Furniture Can Make You Mad

I have a computer desk that makes me mad. It has a beautifully scalloped apron that digs into my left thigh, leaving a deep rectangular indentation whenever I sit in front of it for longer than an hour. It's not really the desk's fault, since it's not really a desk. A much loved hand-me-down, originally this piece of furniture was a dresser with a tri-fold mirror bolted on the back.

The mirror, my friend who gave me the dresser reported, was cracked right down the middle, a casualty of a rough-housing session with an older brother, and was consequently dragged out to the garage until it was finally hauled away to the dump. Fifteen years later, the dresser was banished from the apartment when he and his partner redecorated. I became its proud new owner because at the time, I was looking for a writing desk and I liked the dresser's deep drawers.

I refinished it to match some of the darker wood pieces in my living room. When it was used strictly as a writing table, it wasn't a problem, but once I upgraded and put a computer on it, that's when I started running into difficulties. Still, I'd rather keep massaging my thigh and muttering under my breath whenever I walk away from the "computer desk" than relinquish it for something more appropriate, like a computer cart or computer armoire.

Although, even if I'm the only one in the room, every time this happens, I get embarrassed. But I'm not alone. A very quick, very informal and very unscientific poll of unsuspecting co-workers queued in front of the fax machine revealed that almost everyone owns a piece of furniture that has a tendency to irritate, annoy, frustrate or anger. When it comes to furniture that ticks us off, it seems that I am in good company.

Someone in accounting says that she is constantly bumping into the corner of her bed whenever she passes by, even though they're rounded and not particularly sharp. One of the customer service representatives reports, that no matter how they place the coffee table in front of the couch, he and his roommates constantly snag their knees on its edge whenever they get up from the sofa. Another fellow worker emphatically complained about the dresser drawer that keeps inconveniently sticking, especially it seems, whenever she's running late for work.

And when I mentioned this theory in casual conversation to my neighbor across the hall, he too had a story to tell. In fact, he opened the door to his apartment wider so that I could see exactly what he was talking about. In his entryway, he has a beautiful real-life antique console table with cabriole legs, which he maintains, conspires to trip him in the most inopportune moments, like when he's carrying a cup of something hot into the living room.

To me personally, the most interesting and revealing aspect of this impromptu survey was that no one asked, "What are you talking about?" Most everyone, it seems, has a piece of furniture in their lives that has a mind of its own and conspires, in a fit of whimsy, to annoy us every now and then.

Outta Sight

Last week, I drove by a business here in town that advertised custom wall beds as one of the products it offered. Wall beds, I thought, wow... I had assumed the futon phenomenon had forced those down with the ship that was the 1980s. I remember being fascinated with the only wall bed I ever had the opportunity to interact with; Hotel Efat, Luxor, Egypt, 1984. That dry, old-spring creaking sound as it moved up and down and dad quashing my intention to fold my sister up in the bed.

Let's make clear here that no "wall" bed had ever been banished to its drywall confines because it had been deemed unsightly or inappropriate. Rather, it was simply a matter of space confines in that particular room and there was nothing of "get that eyesore out of my sight" involved in the decision.

>>Fast forward

Most hotel rooms nowadays "conceal" the television in an armoire-type cabinet, rather than it resting fully-exposed on top of the double dresser. More often than not, you open a pair of doors to reveal the TV. Conversely, in regards to the wall bed, it is clear this has nothing to do with effective floor space management. The TV is not expansive, likely 25 inches in depth at the most, and very likely not going to be located in an area of the room that could be used for other purposes.

It lead me to thinking - there is, for evidently a large enough proportion of the population, something about a TV that is unsightly, inappropriate or perhaps simply a bad influence upon a living space when not hidden from view. I feel quite certain these hotel chains wouldn't volunteer to absorb the cost of adding new TV cabinet furniture to thousands of hotel rooms if this wasn't the case. So what is it exactly? Could it be they hope shutting in the TV is removing the temptation of turning it on just for the sake of doing so, thus saving electricity?

