kim through
   the looking glass

Brad’s brother, Dave, has been staying with us for just over a month. He’s a student of architecture (finished his undergrad this past summer and will be starting his Masters in September 2010) and it’s been so much fun to dream with him about our home!

On Saturday night the three of us sat down and chatted about our living room. Brad and I had been tossing around the idea of commissioning a built-in window bench for our front bay window. The original plan had been to have room to recess a TV in the unit while providing more seating - not to mention the storage underneath!

I had been thinking about rearranging the furniture, but wasn’t sure how. I drew up a couple of quick pictures for Dave to check out and he thought one might work. So, crazy guy that he is, he used Google SketchUp and did our entire living room. It was decided to try one particular configuration so as to maximize the use of the bay window area and create a cozy sitting area. Also, since our living room is quite a long room with Brad’s computer desk on one end, we thought it might be nice to separate the seating area from the tv/computer area a bit better.

To the left of this picture (the black chair) is Brad’s desk in the corner. The other side currently holds Gwen’s rocking horse and the TV unit. Dave is currently drawing up plans for a fun desk and fun entertainment unit - there are renderings of his sketch-ups, but I’ll wait to share those until they’re a for-sure thing!

This area used to hold the love seat - it completely covered the beautiful radiator and generally just looked bulky! I also felt like when we had people over we were interviewing them because we could only sit directly across from them! So, we’ve decided to put my cedar chest - which is actually pine - upstairs either in Gwen’s room or in the loft. It’s a soft wood and is getting just TRASHED being on the main floor and being played on! Also, it wasn’t a terribly good toy holder, since Gwen couldn’t actually open it, so many of her toys were being neglected. We bought the 3Sprouts Organic Monkey Storage Bin from Citizen Kid instead and I love how it looks! It brings a children’s element to the room that I feel like we didn’t have before, but still keeps the toys organized - and more so, since the chest liked to collect things on top to prevent us from opening it!

The love seat fits PERFECTLY into the bay window! And honestly, since we rearranged the room, this is now where Brad and I sit all the time. It’s cozy and comfy and perfect. The table in the corner belongs to Dave & Crystle, but fits perfectly, so we’re borrowing it for now! I love that it’s got a shelf so we can put Gwen’s books on it. The top is also perfect for recharging my laptop The basket underneath is holding all of Gwen’s blocks and smaller toys (small balls, her Animalz, cars, etc.).

Overall, we are both VERY pleased with the way our living room is currently arranged!