describe, and also to take to volunteer events where my option would be standing for up to 8 hours. They are SUPER comfortable and very light weight.
http://www.costco.com/Lifetime-4-pk-Folding-Chair.product.11482116.html
I cannot imagine schlepping chairs out to the garage or up to the attic that are only used on rare occasions. And wood doesn't hose off nearly as nicely as these beauties!
October 8th, 2013 at 01:20 am 1381195241
October 8th, 2013 at 01:26 am 1381195579
The good news about this rug I found is that it already has small stains on it. It is being sold in an antique store- so it actually is perfectly "old" to fit my home, and I wont worry about food on it...too much.
The chair thing will be fine. I needed to vent. But you guys were all appropriately defensive for me (thank you), and agreed that the burnt orange rug is a great find, and so I feel better now
I will get folding chairs if I cant find anything else. Last resort.
October 8th, 2013 at 01:39 am 1381196379
October 8th, 2013 at 01:41 am 1381196489
October 8th, 2013 at 01:59 am 1381197558
http://www.ikea.com/aa/en/catalog/products/10162209
October 8th, 2013 at 02:11 am 1381198268
Keep in mind that a wool rug is going to absorb cooking odors if it is in the kitchen. It is REALLY hard to air a rug out regularly when it involves moving a table ... Just some things to think about.
Would that cool sounding rug work anywhere else in the house?
P.S. - Love those chairs by the way!
October 8th, 2013 at 02:40 am 1381200057
I think the lady who needs the chair in the living room does not also need one in the nursery. If she wants to sit and hold the baby she can do it from the one chair you'll get for the living room. No need to get her two. As someone with a bad knee who can't get up from sofas without considerable effort and help, I do understand the desire to have a chair, but I would never expect someone to buy one just for me.
I think your family has missed the point that coming to visit a new mother means doing what you can to help her out, not make more work for her. Are they going to expect to be waited on, as well?
October 8th, 2013 at 05:09 am 1381208957
October 8th, 2013 at 12:08 pm 1381234101
October 8th, 2013 at 12:41 pm 1381236070
Well put!
October 14th, 2013 at 02:52 am 1381719144
October 18th, 2013 at 10:06 pm 1382133963
I agree with using a dining table or living room chair in the nursery, if that will work.
As for the need for chairs for any other chair and can't use one from the dining area, do you have any friends you could borrow from temporarily? How about thrift stores, Craigslist, or freecycle? I would not spend a lot of money or stress yourself out on this, since it sounds like you don't normally need so many chairs.