I had a really strange dream last night. I dreamt that I was in some exotic country. I saw many wondrous sights in that dream that I doubt I had even imagined when I was awake.
I first dreamt that I was by a river. The river was untamed, flowing furiously. The river was at the slope of a gigantic mountain range, and I could see that the mountain tips were covered in hard, cold and brittle snow. The entire facade of the mountains seemed to be covered in the most impenetrable forest. The trees grew so thick and tall that the sunlight got lost somewhere halfway between the treetop and the ground.
Luckily, I did not venture into the forest. In fact, I turned away from the river bank and suddenly I was in the middle of a big bustling city. But, the city was like no other I had ever seen. In fact, the city did not even belong to the same age that I lived in. It seemed to me that I had travelled hundreds of years back in time.
I looked around me. I was in the main marketplace of the ancient cities. Merchants and tradesmen from different parts of the world were selling their wares. There was a blend of exotic spices and rare perfumes in the air.
I saw a seller selling silk fabrics. He said that the fabric had come from thousands of miles away and was smooth as a rose petal to touch and light as a whiff of breeze to wear. Then there was a merchant who was hawking beautiful hand painted vases. He said these vases were the epitome of craftsmanship and I found that they were indeed extremely precious. Then there was a seller right in the middle of the market who was displaying and selling large canopy beds. I couldn’t help imagine if these canopy beds were at that time a novelty? But, before I could find out about the most noteworthy aspect of the canopy beds , something strange happened.
I heard my name being called. I turned around and found that a messenger had a scroll in his hand. H bowed deeply before placing the scroll in my hand and then he disappeared. I unrolled the scroll and found that the message was written in a script I had never seen before and yet I had no problem deciphering the message.
I started walking in the direction I was told to take in the message and soon found myself outside the market at the mouth of a vineyard. I walked towards the gates of the vineyard, when I someone touched me on my shoulder and said, ‘Not this way, son, that way.’ And the hand on my shoulder pointed towards another gate that was beside the vineyard. To my horror, it was the entrance to a graveyard. I started to turn around to see the stranger behind me, but before I could turn around completely. I awoke.
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( 2.5 / 33 )The kitchen is the hub of our family life. That is where we congregate for all our meals, for special occasions, for family summits, you name it. The kitchen furniture bears testimony to all the tragedies and comedies it has witnessed over the years. It bears the scars of many a fight and yet gleams with a mellow sheen from years of being lovingly wax polished by my mother.
Our kitchen furniture was built by my father and grandfather. With no access to power drills or electric saws back in the old days, they cut the trees and lovingly sawed the planks of wood. They scraped, planed, polished and varnished the wood by hand. They hammered in the nails one at a time and probably hammered their fingers too. Then they put it all together and surveyed it with pride.
Even today, our kitchen furniture stands rock solid after being subjected to two generations of screaming brats. Every scratch has a story to tell, every scar holds a memory. And yet the hinges don’t scream and the wood doesn’t creak. But I wonder if they would have lasted if my mother hadn’t devoted so much time to looking after them. I know my own limitations. My kitchen will have a modular unit.
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( 3.1 / 69 )We have been thinking about getting new furniture for the dining room for a while, and we have been saving up so that we are able to buy some good dining room furniture instead of trying to save money right now and end up something that will be more trouble than it is worth in a few years time. I do have some ideas about what kind of furniture I want, but I am not going to make up my mind until I have seen some good dining room furniture in the stores myself.
The good things is that this time of the year there are a number of sales going on and I’m sure good dining room furniture sets will be available for reasonable prices. I would have liked to buy real teak dining room furniture, but then teak furniture is usually very expensive and I doubt we would be able to afford it even on a sale. But, on the other hand, they last forever and ever and need so little maintenance. My grandmother still uses the teak furniture that was gifted to her on her wedding day by her parents. I wish we could also leave such heirlooms for our children, but I wonder if it is really going to be possible.
On the other hand, oak dining room furniture would do very well. Oak is another solid timber and I expect it too has a long life compared to a lot of types of wood. I don’t quite understand the difference between all kinds of wood, but I do know that I want dining room furniture that will last really long, and hopefully outlast both me and my husband and I believe after teak, oak dining room furniture is probably the best option if you are looking for long lasting furniture.
I can’t be bothered with all these new-fangled materials that have come up in the recent past. Faux wood, they call it. It looks like wood, but it is not really wood. And so, doesn’t need the maintenance wood furniture would need. But, I say, if you want your furniture to look like wood, you should buy wood furniture. Does this faux wood furniture last as long as real wood furniture actually lasts? I think not. I can’t bear the thought of having tacky plastic dining room furniture sets in the house as well. They look so cheap and frivolous and completely ruin your décor.
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( 3.3 / 91 )Antiques
“Back in the day…” is a phrase my mother often uses. I generally tend to disagree with her on most things, except when it concerns antiques. She has a point when she compares the quality of today’s products with those of yesteryears. But more than anything else, antiques have history
Antiques are evocative of a bygone era. They represent the culture and aesthetics of times past. When I look around my mother’s house and observe the beautiful Ming vase, I am reminded of the work that has gone into it. And I realize I would never dare keep it at home with my boisterous children running around.
I watch the beautiful brass pendulum of the old grandfather clock as it swings back and forth and decide I will take up my mother’s offer to give it to me. It will look so right in the hallway of my home! The beautiful sheen on the wooden cabinet has only mellowed with age.
The piece-de-resistance in my mother’s living room is the beautifully carved Georgian Chippendale desk in rich Mahogany that she has treasured for decades. It has acquired a rich tone with regular polishing. Now that is something I have definitely had my eye on for years!
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( 3.1 / 63 )Bar Stools
Like most people, I too enjoy a nice drink down at the local bar. And if there are no bar stools to park myself on, I really don’t mind standing down at one end, propping up the bar. I find most bar stools in bars fairly uncomfortable. They are way too high and spindly or they lack a decent back rest. One way or another, they are not too conducive to spending hours sitting on them, drink after drink.
These were factors I kept in mind when I designed my bar and kitchen at home. After all, I also needed bar stools for the breakfast bar in the kitchen. And so the bar stools were definitely given top priority.
I chose a nice contemporary bar stool with a steel finish for the drinks bar because it has the chrome and glass look. However, I ensured that it had a back rest and was comfortable enough to last out a few drinks. The kitchen, on the other hand, has a nice old rustic look with cabinets and breakfast bar counter in a pine finish. The bar stools obviously had to have the same finish. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I insisted on fitting leather seats. Comfort is all important, you know!
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