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DaveSauce posted:Yes the current couch is an ugly-rear end forest green La-Z-boy POS... got it cheap off craigslist over 10 years ago and will absolutely ditch it once we get around to buying new furniture. Is it leather or fabric? You can paint a leather couch!
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Mar 22, 2022 02:44
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   Please excuse my poo poo censoring job and also the sheer volume of tchotchkes on the shelves. It is my goal to re-style everything from the ground up (we inherited almost all those knick knacks and I dislike them). Anyways, those are the 3 pieces we have for the dining room. Any suggestions for a dining set?
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Mar 22, 2022 03:26
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Do you genuinely like those pieces or did you just inherit them? Because facebook and craigslist are jammed with people unloading Grandma's dining room set for cheap. You can find a more neutral set that you like and release your grandma's set. It's the circle of life
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Mar 22, 2022 15:07
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i like nice words
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yeah clear everything out first so you can start with an empty room. then post pictures of the whole room and talk about how you want it to look
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Mar 22, 2022 15:16
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Tag yourself: I'm the Santa Claus figure on a shelf of Asian items. But in all seriousness one of the best bits of advice from all the decluttering and minimalist articles is just pointing out that you do not have to be the keeper of the family heirlooms if you don't want to be. Ask around if any other family member really wants something from grandma's Asian collection then don't feel guilty about getting rid of it and only keeping a piece or two you like/has meaning to you. I'm in a little bit of the same boat only my relative is being proactive and giving me all her tchotchkes before she passes to be sure I get them. What I thought was cool when I was 10 I no longer like at 32, so I've been quietly disappearing most objects straight from storage to goodwill. I dread the next round of it though, she wants me to make the drive up to pick up the rest. Previously some items had broken in the mail on the way down to me is why, and I'm brushing up against the limits of using covid as an excuse to avoid the trip.
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Mar 22, 2022 18:15
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Who’s in the urn
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Mar 22, 2022 20:15
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The Santa was a fuckup of mine, we also inherited ALL HER CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS and I missed that one when I was putting everything away this year. Nobody is in the urn, it's just kind of there. I appreciate the advice about decluttering. I definitely want to just clear off everything and move the current table to one side and see what the space looks like. As for passing things on to family-- not much family on that side to speak of unfortunately. We also inherited this ancient shadowbox type thing that I'd keep some of the tchotchkes in if I could find a decent place to anchor the whole thing. Extreme E/N content: all these things we inherited from my partner's grandmother, who died quite suddenly of previously undetected cancer in 2020. I was under the impression we would get the furniture and a few decorative items I pointed out as being nice, but his dad brought all of that to us when he emptied her residence. The same weekend he brought all this stuff, we learned that my partner's younger brother was back in the hospital and that he needed to be moved to comfort care 6 months after his own cancer diagnosis. So everything about this stuff is kind of emotionally fraught. I like this furniture, I think the style is interesting and if I could find a dining room table to at least somewhat coordinate I'd be happy and continue the motif (with Less loving Knick Knacks). And I like all the fancy serving stuff we inherited, though it needs to be pared down in a big way. But yeah, currently being smothered in stuff, in mementos of a life that isn't mine.
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Mar 22, 2022 20:30
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Turbinosamente posted:Tag yourself: I'm the Santa Claus figure on a shelf of Asian items. But in all seriousness one of the best bits of advice from all the decluttering and minimalist articles is just pointing out that you do not have to be the keeper of the family heirlooms if you don't want to be. Ask around if any other family member really wants something from grandma's Asian collection then don't feel guilty about getting rid of it and only keeping a piece or two you like/has meaning to you. Coming out of lurking to echo this. It's something that's been standing in my way for a while. I still haven't removed every heirloom I don't want, but the steps I have taken have done more good than anything else I've tried. It ain't easy, but it works. I in fact did not need a room full of objects that make me sad. Especially if they don't even match my desired style.
