Furnishing our NZ Home March 29, 2003
I know it's not a big thing,
especially in relation to REAL problems, but furnishing a house can be hard,
especially when it's your first time. Almost all the furnishings 
we used to
own were hand-me-downs, garage-sale items from our college days or purchased
from the previous owner of a house we'd bought. We've
never had to pick out an entire matching room's worth of furniture, or really
find out if we like the same sort of things. (I do recall that 12 years
ago we had to choose new wallpaper for our kitchen. After weeks of
looking, we compromised on a pattern that we each rated a "5" on a 1-10
scale, totally unable to find one we both liked!)
We've been shopping all summer long, and now, less than two weeks before we leave NZ, our place is finally furnished! YEAH!!!!! Here are some pictures of the main (second) floor.
We'd selected room colors last
year, and had all the wall and ceilings painted a creamy beige to match
the carpets. On each floor there was a different "feature wall"
color:
chocolate brown downstairs, dusty rose on the main level, and a rich green-blue
upstairs. We'd been unable to decide which wall(s) to color in the
living room, so we left it beige initially. Three weeks ago, we had
one and a half walls painted dusty rose. I can't over-state how much
difference it's made. Although the color is just on part of the
room, it's added a lot of interest and pizzazz.
As you may know, we arrived in Christchurch owning nothing, and I mean NOTHING. We had purchased a bed and lounge suite before leaving last year, and I had the foresight to send over some towels and a sheet set. Aside from that, friends provided a blanket, a telephone, a folding card table and three folding chairs. But really, our new home was just a recently-painted, darn-empty, 3-story house. We ate out until we got the basics: pots and pans, dishes and glasses, toaster, microwave, groceries, etc.
But that was almost five months ago; this is now. During that period heaps of decisions were made; some were easy, others seemed impossible. I don't know about you, but I'm terrible at visualizing, which makes choosing furniture a real challenge.
We
soon decided we liked the light maple furniture that one of the local stores
carried. We bought several of the "standard" pieces and after a
bit of arm-twisting, got Brad, the furniture maker, to custom-build a headboard
unit for our bedroom and components for an entertainment center just right for
our low ceilings.
The local art/print store provided a consultant to help select artwork. What a great way to shop. She came to the house with about 100 prints to match our colors, from which we chose a dozen to try on various walls. She had frames and mattes with her as well. Two weeks later, she was back hanging three "perfect" pieces of art in our living room.
Choosing a "game
table" for our living area was, by far, the most difficult decision. I spent hours and hours (that seemed like
days and days)
trying to figure
out what would be right. And Dick, bless his heart, soon tired of my ramblings about
options and possibilities; he left the choices with me. 
This
one was really tough, especially as I can't "see it" without actually
seeing it. I brought all sorts of bits home, and then back to the store
again. Weeks later, I still
couldn't decide. (If you're thinking of buying a bar table, click
here for more details.)
Instead, I hired an interior decorator. In no time she had the answers to all my questions. I still had to actually choose a bar table and stools, but this was so much easier after getting her advise. Here's a picture of our game table, proudly set in a corner of our living room.
After all this furnishing, I'm pleased to report that Dick and I are still happily married. Nevertheless I am thankful that next year we'll be coming "home" to a fully furnished house!