Becoming Real People: Furniture

When my husband and I got married, money was tight. He had just started grad school, I was looking for a job (eventually joined the PhD program as a job) and while we had significant savings, we weren't really looking to spend it. We got a cheap apartment that was mercifully bug free in a neighborhood that was miraculously low crime. I had inherited a little furniture from relatives (dining room table, a buffet) or from childhood (antique dresser, desk) and Dear Husband's grandparents gave us a bed as a wedding present. But otherwise, it was grad student-newly wed-Ikea chic for us. We cobbled together what we needed from the cheapest things that great Swedish gibberish-labeling superstore had to offer.  As a plus, it was all fairly light when we upgraded to a third floor apartment with no elevator. So our furniture was largely cheap, and there was very little of it, because we are cheap.

Then we bought a house. A wonderful house that satisfies his need for an open floor plan and my need for traditionalism. It has its issues, like the shower, but it's ours and we love it. However, 750 sqft worth of furniture does little to fill a nearly 3000 sqft house. And grad student chic looks a little out of place.

So I am very happy that we finally have upgraded to real furniture for the TV room. By which I mean we each now have a reclining chair, from a real furniture store. They are even power recliners, and Dear Husband's has a back-massage function.

 They don't match, but they match their owners. I like a chair that I can sit cross-legged in and is soft and comfy. He likes a chair with back support and his feet can touch the ground (I have to go antique if I want to touch the ground. Modern chairs are not built for the 5' 1" crowd)

Penny approves of the new addition as well.

As for our old couch, we still have it. It is now the seating area in the previously no-western-style-seating living room.

My old camera isn't really any good any more I guess...

It feels like we are completing the transformation from broke newly-weds to successful married couple. Though we are too careful/cheap to get all good furniture quickly, this seems like we have reached a new stage. And I like it.