My best friend is gifting us her wood stove. It’s been sitting in her house for years and she’s never used (came with the house). She is only too happy to get rid of it.
We’ve been talking about getting a wood stove or an insert for our fireplace for years to make it more insulated and to give off better heat.
The gift sounds perfect until you remember that we live in a small house. A wood stove is going to take up precious real estate in the living room/entryway.
Dan wants to solve the problem by moving the TV to the entryway and turning the couch so the back of it faces the fireplace. This is why Dan is not allowed to make decorating decisions by himself.
My idea involves moving every piece of furniture we own in the living and dining rooms, removing the existing chair rail, installing a new chair rail and wainscoting in the living room, installing crown molding in the living room and buying more cube storage for all of Elly’s toys.
Dan’s idea could be completed in 5 minutes. Mine will take months to finish. Still, my idea is better.
This is what our current dining room looks like.
In my plan, the dining table, chairs and hutch would be moved out. The garish chandelier would be tossed in the trash and replaced with a fan and light combo. The ugly green carpet would be thrown in the trash. The chair rail would be removed. The walls would be painted all one color – maybe a deep brown to cozy the space up. On the wall where the hutch is now, I will put the TV and entertainment center. Where the table is now, I will place the couch. Then, finally, the very first thing that you see upon entering our house will NOT be the TV.
current view upon walking into our house
Oh, happy days! The image in my mind alone has me jumping for joy!
Then, the dining table, chairs and hutch will have to go in the living room.
the living room
I can’t just get rid of it. Our kitchen is small and has no eat-in nook. Thus, we use our dining table every day – sometimes twice a day.
I’m hoping that the addition of a chair rail, beadboard wainscoting and crown molding will help define part of the living room as a semi formal dining spot. An area rug will be used to anchor the table. Obviously, the ghastly green carpet will be thrown in the trash first.
The wing back chair that I am slowly sewing a slip cover for will be placed to the right of the fireplace. I would love to thrift a second wing back chair and place it to the left of the fireplace, but Dan wants room left for his computer desk. Oh, the compromises I make to keep a happy marriage.
So what do you think of my crazy and amazing plan? Would it be weird to walk into someone’s house and immediately see their dining table?
Of course, the real question is do we want a wood stove now. Dan is terrified that Elly would suffer burns. Having fallen asleep in the sun and gotten 3rd degree burn, I can attest that burns are not fun. I would feel like the world’s worst mother if she got burnt by my crazy redecorating plans.
The Life, Designs & Crafts of Marie Haigh 