This post is about how we went for a walk and bought a bed (!) but I thought it needed a bit of backstory first.
When I first moved in with Mark (keeping in mind this was 20+ years ago) he had a terrible terrible bed. It was a double, with a mattress that sunk in the middle so no matter how you started out sleeping you somehow both ended up in a hollow in the centre. A new bed was our first purchase as a couple, although now that I think about it, it may have been the second. I recall that Mark’s sofa was about as comfortable as a park bench, so that had to go as well.
Anyway, buying a bed was a big deal. We ended up at Van Leeuwen’s in the Byward Market. This was my dream bed: a queen-sized wrought iron four-poster like something out of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. We had the option of customizing the colour of the frame so we chose dark green, which was a popular colour at the time. In hindsight, I wish we’d chosen black or white, but, whatever.
Friends, we’ve had that bed ever since. It travelled with us to Westboro when we moved from that one bedroom apartment in Hintonburg, and when we renovated it moved with us into our rental apartment and then back again.
We’ve been looking for a new bed for a while now but never really committed to the idea. I think this is partly due to the fact that it took us several years (!) to buy a new couch for the family room.
Not too long ago I found myself in a neighbourhood furniture shop called Suede and I spotted a bed frame that I actually liked. It was solidly built with a cushioned headboard and no footboard. And it was on clearance because it was a floor model. SCORE.
I texted Mark a few photos and for some reason, we dropped the idea until a couple of weeks ago when the two of us decided to walk to a bank appointment and window shop in Westboro Village along the way. As an added bonus, it was further reduced in price.
Long story short, we bought the bed! Here it is:
I wasn’t sure if our nightstands would be a good match at first, but I think we’ll keep them for now. As I look at this photo I realize that our bedroom isn’t a glamorous lair that’s worthy of a home decor magazine – and maybe not much to brag about – but it’s comfortable and I like it.
In the interest of keeping it real, here are a few things you may be interested in knowing as you look at that photo:
- The wooden chest at the bed is full of teddy bears and stuffed animals but it’s a handy place to toss my gym clothes and/or PJs. (Usually both.)
- The bed is NOT perfectly centred under the windows. Would this bug you? We can’t centre it because of a heating grate on Mark’s side of the bed that interferes with the nightstand there. This was poor reno planning on our part, as was the placement of some light switches for the side lamps. (Don’t ask.)
- Speaking of which, I would like a new reading lamp because I hate the one of my side of the bed.
- Mark has one of those “light up” alarms on his side. The idea is that the light goes off before the alarm sound so make your awakening a little less jarring. Mark is not a morning person and has had mixed success with this. (At least the alarm sound is gentle.)
- That busted laundry basket is full of mismatched socks and I really wish the sock pairing and mending fairies would just come over already and take it off my hands.
- I’m thinking of adding a big area rug in this room that would go under the bed and stretch out the sides.
Also worth noting, Mark hates piles of pillows but I kind of love them and would like to have an abundance of pillows but I don’t think he’d tolerate this idea. There are already two on each side, plus one decorative one in the middle, which is MORE THAN ENOUGH by his standards, I’m sure. That big one on top of the laundry basket actually needs a pillow cover. It’s down-filled and can be pokey at times! I use it when I need an extra big pillow for reading.
