Keep it hidden

I guess by now most people know how I feel about television. I have mentioned that we do own a set, but only watch movies on it. I don't like to see the big gray box when it is not in use, so we keep it behind the closed doors of an armoire. There are many options besides tv stands for televisions.

Aside from an armoire, TVs can be mounted on the ceiling or wall, keeping floor space clear. This is a great option for households with young children because all the electronics and cords are out of reach from curious hands. Even old cedar chests, bookshelves, or medicine cabinets can be converted to house a television set. If it must be in your home, get creative and hide that ugly beast!

Change is in the air

My husband and I have been working on changing the layout of our furniture pieces, in order to make our home more "visitor" friendly. Currently, we only have one loveseat and an over sized leather chair in the living room. We already moved the furniture around in the living room so that the flow of traffic to the master bedroom and bathroom goes around the grouping, rather than through it.

We are also planning to move the kitchen bar into the kitchen about four feet, and moving the eating area into the kitchen with a built-in bench seat on the back of the bar. Where we currently have the dining room, we would like to put an electric fireplace, with a couple of chairs to sit in front of the fire. The over sized leather chair will go nicely there, so we bought a new sofa for the living room to go with the loveseat in front of the entertainment center.

Since we have small children, we couldn't pick something fancy like custom Kravet fabrics. Instead, we opted for micro-suede because of its durability and ease of cleaning. Our loveseat is also micro-suede and I am constantly amazed at how easy it is to clean. In fact, only two weeks after we bought it, my son (who was about 18 months at the time) found a ball-point pen and drew all over it before anyone realized what he was doing. I was so upset and thought for sure it was ruined. Much to my surprise, all the pen marks came off with only a damp rag! I've been sold on micro-suede ever since. Micro-suede has more bonuses also, like the inexpensive price and wonderfully soft and comfortable feel.

Hide your TV

For those of you who aren't quite ready to "cut the cord" with your television set, at least you can keep it out of sight when it's not in use. We keep ours in an armoire with the doors closed unless we are watching a movie. We stopped watching television two years ago with many benefits and only watch videos occasionally .

Believe it or not, there is even a way to hide plasma TVs. Most people just hang them on the wall, but there are pieces of furniture specifically made with a pop up tv inside. They are called Plasma TV lifts and when they are closed, they look like a wood dresser or buffet. Then with the push of a button, the TV slides up out of a panel in the top of the unit. What will they think of next?

Rust already?

Since it has been so hot lately, we haven't spent much time out on our back deck. I went out there the other day with the broom to clean a bunch of spider webs from the deck and roof line. I was disappointed to see that some of the chairs in our patio set are starting to rust already. We just bought that set last year! Of course, it was very inexpensive, so I guess we should have known better. So now we will have to treat it with anti-rust spray and repaint the chairs. What a pain.

Of course, if we would have spent more money and got a teak outdoor furniture set like we originally wanted, we wouldn't have this problem. Teak wood is weather-proof and a very good choice for outdoor furniture. You get the strength, durability, and look of natural wood without the headaches that come with metal furniture. We'll know better next time.

Furniture updates and changes

Along with our wish list of improvements to our house, we also have a list of home furniture we would like to update. On the top of the list is a dining room table. The one we have now has been with us for seven years and it is very small. It was fine when it was just my husband and I, but now we are a family of four with two children who like to kick while they eat at the table. Several bruised shins later, let's just say we have definitely outgrown the table.

Our plan is to move the current table into a corner of the basement, where I would like to create a "homework station" for my daughter. She will be in first grade next year and she really needs a place of her own to create artwork and to complete school assignments. Plus, I would like to hang shelves down there so she can keep all her art supplies together, instead of tucked in different cabinets in the kitchen like they are now.

Great space saver

As our kids grow older (and bigger), their stuff seems to grow as well. My daughter is very attached to all her toys and has a total meltdown if I try to get rid of any. I usually have to go through her toys when she is not around and pick a few for charity myself. Of course, I feel bad about it, but we have to de-clutter our lives to make room for new things!

If you still find yourself in a space crunch, however, there is one option that you may consider... Bunk Beds!! I found a website where you can buy them and boy, have they changed over the years. In addition to Children's bunk beds, they actually carry double-over-double beds. That would come in very handy for us since we live 14 hours away from all our family! Lots of people could visit at once and no one would have to sleep on the couch.

Here is a picture of a really neat kids loft bed with a tent in the lower part. It's a bed and a playhouse in one!



Overall, this website has some really neat beds and the prices are very reasonable.