furniture Tetris

I think I've said it before but I'll say it again: I like to rearrange my furniture!  Sometimes I just get the urge to infuse a room with new perspective.  Maybe being on a budget has something to do with the way I respond to that urge: rearranging updates a room more economically than buying new accessories.  Not only that, there's nothing like muscle feedback to inspire a sense of having accomplished something.  If retail therapy is a massage, then rearranging is an invigorating workout--each makes you feel good in its own way.

It might look like I started with a plan here, but I'd be lying if I let you believe that.  My only thought was, "I want to make this look different."  Aside from the fact that the coffee table was always near the center of the room, every piece of furniture was in about every possible place before landing where it is now.

My biggest complaint against the previous arrangement was that, while the couches faced each other, they were skewed, not centered on one another.  From the perspective of the front door, the white couch was further to the right while the daybed was further to the left, as seen in this September photo:

Not a huge deal, but it felt wonky to me.  After trying out the couch against the closet wall (where it jutted a few inches across the doorway to the hall); pulled out with a walkway between it and the closet wall; and hauled across the room with its back to the window (where it blocked most of the light) I ended up putting it in the mirror position of where it was.  Could have been easy, huh?  I have a knack for making things complicated...something I'm working to change.

I also separated the bookcases, which I've always used side-by-side or in flanking positions, such as on either side of a door.  It was hard for me to envision them apart, but it's more functional this way.  One sits by the front door to catch keys, phones, library books, and my purse. I tidied it a little after the bird's-eye-view photo:

 The other shelf sits behind the couch, where the daybed used to be, with extra books and a lamp.  Looking down the length of that shelf you can see where I put the shelf I used to use as our "catch-all."  Its new (probably temporary) role in life is to be my "seasonal shelf."

I think I'll keep it here at least through the holidays, since it links the living room and dining room and serves as a nice semi-cover for the recycling bins that used to hide behind the armchair and bookshelf--here's another September photo to illustrate:

The shelf height limits bin-overflow, forcing us to sort and cart off our plastic, cardboard, glass, and steel with greater regularity.  Not a bad thing, though you can see I still have trouble keeping up with our milk jugs.  We drink 2 gallons a week.  Is that ridiculous?  I'm prepared to admit it is.  But then again, we don't drink as much soda as average people, so maybe it evens out in expense.  And if you count milk consumption as an anti-osteoporosis measure, maybe it saves even more in future medical expenses.  Or maybe I'm overthinking it?

I'll wrap up because I know this is getting long and maybe even tedious.  Here's your parting shot--the view toward the front door, taken from the dining room:

Stay tuned because up next is how I rearranged the dining room.  (Take the term "rearranged" loosely; the room isn't much bigger than the table, but I managed a few changes.)  There's a hint in this photo.  Details to follow!