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12.07.2010

furniture as stability.

i got a bed when i turned fifteen.

my parents said something like, we're getting you a bed for you birthday. and i said, umokay.

and that was that.

i remember going to pick it out. it was a cool, autumn morning in houston. and there in the eddie bauer home store (sadly,  no longer in existence) was the four-postered thing of beauty. light wood. simple. elegant and rustic all at once. and it was love.

i believe in love at first sight. because that's how it was with me and that bed.

i would dive into it at night--towering off the ground it demanded a running start. i'd lie right-smack-dab in the middle and admire the gentle curve of the foot-board, the sturdy posts reaching upwards all around me.

in the morning i'd carefully make the bed, place my head down on the freshly-smoothed covers, whisper sweet-nothings, and assure it of my imminent return that evening. and off to school i'd reluctantly go.

for me that bed is now a talisman of sorts. or rather a symbol--a goal. that four-postered sleeping wonderland is nothing less than stability made tangible.

you see, it is large. not easily schlepped from one nyc apartment to another. and because of it's size it will cost a pretty penny to get it here. or there. or wherever i end up. in short, care of my bed will require funds and continuity of location. and oh i long for funds and continuity of location!

but for now the bed remains. at the most constant home i have. 2,000 miles away.

and now i am twenty-five. and now ten years have passed. and the furniture gods have gifted me once again. i have a reading chair. for my twenty-fifth birthday i was given a reading chair.

i asked for it last christmas, but it was only upon my return from utah this summer that my mother pulled out the ballard designs catalogue, suggested a model, and then lugged me off to the fabric store in search of neutral fabric with a punch.

the days following utah were difficult. and so in some ways i think the chair was more my parent's peace-offerening to my mental health and happiness (the sultan of all the many forms of stability) than actual birthday gift. but what a lovely peace-offereing it was. because as of today, i have the chair. but in early september i had those few afternoons spent with my mother in the comfort of a heavily air-conditioned fabric store quietly perusing spool after spool after spool.


the chair has arrived!

flipping through pages

21 comments:

Spratt said...

Those are some good pictures of you! I just gave that book to my Mom for her birthday the other day. She really loves it. :)

kate said...

It's perfect. What a great gift!

I miss real life furniture. Moving three times this year and whittling down our furniture to nothing has been harder than i thought.

Emily said...

that is a beautiful chair! did your mom cover it?

Jenni Austria Germany said...

what i am most impressed by is that you made your bed every morning as a teenager....i can't even seem to do that now :/

Yelena said...

I remember when my parents bought me my first big girl bed. good memories ;) loved your story :)
and how I need a reading chair, i've been dreaming of one for so long, but for now, my bed will do :)
your chair is quite lovely and it obviously makes you happy, what else does a girl need, right? ;)

Larissa said...

that chair looks so comfy... I wish you will get your bed soon! Because I exactly know what you mean!
xo
btw... you are just adorable!

Emily said...

LOVE this! You are such a kindred spirit for I have a reading chair as well! It's a must for any thinking woman!

Jessica said...

What a lovely post. I'm glad you have a reading chair!

Annie said...

25 is coming up for me, and I've got the perfect reading chair... but it needs recovering. Now I just might make that my birthday wish!

Molly said...

I think a reading chair is essential. And there should be a huge pile of books keeping it company. Your chair is so cute!

Shorty said...

That chair is beautiful. The only other thing I would require is a matching ottoman. :)

ALFIE said...

love the chair!
adore the book!

i have immensely enjoyed catching up on your posts. i find so much solace in your musings on bowls, family, and your city.

i'm headed to nyc in a just a few hours! i can't wait to be one of those people that gets to fly there and take pictures :)

Dee Paulino said...

I've been daydreaming about getting a red reading chair, this post only reinforces my wish. What a perfect birthday gift!

Alexa said...

I love your reading chair! I miss mine - it's half a world away right now and I have yet to find one that's just as good. Happy reading!

Suzy said...

Your reading chair looks so comfy! Love it! Ahhh I could sit there for hours!...I understand, about the furniture, and stability, and the significance of your old lovely bed being almost immovable. I've had several 'sets' of furniture--nothing fancy, but a combo of Ikea and second-hand stuff, which I gave up after a break-up, and several more times as I moved from one state to another. Now, I have the stability, but have yet to afford furniture on my own, and that's my next goal--adult furniture. Maybe by 33 ;) And, I think you've reminded me that I should choose for such occasion to find a reading chair!

Shannon said...

You're so pretty Meg! I love the chair! Looks so cozy!

Alex said...

I've been searching for a reading chair in Houston that won't break my bank. I want to put it in my bedroom by the window. Love yours! And the book you're reading in it is fantastic! :)

Eva said...

oh my gosh i'm actually reading that book right now too!!

Bee Sarah Lee Bailey said...

you have no idea. how much i consider you a soul sister.

Roxy Te said...

My dad started a furniture business when he was 18 in the Philippines. It slowly expanded and grew til it landed us her in the states when I was two years old. "Furniture as stability" has so many meanings for me- it allowed my family a home, a way of life, the American dream! I so loved my childhood four poster bed and sofa that years later in my very first home, my dad reproduced them just for me and my hubs :)

Kelly said...

I totally understand what you mean by furniture as stability. congrats on the new chair!