Archive for October, 2009
Up until last year, my mother hosted our extended family for Thanksgiving dinner. She would wake up before dawn on the last Thursday in November to begin decorating and cooking the feast. When I was still a kid, it seemed as though the eight-course meal would just appear out of thin air a few minutes before dinnertime. Only later did I realize how much hard work and timing went into the ordeal.
Now that my mother is entering into old age, I’ve decided to handle the Thanksgiving burden. The first sign that she had passed me the torch came about a week before the meal. I drove over to her house and loaded the heirloom drop leaf table into the bed of my pickup. The table works well for entertaining multiple guests, and it can be converted into a smaller, more intimate table when the ends are dropped.
When company comes to visit, most homeowners dedicate their undivided attention to the guests. The living room or den often makes for the coziest, most comfortable environment to tell stories and catch up on what’s happening in some else’s life. In these instances, a blaring television set can be a major distraction. TVs tend to have an overbearing effect on the room, so it’s sometimes advantageous to hide them from view.
That’s why TV armoires are becoming increasingly popular. When a homeowner feels like curling up on the couch and entering a vegetative state, he or she can open up the sturdy mahogany doors and turn on the television. Then, when it’s time to invite company over for dinner, you can obscure the TV once again. These large, stately pieces of furniture are suitable for master bedrooms as well.
While also known as a wardrobe, an armoire is an upright closet that is used for storing clothes. In more recent times, it has been used in homes to hide a TV or stereo system.
The earliest armoires only had doors on the upper part. About 150 years ago, the doors were carried all the way to the floor, covering the drawers as well as the sliding shelves, and were often fitted with mirrors.
It’s possible to learn so much about a person just by perusing his living room. The design and layout of the space speaks volumes about his habits and personality. Is the television the focal point of the room, or is there a large hearth where one can sit by the fire and read? And the small details of the room are even more revealing. As a homeowner, you can affect guest’s perceptions by arranging your bookcases in a certain way.
Obviously a few of the shelves should be chock full of your favorite reading material, but books are hardly the only items worthy of a prominent position. You can place some decorative bookends and vases on the shelves to add a splash of color and pizzazz. And no bookcase would be complete without a few framed family photos. You might also choose to show off a few indicators about your hobbies - maybe a crystal chessboard or a few magazines.