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Mar 22, 2022 20:46
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I guess just to make it clear since I think I stuck it behind spoilers, this stuff belonged to my partner's grandmother. If it were mine I would have yeeted it all into the void/goodwill like a year ago and not batted an eye.
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Mar 22, 2022 20:50
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I agree with keeping a couple tchotchkes and yeeting the rest. I would not be a white person trying to make faux bamboo (unless your entire vibe is tropical) or chinoiserie happen in 2022. If you do want to be that person, those are the terms to search for. Any chance your boyfriend might care any more if you put it that way?
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Mar 22, 2022 21:19
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coronatae posted:
I think you need a mid-century glass top table, maybe kind of like this one. In general though, probably either a rectangular one with a wooden frame and thin, perpendicular legs or a round/octagonal pedestal style one with a bamboo or rattan support. The thing about those pieces of furniture is that even though they are visually pretty lightweight and spindly, they are highly stylized and have a strong look, so you want something with similar visual weight that complements but doesn't necessarily need to match (even though that table I linked is a bit on the nose). For chairs, you could go with a number of styles, including modern upholstered (bare legs, no tufting, and not too heavy-looking), or a spindly Regency sort of look. Another thing that I think you need to take your dining room to the next level is some serious color. The surrounding beige wall and beige floor (if the tile floor is yours - not actually sure) don't do these pale furniture pieces any favors and risks putting you in washed-out beach resort timeshare territory (do not decorate with driftwood or seashells). Personally, I'd paint the dining room a color that is not beige. Not sure what. A minty celadon, perhaps? Or maybe even a pinstripe or vibrant floral/arboreal wallpaper. And for sure add a big cool rug. And maybe a palm or ficus or monstera. If you don't want to paint the walls, counteract the beige with big arts, interesting upholstery on the chairs (if they involve upholstery), and the cool rug. As for shelf-bound decor, the urns are awesome and so is that squat little lamp. I'd keep the urns, the lamp, and the Blue Willow (or whatever pattern the blue and white dishes are) and swap out the other stuff currently on display with a couple trailing indoor plants in colorful ceramic pots to jibe with the urns. If it sounds like I'm channeling Dorothy Draper, it's because I most definitely am. But more the anti-neutrals color palette than the maximalism (which can definitely be Too Much). In a nutshell, since the furniture is a light, neutral color but an interesting design, help it stand out by making its surroundings not neutral-colored, add a table and chairs with similar visual weight that complements rather than competes with your pieces, and don't be afraid to use vibrant colors and patterns.
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Mar 22, 2022 21:21
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I got one thing from my grandmother when she did, it was a set of flatware from a 1960 betty crocker catalog. sold it for $150 and didn't tell anyone lol
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Mar 22, 2022 23:21
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Put the statues away in a box to be evaluated years later when they're not so emotional. Those bamboo looking furniture are cool. Colorful walls would make them pop. Navy, gold, or some tropical print wallpaper. Embrace it.
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Mar 22, 2022 23:43
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Oof, yeah I agree most of the items will have to be put away for a year or two until the emotions settle down. We're only just getting to the real sensitive items of my grandmother after she passed two years ago. It's amazing which items you totally forget about while in storage and which ones bring back the good memories and associations when you dig them out again.
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Mar 23, 2022 13:42
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I require more goon approved interior design YouTube channel / websites. Feed me *c*o*n*t*e*n*t*
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Apr 1, 2022 03:15
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Any suggestions for new home buyer on how to approach buying new things for a house? The two big things we are looking at are a fence for the back yard and blinds/Plantation shutters/some window covering for main level. Fence is mainly to keep our kids from running into street which can be a little busy. Privacy from a fence would be a nice additional feature but not mandatory. Windows I think would look great with plantation shutters. Windows are mainly painted shut and a million years old. As a newb should I go to home depot and look at options for these? Look for contractors? Find some national fence and or window company? Any specific suggestions or success you guys have had? Any other first time home owner advice is also welcomed. Thanks ahead of time!
