A few facts about us: Marcus is a penny pincher (which is strange given he bought a giant house needing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of renovations but I’m trying hard not to beat that dead horse anymore). I, on the other hand, like pretty things (as I’m typing this I’m watching a documentary about Tiffany & Co and this is going to take a lot longer to write than I anticipated…). I’m going to assume most couples have the same dynamic though sometimes Marcus can take things a little further than most (does the ICEE Machine acquisition of 2017 ring a bell? No? That will have to be a post for another time).
This is all to set-up the story which is a recent conversation we had about furnishing the house. First of all, I would guesstimate that about 75% of our furnishings are second-hand, either handed down or purchased through Craigslist, yard sales, and consignment stores. I’m not knocking it, I’m just stating the facts here. And while I have often dreamt of a house filled with Pottery Barn I have come to accept that some things will just never happen.
I feel, though, as if I have found a common ground for my love of pretty things and Marcus’s love for savings and that’s at one of my most favorite stores in Fredericksburg by the name of Seven Nine Designs. They have some of the most beautiful and unique pieces that have been restored by folks who have way more business restoring furniture than I do (believe me, I’ve tried and it ain’t pretty). The other thing I love about Seven Nine Designs is that the prices are reasonable, not Pottery Barn prices.
Anyway, it was on a rainy day of Facebook browsing when I saw their latest offerings and the most amazing hall tree that I had ever seen (which is saying a lot). Marcus has a weird hall tree fetish and I’m very well aware that he would love to put one in the hall of Sligo. Honestly, I can take or leave a hall tree but I saw the one for sale at Seven Nine Designs and immediately had to share it with Marcus. As much as he hates to spend money he would have to admit that this piece was perfect for Sligo and maybe, just maybe, he would tell me to go ahead and get it.
That’s not quite the reaction I got. Instead I received an email response about waiting until we have somewhere to actually put the hall tree and that we need to “…ensure we appropriately curate house furnishings…” I shit you not. This coming from the master of Craigslist. I wrote him back, wondering if someone had just taught him the word “curate” and if they challenged him to use it in a sentence. When the answer was “no” I then wondered if he considered purchasing someone’s used furniture as “curating” because the word, to me, implies actually spending money not just looking for the cheapest thing that will do. He laughed at that and I’m still waiting for an honest answer on how he plans to furnish Sligo.
