Paisleystone's Profile

In a conversation with a friend who was a former prison guard, I used a banana peel as an exemplar of something unlikely to cause harm (other than slipping on it of course). My friend quickly informed me that as guards they would gather up the banana peels after people had eaten the bananas because when the peels harden they can be sharpened and used for all sorts of things - some of which are not so nice. There you are - straight from the prison-industrial complex - who knew?

I'm gonna say thanks, but no thanks. Sell them on E-bay and give the proceeds to a children's charity or an AIDS service organization. Keep Michael Jackson's impact and love for humanity going strong - let it move through you.

Don't stop till you get enough. RIP <3MJ

I guess Jesus really does love the little children, either that or he wants their heads for craft projects.

These heads are illustrations from a children's book called Milly Molly Mandy. I got a copy as a gift when I was a child.

The one on the left is Milly-Molly-Mandy which is short for Millicent Margaret Amanda. The one in the middle is "little friend Susan" and I don't know who the other one is, perhaps it is Mrs. Mogs daughter, whose name escapes me at the moment.

Pottery Barn is getting a little risk averse, wouldn't you say? It's beginning to look a lot like no money down showrooms - time to get ahead of the pack! As for the quality (MDF!)- we're all living on the holodeck, now, appearance is key; substance? Not so much.

I second the vote for the widget - how perfect for the House Tours and other multiple image posts!

I think an upholsterer could make it from a picture for a reasonable price.

Krister - that was no dis on Tom Corbett's place (props for knowing the name of Eddie's father - you could win trivia contests with that one!) I was referring to sitting on a couch like that watching the show when I was babysitting in the 1970s. Speaking about vintage TV interiors . . .

Why I have that very floorplan (complete with alcove in dining room) in Toronto! I call my apartment building a Toronto Tenement. I wondered if the alcove was originally for a Murphy Bed?

I use the alcove for two book cases, which face each other and on the back wall have installed a full length mirror which deepens the appearance of the alcove and sort of tricks the eye that it is a hallway lined with books.

As for furniture placement I have kept it simple in the dining room with a Mennonite harvest table (36 x 72) custom made at a narrower width to maintain the traffic flow (I cannot tolerate impeded flow - jams my Virgo spiny tinglers) and 8 simple mission style chairs. There is a Persian runner that runs longways from the kitchen door to the French doors to the living room. Very little room for art in my dining room - its all windows, doors and alcove - but on the one wall behind the head of the table I have a carved Indonesian mirror with grill doors.

As for the dilemma posed in the living room: I have placed my 3 seater sofa in front of the bay window with a small bookcase the same height as the sofa behind (in the wee space left by the bow of the window) to act as both a bookcase for infrequently used books and a sofa console table to display things on top (I have decorative wooden boxes a buddha head and an elephant foot fern from IKEA that is doing rather well, I must say). I have placed two Wassily chairs in front of the two (closed) french doors opposite the couch. This preserves the floor plan and because of the design of the chairs keeps a sense of openness and flow in front of the French doors. These chairs can be moved to open the doors for a party, etc.

There is a fireplace on the other wall in the living room and a depression era wardrobe made of recycled packing crates opposite the fireplace that holds the TV and stereo. A small Baktiari rug anchors the seating area and I have three small oval danish modern tables/stools acting as sidetables for the sofa and one as an occasional/cofee table. A small 60s ottoman sits in from of the wardrobe media cabinet looking pretty dressed in a folded tartan throw and complimentary Indian embroidered pillow which provides seating when required.

As with any space I have lived in I set my non-negotiables (i.e. nothing can block flow) and then let the space reveal itself to me over time. I hope some of this information helps your space reveal itself to you.

Chairs? In a word: Wassily