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Apr 5, 2022 04:46
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Doctor Party posted:Any suggestions for new home buyer on how to approach buying new things for a house? Call a few local fence guys and get quotes, but know what you want first. You could call a bigger fence company to compare if you want, but in my experience local guys have the number usually.
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Apr 5, 2022 07:50
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Get at least 3 quotes for each project. See how their reviews are on Google maps or similar. For fences you can get an idea of what it may cost per foot online depending on the fence type and number of gates to see if you're in the right ballpark. You can measure distance using Google maps measure feature for an rough estimate of sq ft. Fall 2019 I got a 4' high black chain link fence w/ 2 gates installed, 320ft for $5k. So about $16/ft. This was a local family business, hell he had his family on his car when he stopped to do some prep spray paint ground marks. You probably want one of the gates to be double or wider of you ever need machinery back there (stump grinding etc) Quotes for wood were more than double. Lead time then, pre pandemic was like 2 months so I'd guess it's like 6-9mo now? falz fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Apr 5, 2022 |
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Apr 5, 2022 13:05
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This is super helpful. Of course I know you can measure on Google maps but it wouldn't have occurred to me. Obviously I know it's just an estimate. We back up to a neighbors high wooden fence. Looks like we are only looking at approximately 150 feet of fence. It's a urban neighborhood with houses kind of jammed in. Anyway thanks a lot. And yeah I'll get a few quotes for each thing.
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Apr 5, 2022 16:06
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Doctor Party posted:This is super helpful. Of course I know you can measure on Google maps but it wouldn't have occurred to me. Obviously I know it's just an estimate. Vinyl covered chain link isn’t the most beautiful thing ever, but it kinda blends in somewhat and serves a purpose. Once you get into vinyl or wood picket fence or any kind of steel/aluminum decorative fence you’re spending money.
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Apr 5, 2022 18:44
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BigFactory posted:Vinyl covered chain link isn’t the most beautiful thing ever, but it kinda blends in somewhat and serves a purpose. Once you get into vinyl or wood picket fence or any kind of steel/aluminum decorative fence you’re spending money. Yeah I think we'd prefer the wrought iron looking fence. Like black metal with spikes. But yeah we'll get some quotes. If that's crazy expensive then of course that could change our plans haha. I found a few companies after some light googling. So I'll give them a call and see where we end up. Any thoughts on ability or utility of getting ball park quotes over the phone vs having each company come in person? It's hard for me to take time off so each time I have to meet with someone is kind of an ordeal. But the alternative might be that I get wildly inaccurate quotes because they didn't realize xyz over the phone until they saw it in person or whatever.
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Apr 5, 2022 23:18
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Privacy fences own but they are so expensive!
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Apr 5, 2022 23:23
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Doctor Party posted:Yeah I think we'd prefer the wrought iron looking fence. Like black metal with spikes. But yeah we'll get some quotes. If that's crazy expensive then of course that could change our plans haha. I found a few companies after some light googling. So I'll give them a call and see where we end up. 1) you could ask for a per foot price for the fence you like and probably get a quote, but the actual measuring will be by them when they’re out there and if there are any weird features they didn’t plan for it’s going to reflect in the bill. But they can probably point you in the direction of their distributor and you can check out their catalogue. 2) any kind of decorative fence is very expensive in my experience. I’ve seen $80/lf installed for 8’ tall fence, and that was 2019 pricing.
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Apr 5, 2022 23:56
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BigFactory posted:any kind of decorative fence is very expensive in my experience. I’ve seen $80/lf installed for 8’ tall fence, and that was 2019 pricing.
