Curse of the Studious Eye

For the last few weeks I have been redesigning our apartment. If you know me, you might be groaning right about now. Let’s put it this way- a friend of mine once exclaimed that she thought I had the cleanest most organized bathroom in the borough. While that’s definitely an exaggeration, it was easily one of the best compliments of my life. I am obsessive about organization and style. I can spend hours organizing my jewelry by color, size, material. I can pore over my husbands shirts and seek new ways to make it easier for him to keep his drawers organized. I even enjoy cleaning dishes.

Okay, so now that the redesign is done I still have one problem. Perhaps I should say numerous tiny little problems. No one would even notice them. I can’t get them out of my head.

Problem Area 1

One of my big areas of improvement was the kitchen. Over the past couple of months I have been getting more and more in to cooking. Yes, even my jaw dropped too. Never thought that would happen huh? I attribute this in part to my sister who moved in with us a few months ago. Any cook will tell you- you’re more likely to cook a decent meal for three than you are for two. So anyway, to accommodate this new interest I added a whole new countertop by bringing this big Ikea LACK shelf from our bedroom into the kitchen and flipping it on its side. Then, I bought some cement blocks on Craigslist to use as legs.

Rest assured I purchased a nearly new blue and green stitched Pottery Barn shower curtain off of Craigslist for mere $5. I will be sewing the curtain into panels that will cover all that unsightly stuff underneath the counter.

Well, above the new and exciting counter I hung three art pieces on a metal shelf that I took from the living room. I was really happy about this because for so long I had been looking for a home for these meaningful pieces. The rose is a photograph that I took some time ago. My husband blew it up for me on our first anniversary. Cute. The NY cityscape was a gift from my mother who bought it from a street vendor awhile back when the two of us were walking around the city on her very first trip to NY. The country painting is a canvas my husband bought from a street vendor in Dominican Republic when he studied abroad in college. Now the three have the perfect home in our house. So, what’s the problem? Two out of three of the paintings don’t have frames! I know, that’s a ridiculous thing to focus on. But you know what? It’s driving me crazy!

Yeah, yeah. It’s so not a big deal.

Problem Area 2

So, the second thing I’ve been focusing on is my keyboard. For the past year and a half, my keyboard has moved locations a number of times. When in NY, space is so tight that most spatial decisions require quite a bit of thought. My problem with the keyboard was that no matter where I put it, I couldn’t seem to find a place that was easy to access. I’m a pretty small person, and my keyboard is about as tall as I am and probably about half my weight. Thus, if it’s not readily accessible, the likelihood that I will battle to pull it out is quite slim. As a singer/musician, that is a problem. At any rate, I solved this situation during the redesign process. After some slick maneuvering, I was able to free up an area in the living room where my keyboard could have a place of honor and accessibility. Okay, again, so what’s the problem? The thing is- I think the situation would be just a little more perfect if I could have a trunk or low shelf of sorts for the keyboard. This way I could use it as a bench or seating when we have guests and we can more easily access the new white boards I set up above the keyboard.

I know. I’m sick.

Despite my obsession I can still see reality. You see, I understand that these things have to wait whether it’s due to money or time. In fact, I even see merits in waiting. For instance, I might stumble across a perfect and free frame on Craigslist that will be perfect for my mom’s print. Or, if I just give myself time, I might just find a shelf or bench that is absolutely the perfect dimensions for my keyboard and the seating I desire.

Not one centimeter more or less.

Filed under The Daily A, Ikea Lack |