My husband and I moved into a new apartment two months ago. While we loved our old place, we yearned for a new, less yuppyish neighborhood and wanted to save some money. So we downsized, going from a massive three bedroom to a smaller two bedroom. During the apartment hunting process we even looked at a few one bedrooms and though we didn’t end up going with any of them, the second bedroom wasn’t a huge must-have item on our list. Why not?

Most cohabiting childless couples will tell you that you absolutely need a two bedroom apartment. They’ll say you need to have opposite corners so that when you get into an argument or just plain want some space, you both have areas of your own to retreat to. And what of the guests you have in town every few months? Surely they’ll need a place to crash while in town, and you wouldn’t want to send family to a hotel, now would you? And then there’s the office space excuse. You so need a home office in 2011.

I disagree with the second bedroom notion.

1. Opposite corners, my behind. You get in a fight with your boo, take a walk, calm down and make up. All you’d be doing in that room all alone is brooding and thinking of witty comebacks you should have used during the fight. Save the time and just apologize. Yes, even if they were in the wrong. Learn to be the bigger person.

2. Guests? Who really wants guests for longer than a day or two? There’s a saying: house guests are like fish; they both tend to smell after three days. Why make them prolong their stay with a comfortable room? Hotels charge money for it, and you’re paying extra rent monthly for a room you have guests use maybe twenty days out of the year.

3. Most people don’t work from home and practically no one has a desktop computer anymore, so said office usually turns into a place to dump mail and other debris and you end up sitting on the couch with your laptop to work anyways.

The second bedroom. We didn’t need one, didn’t really care about it, but now we have one. And it’s a wreck I will only call The Room Where Things Go To Die.

It contains:
1. a chaise and coffee table
2. two unplugged televisions
3. a bookshelf
4. boxes of vintage china
5. art we haven’t hung
6. shoes
7. a box fan
8. a utility cart filled with crafting supplies
9. extra linens
10. a mess of cables and wires for the internet and house phone
11. anything I feel like tossing inside so I can close the door and not look at it

In short, it is a disaster. And because I don’t care about its use right now, I have zero desire to clean it up. The idea of going in there and moving stuff into storage or giving it away or just dealing with it actually makes my head spin. And if we never had a second bedroom, we would never have a place to put all this crap and I never would have allowed it to accumulate. See? Second bedrooms are bad.

Here is a corner shot of our new apartment, since I refuse to show you the mess inside the Room Where Things Go To Die.

Am I wrong? Do you have a second room? What’s inside? How can I make it comfortable? How can I be pushed to clear it out?!

Happy happy happy anniversary to Sherisa and Dennis!  Marriage is a beautiful thing and the two of them, a beautiful couple, don’t you think?  Since we’re on the subject, I thought I’d talk a little bit about my own marriage as it relates to the space I live in.  The two have tons to do with each other beyond agreeing on a shower curtain or picking a new sofa. Let me explain.

I believe our aesthetics are shaped at an early age.  Why do I get excited over black and white checked floors?  Because they were in my childhood kitchen.  Why does my husband have a penchant for teak furniture?  Because it was plentiful in the home he grew up in.  What of his love of bold patterns?  The norm in Nigeria, where he was raised.  Why do I find typography so powerful?  My mom was a graphic designer and it was all over the place when I was little.

We look around our apartment and find touches of our families everywhere.  And we blend the two, much like we’ve blended our lives.

This compound sign belonged to my mom.  It fits in above chairs we received from my dad.

A tapestry from Ibadan hung above our couch (we moved last month, hence the photos of our old place!).  We’ve had many of these hanging in all of our apartments; they’re presented as gifts almost every time my father-in-law comes home from his yearly visits to Nigeria.

Our orange chair is almost an exact replica of my dad’s old office chair.  We found it in an alley and got to painting.  The calendar is from the University of Ile-Ife, where my in-laws taught in the 70s.

My husband and I are really lucky.  Our families not only get along, they sing each others praises.  We have this master plan: buy a big old compound, have a basketball team of babies, each of our parents with their own bungalow in the back, a dozen dogs, grow our own food, windmills for energy, homeschooling off the grid, all that. Of course this isn’t within close reach and it may be just a pipe dream, but it illustrates how in love we are not just with each other but with where we came from.  I like that it shows in our home as well.

What about you?  Do you have anything in your home that came from way back when?  If not, maybe the next time your uncle or grandmother or father calls and says they’ve got some stuff to get rid of, you’ll take a closer look and see how you can use or display those familial items. To me, they’re what makes a house a home.

Hello readers of L’élephant Rose! I’m Megan. I’m in Chicago. I write a blog. I love spray paint. And dogs. And thrift stores. And decorating my apartment on the cheap. I’m so excited to work with Sherisa and share some home and garden related posts with you all every month; let’s be friends?

Fall begins today. Sure, the actual start date isn’t until the end of the month and it will be warm for a few more weeks, even in the Windy City. Still, September 1 marks the start of Autumn for most, and the date conjures up memories of heading back to school, crisp evening weather, throw blankets, and leaves crunching underfoot.

Fall also reminds us to get ready for more time indoors and I begin to prep my home for the cooler months. This means bringing the outdoors in with plant life. I like to start by hitting the thrift stores for containers. Yeah, you could hit up IKEA or Target or somewhere even more expensive (yes, I certainly did just call IKEA and Target expensive!) or you could try your hand at thrifting for vessels. Or maybe even looking around your house for what you already have? Here are some of my favorite plant containers: none over $5 a piece, all fun and perfect for houseplants.

I found these little mugs at a huge junky warehouse.  There were a few dozen of them in dusty crates and, as it was the dead of winter, leaking water and all manner of debris had frozen at the bottom of each one.  After a good scrubbing they were good as new.  A quarter a piece, they are perfect for mini succulents, about $2 at any nursery.

Baskets are abundant at second hand stores.  If I see one in decent shape I pick it up immediately.  You can use them for everything: scarves, mail, bread, jewelry, and even plants.  If my plant will be inside I use another container to catch the water but if it’s outdoors there’s no need.  They provide great drainage and add texture to any space.

Clockwise from left: a metal basin, green ceramic bowl, jar labeled blueberry, and a decorative tin can.

And finally, a few real tin cans scavenged from the restaurant I am employed by.  The line cooks have grown so used to me asking for the brightly labeled containers that I am often greeted at my desk in the morning with a row of them.  Ask your local cafe to save a few for you if you like the look– they’re nice with or without labels and the patina they develop as you water your plant adds another layer of interest.

So get out to the thrift store, check your pantry and cabinets, or hit up a local rummage sale.  Then make your way to a plant shop and see what will work with your new container.  Remember to add pebbles or broken up terra cotta to the bottom of your vessel if your choice doesn’t have holes at the bottom.  This will help with drainage and keep your plant in good shape.  Happy Fall!