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Apr 6, 2022 00:12
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Doctor Party posted:Yeah I think we'd prefer the wrought iron looking fence. Like black metal with spikes. But yeah we'll get some quotes. If that's crazy expensive then of course that could change our plans haha. I found a few companies after some light googling. So I'll give them a call and see where we end up. What about a cute 4' wire fence for the front? You could get that double loop decorative type wire mesh, attach decorative spikes to the posts, and paint/powder coat black. I assume it would be cheaper than a wrought iron fence, and it would look less utilitarian than a chainlink fence and even be period correct for an older prewar house (if you care about that sort of stuff). An added bonus is that they last forever (as long as you keep your trees from devouring them). We have an old timey wire fence and I'm pretty sure it's original to the house, which would make it well over a hundred years old. It could use some powerwashing, fresh coat of paint, and probably some tightening, but is otherwise fine. PS: totally go for plantation shutters. My grandma's 1905 house had them and they went perfectly. They are also excellent for privacy, especially in the front of the house where you wouldn't really want to put privacy fencing due to the lot being pretty small and the house not having a lot of setback from the street.
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Apr 6, 2022 02:43
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Not as decorative, but solar screens are good for privacy. I certainly limits the light coming in, which helps your electric bill if you are in a hot area.
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Apr 7, 2022 07:35
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Would this be the right thread for furniture appraisal? My parents got married in 1969 and either later that year, or the next year they were gifted a pair of Queen Anne chairs, one is a wingback and the other is similar but not wingbacked so I guess it's an armchair? Anyway the wingback is similar to this (and the other has a curved back sans wings):  Dad doesn't want these chairs any more, he's interested in getting a new La-Z-Boy and he wants to sell these to pay for it. I offered to buy them and he said he'd love to see them stay in the family. What would be a good way to find out their ballpark venue? I want to give him a fair price.
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Apr 19, 2022 04:58
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Like $20-100 probably. Do you have any reason to think they were exceptional at the time vs. being mass-produced? You mean they were made around 1970, right, not given to them as antiques? The style isn't widely popular now (which is what's driving the value of MCM) and you can find tons of it on craigslist or facebook marketplace, more in the last couple years due to the increased rate of dead grandmas. Sorry. If my assumptions are incorrect, you could flip them over and look for a maker, and/or take them to a furniture appraiser / antiques dealer. Anne Whateley fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Apr 19, 2022 |
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Apr 19, 2022 07:09
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That's the sort of armchair I've been trawling goodwill for recently, so like, figure thrift store pricing. Reproduction queen anne-style doesn't really hold a ton of value unless you're someone stubbornly trying to outfit your house with furnishings that match its age.
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Apr 19, 2022 07:39
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I can look for tags or any labeling next time I'm there. They've been reupholstered a few times over the decades so it could be that the tags are long gone. My dad might know when they were made though.
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Apr 19, 2022 14:32
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The thing about used furniture (outside of antiques/currently trendy vintage) is that usually it goes for peanuts, even if it's vastly better quality than the particleboard equivalent you'd buy new. I'd say a fair (perhaps even generous) price would be around $200 for the pair. That'll pay for like 1/5 of a La-Z-Boy. But if you like the chairs, take them. Good quality used furniture that you like is pretty much always a good deal (for the buyer). And one huge plus of upholstered grandma chairs is that you can reupholster them with whatever you want to make them match your style. If you do reupholster, don't get stuck in the trap of thinking that it'll be an "investment" or improve resale value because it absolutely won't, it's just a means to make the furniture work better in your house for you.
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Apr 19, 2022 16:38
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Coronatae, the magic words are "faux bamboo". I added "1980s" in my googling because that was my guess at the date. Check this out, for instance. https://www.chairish.com/product/4704546/mid-20th-century-palm-beach-regency-faux-bamboo-extendable-dining-table, "Chinese Chippendale" brings up similar results. Your set might have been Thomasville, because (again according to googling) they were doing a lot of faux bamboo in the 1980s, and it's a major American furniture producer. You can look at the back of the china cabinet for a label.
