One corner of my living room looks like this. It's where I pay my bills, write my books, edit this blog and other things. It's been fine, or rather there have been other things I had to focus on first. But since I'm going to study for my masters degree this year and the next I felt an upgrade was necessary. Also this is the view from my couch where I spend most evenings.
The desk will stay it's also my antique treadle sewing machine and I'll give it up over my cold dead body. It also fits in well with the aesthetic I'm going for. The rest however is up for I'll be getting rid of or at least move somewhere else.
But that is getting ahead of ourselfs because step one of any renovation or redecorating should always be cleaning. Nothing looks good if it's full of clutter and it's important to start in the right place.In this case it meant moving the wast basket and getting rid of things that aren't supposed to be there, hairdryer, cat toys and a ball of string lights, even cutting the tags of my chair. This did make quite a bit of a difference.
But not enough. Even cleaned and sorted there is still three different colors of wood and I do have a need for more storage. This isn't primarily because I got more things but rather because, when I moved I got rid of one of my bookcases. Everything still fits since I also got rid of some books at the same time, but in my main bookcase things are sorted were they can fit rather than any other system. Also right now things are stored in open shelving that really should be hidden away.
I also have some pictures I wanted to put up and walking past a thrift store I checked if there were any nice frames. Preferably golden ones to match the noticeboard and other frames. But they were all a bit shabby and also about the same price as new ones so I'll keep an eye out for those.
Assembling a bookcase
But first is to buy a new bookshelf. I decided on a Ikea Hauga. Its not my favorite looking one or made of my preferred material but the wall I want to put it on is a bit short. More importantly I wanted one with closed storage to keep my eyesore printer in. So it's a compromise.
The first step was of course to emptying out the old shelf and moving it away. That way I can put it in place immediately. In box one I found the instruction the parts for the bottom part was divided among all the boxes. The bookshelf is made of two parts which makes it easier to maneuver it in place. By now my living room is a mess with parts and packaging everywhere. Placing the upper part was difficult but worked even if it forced me to do things in a different order since I had to lift it myself.
Now I just need to decide exactly what I want to have where and how. It is tempting to prioritize my pretty books for the new shelf but managed to contain myself. This also allows me to restructure my other bookshelves. Making them look less cramped and by books more organized.
Decoration
The new bookcase lead to a number of other changes. The chest no longer fit here if I want to be able to open the doors, so it got to trade places with a small side table and a plant. In general I did mostly look around my apartment for decor. I'm considering if I want to move my rug here. Maybe, well see. For now I'm taking a trip up to my parents and the flea-market there. They had a large selection of frames and I snagged four for just 30 kr. However when I went to put them up I realized they were all smaller than the pictures I wanted to put in them so the hunt continues.It's not perfect, there's still several minor changes I want to make. But its better and for now that's good enough. More importantly I have other projects I need to focus on.