That many households use TV armoire / cabinet furniture is not as much of a mystery to me. I understand individuals who believe in maintaining a certain air in their living areas that is conducive to conversation, intellectual stimuli and a more familial environment. That both this mentality is so widespread and pervasive that it has spread to the hospitality industry, and / or that a sufficiently widespread section of the populous is seeking the same stimuli in their hotel rooms, is hard for me to believe. Yet, the reality is that most hotel rooms hide the television from immediate view. However, as stated, I can fully relate to those who see the benefit it in doing it for the home, and particularly in the living area.

While the wall bed has very nearly gone the way of the dodo, should you wish to locate any appliance behind closed doors in your home there's now likely a furniture piece designed for just that purpose.

With the welcome rise in home based businesses recently, like-minded individuals may feel the same way about their personal computing tools in a work space that may be designated to take on a different feel on occasion. Poker night with the guys while your wife and kids have the living room to themselves, for example, or a quiet and charismatic spot for your daughter and her clarinet tutor's weekly visit.

Cymax Stores very much has its finger on the pulse of decor aesthetic-sensitive furniture design. For those for whom the preceding passage has piqued an interest, I recommend a visit to www.armoirescentral.com , featuring a number of competitively priced computer armoire cabinets available for delivery right to your door with the wonder of online shopping. Both Sauder and Ameriwood computer armoires are a welcome combination of quality craftsmanship, innovative design and reasonable pricing. Standard Furniture's Kathy Ireland Series computer armoires are, quite simply, an elegant addition to even the most stately and well-appointed homes with their exceptional quality and beautiful woodworking.

I imagine few would argue the sensibility in hiding appliances from view in certain areas of the home. Seeing the TV as putting a damper on the atmosphere of your hotel room? Not so clear on that one.

Back to School Furniture...for Educational Purposes, of course

While everyone is looking forward to the official last long weekend of summer, there is another annual event looming on the horizon that is generally greeted with mixed emotions. Parents love it but kids, not so much. Yes, it’s time to get ready to go back to school.

Getting their children ready to go back to school for most parents, means buying new clothes, school supplies and all those electronic devices necessary for learning and playing. But what about getting ready for school at home? It is important for children, especially older ones, to have a place to do homework, do research on the internet and somewhere to store stuff and get organized for the next day’s activities. With all the other expenses involved with getting your children outfitted for the back-to-school trek, you might be reluctant to consider buying furniture right now. Tempting as it is to reclaim your dining table or kitchen counter, a new computer desk is a low priority. And besides, you really don’t have the space.

But it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Cymax Stores offers a number of neat (and inexpensive) solutions. There is such a wide variety of computer desks to choose from that you are sure to find something that will meet all of your decor and budget requirements.

An unused corner in your teen’s bedroom or in the family room is the perfect place for a corner desk. Corner desks can have all of the features and conveniences of an executive-style desk, but are more compact. In addition to drawers, a place for the CPU and a pull-out keyboard tray, they can include other useful features like built-in organizers, a hutch and a CD holder.

To make your computer desk even more convenient, choose a computer station with casters, or a more compact version, a computer cart. This gives you and your family the option to move the computer desk from one place to another; even from one room to another as needed or necessary.

If you have younger children and feel more comfortable if you can keep an eye on them while they are doing their homework, especially when using the computer, consider purchasing a computer armoire. They provide an ideal work environment, again, with many of the features found in a standard desk, but when homework time is over or dinner is ready, you can close the doors, effectively hiding the computer (and any other clutter you don’t want to see).

And don’t forget to organize yourself. There are a number of easy storage solutions, such as desk organizers for all of the paperwork your child will bring home. Having someplace conveniently in sight where you can keep consent forms, permission slips and other school-related documents, will make it painless (well, almost) for everyone involved.