Home is where the heart is…and your self-respect, so make it nice.
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I’ve owned my house for seven years, but in the last year I’ve been trying to reorganize and redecorate. Really, I’m trying to re-see the house with new eyes–what could work better, look better, feel better? And because I am so generous, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about making a house into a home. This post is for the established man. If you’re 22, just graduated, living in a two-bedroom with four other dudes as you all navigate the crappy pay of a first job, it’s not exactly practical (or financially feasible) for you to meet the expectations of this list. Think of it as something to aspire to later on. If you’re a man who has a solid living situation, a bit of spending money, and a desire to make your house/apartment/condo better, this list should get you started. Here’s what you need to create the grown-up home:
Things that aren’t broken
I’m calling myself out on this one. This past winter, my sister came to visit and she was horrified by the number of broken things in my house. Here, just shove a knife sideways into the food processor to get it to work; oh you have to put of a bit of English on it when using the can opener; don’t mind those dining room chairs, just shove the dowel back in. Something breaks, you figure you’ll deal with it later, and then you forget about it. If you have the money to do so, fix the things that break, in a timely manner. Replace the items that are dingy and worn. Do it before a house guest brings it to your attention. As soon as we got new ones I couldn’t believe we’d lived with those terrible chairs for so long, and the broken part for that food processor was actually very cheap to replace. The can opener? Eh, still working on that one.
Oh hell no.
Shelves, cabinets, bookcases
Your living space is going to look junky unless it’s properly organized. Don’t nobody wanna see piles of stuff sitting on the floor, or a chair, or littering every possible counter space. Use shelving units, bookcases, hutches, cabinets, trunks and other pieces to organize all your treasures. Seems like an obvious suggestion, but I bet if you look at your bedside table or kitchen counters, you’ll find clutter that you’ve simply gotten used to seeing. You can cultivate a really clean, polished look simply by keeping out only items that are used daily, or that are decorative. If you only use the espresso machine on the weekends, it can go in the cabinet during the week. If you have a stack of books on your nightstand that you’ve been meaning to read for two years, they can probably be shelved away in a bookcase.
Intentional decor
Take a look at your walls. Do you have a framed family photo from your brother’s wedding five years ago, next to a tapestry you picked up during a trip to Mexico, beside a painting from one of those warehouse sales that looks like it belongs in a Motel 6? Unless you’ve hired a decorator to give your entire home a cohesive look, your decor is likely an accumulation of items you’ve collected over the years. Which is actually kind of great–we want our homes to be a reflection of ourselves and our experiences. But intent and organization is key.
Stand back and look at where you’ve hung your art, your photographs, your souvenirs. Would it make more sense to hang all the family pictures together in one spot, to dedicate a hallway to the treasures you’ve picked up during your travels? Instead of hanging art on the wall you have no connection too, what about putting some of your photos to canvas? Are you mixing bronze, silver and gold fixtures throughout your home? Re-evaluate the aesthetic every few years to make sure it’s pleasing to the eye.
A quality piece of furniture… if you can afford it.
Hard news for those of us who love a bargain. But it’s true. Cheap is cheap. The island I used in my kitchen for years was from IKEA. I bought it when all I could afford was IKEA. The wheels never worked and it wobbled precariously when the wind blew. I paid cheaply for it and it worked cheaply in my home. Now that I’ve replaced it with a high quality piece of furniture, again, I can’t believe I put up with that hunk of junk for so long. If cheap is what you can afford now, then go cheap, or consider not making a purchase at all until you’ve saved for something better. But if you do have the money for quality, buy quality. It will work better and last longer. And it won’t horrify your sister when she comes to visit.
-Beth
Got something brewing in your life? Send me an email–style, etiquette, relationships–I answer it all: askawoman@dappered.com
I’m 27 and finally ready to invest in real furniture. I’m working with a local company that builds tables, desks etc out of reclaimed wood around the DC area. It’s a great feeling to have something designed for me by a local shop, and will last forever (vs. the ikea stuff that falls apart after 2 or 3 moves, tops).
What company are you working with? I’m in DC and would love to get some ideas on where to get reclaimed wood furniture.
What’s the local company called? I’m moving soon and looking for some quality furniture as well!
It’s always nice to support the local businesses.
Can you provide details on the company? I’m just outside of DC and intrigued.
hey I edited my post above, but the link to their site is: http://www.kurtzandatkins.com/
I’ve been following them on instagram for a while – they do really awesome stuff. Jodi has been incredible to work with via email – super, super communicative and helpful.
