Earlier, I said the “Room of Misfit Furniture” — a 10 X 12 room that’s essentially acting like a warehouse for my unused furniture — didn’t have an identity or serve much of a purpose. My dog would beg to differ. Begging is his thing after all.
Because of this project, I’ve been paying more attention to this room and snapping photos. I soon realized that my dog thinks this is his room. Here, he finds rays of light and sunbathes in them in the morning. And, it’s where he absconds with my lipstick and chapstick to chew up (weird, right?). This explains the random “Rooby Woo” pink and “Flat Out Fabulous” plum stains on the carpet. Note to self: Clean carpet. Buy new lipstick.
Alas, here’s Tyson Barkford (he’s named after a male model from the 1990’s and wears a bow tie, thank you very much) showing off what has pretty much become his room.
We need to clear space and decide what’s worth keeping, what’s worth storing and what I should just flat-out toss (or donate!)
Before we proceed, a few things to keep in mind: My bedroom and my office don’t have much room, and I don’t want to add much to my living room because I’m drawn to more open, lit and airy spaces.
Ripped leather love seat: Toss, keep or store?
Come on in. Sit down. There’s a leather love seat that didn’t fit in my living room, so I just plopped it in here. Oh, and my dog somehow scratched the heck out of one of the cushions on my downstairs couches, so I swapped out the cushion and now the devoured one is in the “Room of Shame.” I think it’s time to get rid of it, honestly. But is it even worth donating? Would I be able to seel it on OfferUp for anything? I bought it years ago for about $2,500, so is it worth reconditioning and storing?
Converted entertainment chest: Toss, keep or store?
The most important piece of furniture in this room, hands-down, is this 1970’s entertainment chest that my parents had back in the day. Before there were ultra-thin televisions you could mount to the wall, there were those huge box-set televisions and this is where they stashed their humongous brick of a television. These drawers were once filled with my Disney VHS tapes and home videos of me fishing with a lisp saying ‘here fithy, fithy, fithy.’ When I moved into my first apartment out of college and didn’t have much furniture, my dad — who has since passed away — helped me convert the entertainment center into a dresser. I remember at the time I had this notion that every single piece of furniture need to match, so we painted it this brown color and furnished it with silver hardware so that it would essentially camoflauge with everything else I owned. While it’s just a piece of furniture, it’s super meaningful to me and is a connction to my childhood and my father.
Antique vanity: Toss, keep or store?
This vanity is something I found at a thrift shop and paid about $350 for. I had in the master bedroom of a past apartment and used it to stash jewelry, lotions and seasonal ware, like swimsuits and winter hats. I don’t know the story of it; but think it’s a cool piece of furniture and it’s well-built. There’s no room really anywhere in my house for it, but it’s something I’d like to hang on to because I think it’s a charming antique. There are a few scratches on it and the wood is worn is some places.
Huge mirror: Toss, keep or store?
Other pieces throughout the “Room of Shame” include mirrors, shelving and curtains. When I moved into my home, I went with an entirely different design scheme than what I had in my old apartment and so I dumped a lot of my apartment furnishings into this room. Back then I was “wannabe” Pottery Barn. Now, I’m more aspirational Anthropologie, with colorful splashes throughout my home and varying textures. Still, this is a pretty solid mirror and, at $400 or so, it was one of the first home furnishings I “splurged” on.
Curtains: Toss, keep or store?
Over the past few months, I’ve been making lots of trips to Goodwill and selling some electronics and housewares on OfferUp. Each time I go to put these curtains in the giveaway pile, I give them a pass, though. The color scheme doesn’t work with my house, but I do think they are a beautiful pattern. However, they are heavy and I’m not sure it’s worth storing them in my hall closet. I’ve thought about repurposing them and turning them into chair covers.
Thanks for helping me decide what to do with my belongings! In doing so, you’re like that honest friend in the fitting room that you can always count on to be a straight shooter.