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Apr 19, 2022 17:52
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Somehow I'm not suprised the Queen Anne style of furniture is super out of fashion, the sort of similar Victorian stuff is as well. Just ask my parents who hung on to their 1980s reproduction Victorian living room set a little too long and missed the steampunk craze by a year or two. We wound up just giving it away to a family the neighbors knew that apparently desperately needed any furniture period. It was at least super appreciated by the family, there were apparently literal tears of joy upon arrival of the set. Speaking of cleaning out is there a thread or any need of a thread for decluttering? I'm in a bit of an ebb at the moment and could use some commiseration/motivational speeches to get back on the band wagon I've half fallen off of.
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Apr 19, 2022 18:59
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Turbinosamente posted:Somehow I'm not suprised the Queen Anne style of furniture is super out of fashion, the sort of similar Victorian stuff is as well. Just ask my parents who hung on to their 1980s reproduction Victorian living room set a little too long and missed the steampunk craze by a year or two. My parents' stuff was mostly mid-century modern (plus Ikea) because that was the fashion in their college town. Everybody who led a student trip to Scandinavia came back with name pieces. So when I see it in antique stores, I don't think "ooh, trendy", I think "home". Mom has dementia, so brother was in charge of selling pieces from their house, and a couple of chairs came in around $5K each and sold within hours of listing. DGMW, there was a lot of Ikea. e: The '70s, IIRC, started the Victorian-furniture craze. It's not surprising that it's over by 2020.
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Apr 19, 2022 19:41
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Turbinosamente posted:Somehow I'm not suprised the Queen Anne style of furniture is super out of fashion, the sort of similar Victorian stuff is as well. Just ask my parents who hung on to their 1980s reproduction Victorian living room set a little too long and missed the steampunk craze by a year or two. We wound up just giving it away to a family the neighbors knew that apparently desperately needed any furniture period. It was at least super appreciated by the family, there were apparently literal tears of joy upon arrival of the set. Victorian poo poo being out of style is excellent for me because I need lots of Victorian poo poo for my Victorian. Except it's mostly the Queen Anne stuff that's the cheapest and that's the kind even I'm not keen on. Seriously, I don't know what it is about Queen Anne furniture*, but it's my least favorite Victorian design subtype (the houses are cool, though). Exception being upholstered pieces like wingbacks because the prevailing curvy form factor works well with wingbacks and other armchairs (as opposed to dressers etc.) and any gratuitously curved/embellished woodwork is in the legs and not prominent. We actually have a matching set of Queen Anne reproduction stuff that I looted from my old college rental - a hallway console table and two end tables. Probably from the 80's, quality solid wood construction, and after enduring decades of abuse by college students, the only damage it's taken is superficial. At some point I'll clean them up and sell/give to a new home. Might not be the most fashionable, but they're good quality and actually useful pieces. *So there are like three periods of Queen Anne furniture, of which I was referring to the second: the OG stuff from during and following Queen Anne's reign in the early 1700's, the Victorian-era revival in the 1890's-1910's, which in the US mostly referred to the American Victorian architectural style (and less furniture design), and ~1980's stuff that is basically a revival of a revival. quote:Speaking of cleaning out is there a thread or any need of a thread for decluttering? I'm in a bit of an ebb at the moment and could use some commiseration/motivational speeches to get back on the band wagon I've half fallen off of. I could use a thread like that. In the meantime, watching a couple episodes of Hoarders might help (speaking of which, I should watch a couple episodes of Hoarders).
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Apr 19, 2022 20:49
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Queen Victorian posted:*So there are like three periods of Queen Anne furniture, of which I was referring to the second: the OG stuff from during and following Queen Anne's reign in the early 1700's, the Victorian-era revival in the 1890's-1910's, which in the US mostly referred to the American Victorian architectural style (and less furniture design), and ~1980's stuff that is basically a revival of a revival.