We really need to do a fashionable DC people meetup. Too many herbs in this city, even in the ‘hipper’ areas like Shaw (my hood).
hey I edited my post above, but the link to their site is: http://www.kurtzandatkins.com/
I’ve been following them on instagram for a while – they do really awesome stuff. Jodi has been incredible to work with via email – super, super communicative and helpful.
We really need to do a fashionable DC people meetup. Too many herbs in this city, even in the ‘hipper’ areas like Shaw (my hood).
hey I edited my post above, but the link to their site is: http://www.kurtzandatkins.com/
I’ve been following them on instagram for a while – they do really awesome stuff. Jodi has been incredible to work with via email – super, super communicative and helpful.
Great! Those are some slick looking woodwork they’ve got going on. I’d love to have a few of these pieces in my new home.
Yes, a DMV meetup would be quite nice. I know that the Redditors of MFA have met up in DC before in the past.
In an entertaining coincidence, there happens to be a StyleForum meetup this evening at The Brixton.
There comes a time when you move from buying furniture to “acquiring pieces”. I’m moving to another country with work, and I’m taking the opportunity to unload various bits of crap on Craigslist and Freecycle. But I’m shipping my favorite “pieces”.
Interesting…I may drop by. Thanks!
In the “Things That Work” vein, I would strongly advise having a universal remote that makes it easy to watch TV with one button, watch Netflix with another, etc. If someone is doing you a favor and house-sitting, they shouldn’t require a 10 page manual on how to turn the TV on with 3 remotes!
Just plugging all souls, nearby. Best tucked away bar in the city imho. I don’t know styleforum people so probably not going to do this, but it’s cool that these meetups happen. Is there like a DC subsection of SF I should monitor? I’ve never really been on styleforum before.
No subsection; just gotta keep an eye the main page and hope you catch something with a DC meetup subject line.
http://www.styleforum.net/t/399541/washington-dc-sf-meetup-thursday-july-10-the-brixton/0_90
I showed up to one in January (tuxedo night at Off the Record) and had a good time. A PM thread later happened among everybody who was there to establish a time and location for tonight.
Beth, with a new tike in tow you’ll soon be learning this first hand so I don’t want to spoil your fun, but children have a natural proclivity toward laying wate to such well thought out plans, especially concerning the first and last points. Difficult to purchase that beautiful and expensive couch when you know it’s primary function will be that of a four-year old’s launching pad.
And so I return to IKEA’s mocking embrace. I also swore off boot cut jeans once. I’ll probably be wearing them again in another year too.
I have a Harmony remote that does just that, but none of the women I’ve had over seem to understand it.
For real. We have babysitters come over all the time, and they’re all super thankful that everything makes sense!
I have the same thing with my harmony… press netflix everything switches over, same for all the other sources. It’s super easy. But I’ve found that just the fact that you have a remote that doesn’t look like a normal remote is almost more intimidating for guests
Very impressive stuff, thanks for sharing. Not in an effort to dissuade business, but if you’re someone with just a little bit a DIYer in you, I’d suggest making a stab at building some furniture at home. With a couple simple tools and youtube videos, this type of stuff is entirely doable in your garage with patience and practice. At this point, my wife and I now have a dining table, buffet table, console table and an arbor in the garden for a total cost of usually under $100 per piece (plus the time). Very rewarding and it becomes and addicting hobby. Alex – I can see how your friends made it a full time business!
How did it go? It was a little hairy outside so I didn’t run up there, but I’d be super interested to join something similar (provided everyone isn’t weird). Is there a DC contingent that posts on dappereds’ forum? SF seems so intimidating, and reddit’s MFA is just white noise at this point. I mainly stick to the comments here, and r/frugalmalefashion
My boss has started making his own furniture and he says it’s incredibly rewarding. It would be very cool to have a hobby that you can make money on, vs. sitting around playing xbox. Unfortunately I live in a 700sqft apartment in downtown DC – not a lot of room for hobbies.
I unfortunately missed it — a debilitating migraine hit me just as I was finishing up at the office. Thread responses suggest everyone had a good time. I’m going to try to make the next one.
I never got into reddit, and my comments here are few and far between, but I’ve been a bit of a fixture on certain SF threads for the last few years. The intimidation wears off once you hang out in a couple spots for a while.