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| INTRODUCTION TO FURNITURE |
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When you found your apartment, you probably toured the inside when it was completely empty. Do you remember what it felt like? Sure, it was important for you to see the exact size of each room, the condition of the flooring, and other such details. But chances are, you didn't feel like you were looking at a "home." But then, after you moved in your furniture and other belongings, it began to feel like a home, didn't it? Hopefully, it did. Try as you may, but it might just be impossible to overestimate the importance of your furniture. Stop and recall, for a moment, the really "bad" furniture you've encountered in your life. Think about the times you've slept on an uncomfortable guest bed, for examplethe kind with a spring poking into your back all night long. Or the couch at your great-aunt's house that she's had covered in plastic for the past twenty years, the kind you stick to and have to peel yourself from when you stand up. Now, think about the good furniture you've had the pleasure of knowing in your life. For me, the perfect example is a floral fabric-upholstered chair in my childhood bedroom. The back and seat were stuffed with down feathers, and I would literally sink into it and read, write, talk on the phone, and daydream. It was the most heavenly spot in the world to me, and that was mostly because of the way that chair felt, as if it were embracing me with security and comfort. Do you have (or have you ever had) such a perfect piece of furniture? A bed with a mattress that was not too soft, not too hard, but just right? A recliner in your living room that's so comfortable you sneak naps in it every chance you get? If so, then you know how I felt about my feather-stuffed chair. NEW FURNITURE You may remember a time when furniture was just, well, furniture. Perhaps you can even remember the way your parents bought furniture years ago. If the family needed a dining room table, for instance, Mom and Dad would typically go down to a local furniture store (perhaps one owned by a family friend or neighbor), pick one out that fit the family and looked nice and seemed sturdy, and that was that. But today furniture buying seems to be more complicated, perhaps because our lives are more complicated. Because of the huge selection available to us in our consumer-driven society, we can find furniture that precisely suits our lifestyles and our tastes. Flea markets, consignment shops, and garage sales have made it possible for us to reuse resources in yet another way, by helping us purchase previously owned furniture so we can recycle it and give it a new life. What was once a "throwaway" sofa may be transformed into a prized piece with little more than a slipcover. And new furniture isn't just found in furniture stores anymore. You can now purchase new furniture at discount stores and membership warehouses, from catalogs, and via the Internet. |
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