TL;DR - I'm having a tough time justifying spending on furniture for Fresno, but P says I "deserve" nice things. He suggested I get input from you all. Spoiler boxes for length. Spoiler: My side I don't see myself hosting people in the apartment, and if I do, I can scrounge up a chair or 2. Plus there will be a recliner for P. I sit on the floor most of the time anyway, so a couch or loveseat would be almost useless to me. Add to that, I plan on spending most of my free time back home. I'd rather we pick a set out together. In a couple of years , we'll be able to afford better AND be in a nicer place. My counter to his pseudo demands for furniture is to get patio stuff (with cushions, not just basic plastic) so that when I move back, we can still use it all. Spoiler: His side He thinks I will actually use real furniture more than I anticipate and that I should be comfortable while doing so. There's also his thing about me deserving nice things, which okay fine, and he wants me to get stuff I'll genuinely love. P claims that he doesn't care about the aesthetics and can happily live with whatever I choose. If I don't want to deal with moving everything back north, I can always sell to college kids anyway. Patio furniture won't be comfy for movie nights. Thoughts?
@DaleBrennan either criss cross applesauce (heard this from a preschool class I was observing and loved it) or lying down on my tummy. Granted I also like lying on my back with my legs up on a chair, like in the sitting position but rotated, but I don't need a whole couch for that.
Okay fine, I'll at least start window shopping. Tangential question - why is my idea so weird for a temporary place?
You're going to be there for two years. It should feel like you are coming back each day/night to your home, which will be good mental health wise. p.s. plus, P needs a place to sleep when he gets in trouble.
Temporary furniture is good to tide you over for a month or two. You aren’t going to be in your actual home as much as you will want the next year+ so you might as well be comfortable! Get a couch, even a cheap one. You deserve it.
Don't punish yourself. It's temporary, but I think you'll feel better overall if you're comfortable in your surroundings.
Agreed. We got the cheapest couch from Ikea and it's fine for a couple years so this doesn't even need to break the bank.
I think you dont have to spend a lot of furniture, but I do think you dont have to swing so far to the other end that you intend on furnishing a place with patio furniture. Definitely get a couch, bare minimum, even if it's the cheapest couch ikea has. And maybe some nice pillows or a plush rug to make your floor sitting more cozy. It's only temporary yes, but it should still be a place where you can feel at peace and relaxed. If you had your way, Im imagining your living room looking like the basement from that 70s Show and you definitely deserve better than that lol
Agree with everyone above. I think you are underestimating the psychological effect of having at least some furniture in your house. Imagine yourself at the end of a stressful day, coming back to your apt and... sitting on the floor in a room with a patio chair. I had a temporary version of this when I moved to/from LA and had to wait a few weeks for all of my furniture to arrive and, let me tell you, it is depressing as hell to sit in an empty place after a day or two. Don't do that to yourself. Ikea Ektorp loveseat - they are super comfy and look pretty good for the price, and you will always be able to find a college kid who is happy to take it off your hands. I wish you were closer; I would give you ours, which is sitting in our foyer because one of the cats likes to nap on it and we can't bring ourselves to get rid of it even though we have new furniture
I heard/read all of you and took it to heart. Part of errands today included looking at furniture. The sophisticated metropolis that is Fresno does not have an IKEA (lol phone keeps wanting to shout it), so it was random furniture stores in the area. Found a reasonably priced red couch with not-insane delivery! Also getting the matching ottoman. Ryder will have to belly crawl, but he'll enjoy having a hidey cave.
Living room curtains! I have two tall windows about the width of a doorway. No matter where you are, there they are. Now, they're pretty! (Yes, it's crooked and not up high enough. Fixing it after I post.)
Tell me if this doesn’t all work. This is for the eat-in, which is a rounded bump-out next to the kitchen. It’s mostly windows but will be painted yellow like the kitchen. Kitchen cabinets are painted the same white as all the trim (it’s off white but looks bright enough). This is also right next to the family room that’s a deep red. We already have the rug and I love it, it’s actually pretty subtle.
I want that rug. I’d probably want the chairs in something other than white because children and food.