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Apr 19, 2022 21:33
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Hey, educate me, if you don't mind. I have absolutely seen that same chair in '20s popular magazines, tagged as "Colonial" and part of "an authentic [reproduction] Colonial interior". My Googling says it's called a Queen Anne chair, you're right, but I've seen new-manufacture cabriole-leg wing chairs well up through the 1960s. Is there any difference between "Colonial revival" (cue the fake cobblers' benches and spinning-wheel planters) and "Queen Anne"? American Colonial furniture from the 1700's was basically just riffing on contemporary English furniture, which would have included a lot of Queen Anne, so there are a lot of stylistic parallels and particular pieces that blur the line. I guess in those cases, determining whether it's technically Colonial or Queen Anne comes down to provenance. Some general differences I've observed are that the colonial pieces tend to have more straight lines and be more utilitarian/austere and less flamboyant than their English counterparts. Even though American colonial furniture bears a strong aesthetic resemblance to Queen Anne stuff and is arguably an offshoot of it, I don't dislike it, probably because it downplays the particular aspects of English Queen Anne styling I don't like, which is the froufrou curves and embellishments. As for revivals, when I think of colonial revival, I think of clean straight lines, craftsmanship, visually lighter weight, maybe with some Queen Anne-inspired aspects (like the split cornice thingies on breakfronts and secretaries) but not overdone, and also Early American stuff, which is generally utilitarian and visually simplistic. And when I think of Queen Anne revival, I think of Victorian bourgeois maximalist furniture with lots of curves and flourishes that is visually weighty. Also all that chunky 80's brown furniture.
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Apr 19, 2022 22:44
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Queen Victorian posted:I could use a thread like that. In the meantime, watching a couple episodes of Hoarders might help (speaking of which, I should watch a couple episodes of Hoarders). I have seen Hoarders, though I don't know how much help it would be after reading every decluttering tips blog and article and third hand osmosis absorbing some of Marie Kondo's and other minimalists' philosophies. I even looked at a freaking declutter subreddit, as slow moving as it is. It feels like I'm spinning my wheels about the harder stuff to part with but whining about it here at least jogged my memory that I did see two boxes of silhouettes in the back of an over stuffed closet that need to go. They were the first round of a relative's collection that she shoved off on to me as gifts and I didn't really want them but couldn't say no at the time. I had a quick look, and I think by the end of the week I'll be stacking them in the donate box. I am piss terrible at writing OPs and starting threads though. 
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Apr 20, 2022 00:41
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Ohhhh, I suggested Hoarders as more of a means of lighting a fire under your rear end to go do some cleaning and decluttering right loving now rather than insight on decluttering methods. Sorry, I'm definitely not operating at 100% today. As for methods of decluttering, I've been meaning to get into Marie Kondo because she seems to have the only popular method that doesn't have a "purge" mentality, which stress me out thanks to negative childhood experiences around purging. Also she has a really nice feather duster on her website that I've been meaning to buy...
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Apr 20, 2022 04:16
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Queen Victorian posted:Ohhhh, I suggested Hoarders as more of a means of lighting a fire under your rear end to go do some cleaning and decluttering right loving now rather than insight on decluttering methods. Sorry, I'm definitely not operating at 100% today. Eh I'm not on the ball today either; I've been stumbling around in the attachments/guilt/will I really miss this/it's too expensive to rebuy etc. loop that everyone I think falls into at one time or another doing this. Which is why I'm glad I stumbled upon something that's easy for me to send out the door today. And FWIW I never read Kondo's book or saw the Netflix show, just gleaned enough from google and a couple free video demos of her clothes folding techniques, very handy if you need to compact clothes. Overall I've found the idea of only keeping or buying things that serve a purpose and holding out for the items you really want to be the most useful tactics in dealing with my stuff; heck half of that is the underlying idea behind minimalism as a lifestyle. Doesn't help too much with the attachments though, and it still takes me a bit to come to terms with my purchasing mistakes. I will also probably never have all the flat surfaces in my house completely free of items either.
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Apr 20, 2022 05:03
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