i still have no furniture in my living room – i moved in late August. My priorities are sound, however, as the billiards table has been in place since October, as has the hard core electronics gagetry… But it’s time for seating, as the threat of another party lurks for later in the month. Another farewell party for a young ‘un at the office, he’ll invite perhaps 75 folks, with an expected 40-50 attending.
Yep. Barbie’s first kegger in the new crib.
i’d been waiting for The Girl to return from her sojourn to the middle east, and have put her MAD DEZYN SKILZ to work to help me select the basics. My goal is to have a cozy seating area, with lots of flop space. Focal point is the fireplace, and wall of windows overlooking the deck and trees. Leather is a must, as the brown dog likes to flop on the couches, too… and nothing is as easy to clean as leather when you’ve got a mutt loose in the house.
Having picked out some cool stuff, i wasn’t sure it would all fit properly… so i did my anal-retentive best to draw the room to scale, using simple computer-based layouts to try several arrangements. Despite my best efforts, it still seemed too crowded.
So i did what any self-respecting dork would do. Taped out the layout for the sofa, coffee table, and then built cardboard cut outs for the footprints of the chairs under consideration. And then worked through several arrangements to assure that it all fit comfortably.
you have to use your imagination a little...
Much to my complete and total amazement, i discoverd that Mr. Pickles would not walk on the imaginary furniture. Much like Les Nessman, of WKRP in Cincinnati, the dog is treating these taped boundries as “real”. Even after i “sat” on the couch and tried to get him to hop up and join me? He’s a good boy…
Dogs are just goofy…
Downward Dog
"Is that new?"
"Don't wanna piss her off..."
"She's the goofy one... taken minimalism to a new low..."
Trailer Park Refugee 
Hee hee.
I like Mr. Pickles.
And I loooovvvee what you’ve done with your cardboard easy chair. FABULOUS!
Awwwwwww. What a cute dog. And smart too.
My furniture suggestion? Bean bag chairs. Yep. Get a bunch of them and toss them around when the par-tay is goin’ on and then stuff them all in the storage room when it’s over, ’til nex’ time.
Oh, and don’t forget the love beads.
Hee hee. 8)
Um, I know this was about furniture. But as soon as I saw that dog, it was over. I. LOVE. HIM. I can just tell, he’s awesome, isn’t he?
Oh wow – that last picture is just killer!!
Oh and what time should we all be there? And by “we all”, I mean the entire internet – cause we all know you give killer parties!!
I suggest some bright cushions for the cardboard furniture. I like the neutral earthy tones as much as the next guy, but cardboard is so cold and unwelcoming.
I loves me some puppy pictures. Especially the last one. I’ll pass on the party, being in a room full of strangers freaks me the hell out. I echo the bean bag chairs and bright cushions suggestions. Huge pillows work well, too, for “flop space.”
I can’t believe you want to fill up that nice empty space with stuff to sit on when you have a floor! And nice empty space!!
I wouldn’t have furniture at all but a bed and a desk with a chair if it weren’t for Rob and the girls.
stephanie – affordable and low maintenance! that’s my style!
rob – not a ‘bean bagger’ any more… but floor cushions are likely to augment the formal seating. the love beads will go downstairs, to partition off the laundry room. once a hippie chick? always a hippie chick! 🙂
ginny – oh no, it was all about the dog! yes, he’s special. more on my
dogcanine life partner here, here and here…amber – no date set just yet, but soon… my guess is that the li’l procrastinator is going to push this off until february. just show up. i might have the keggerator installed by then!
uncle keith – how about some colored bags from Target and K-Mart, stuffed with toilet paper? colorful enough?
silverstar – he’s beautiful. first purebred anything i’ve ever had (not counting the goldfish, of course). pure love, pure heart. not a mean molecule in his furry little body… which is why we love him so much… snores, but i can deal with that!
annie – i’ve gotten used to the ’empty’, and it will seem rather strange to put furniture in it. it’s got huge cathedral ceilings (maybe 25′ or so), making it more open… my knees now require actual seating. getting too stiff to get up from the floor!
awh awh awh so so cute……but still that’s a bit weird eh?
i thought you said he didn’t have a brain? i’ve seen children with less respect for artificial boundaries. okay, MY children, which sort of ruins the metaphor of ‘implied intelligence’, but still…
Will he keep that up for the new furniture though. I’ve heard that animals don’t like leather, cows mainly… ok sorry, but seriously dogs and cats arent meant to like it. My cat hates sitting on our leather couches but my friends old dog just couldnt get enough.
Mr. Pickles cracks me up.
My kids put some Kurlex gauze on our dog’s leg one day, just a loose wrapping, and the dog started to limp. So they did that to the other dog and, same thing.
Once the tape is pulled up … all bets are off!
Pickles will be the first to park his arse.
manuel – yes, methinks he’s a bit odd. a couple years ago, we learned we could trap him with a computer power cord on the floor – he wouldn’t cross it.
gnu – we can’t decide if he’s brilliant or a canine vacuum tube… it’s a fine line sometimes!
alex – he has no problem lounging on his deceased cow brethren. i’ve got a big leather unit [heh, heh, heh…. she said “unit”] downstairs, and he’s content to flop there all day long!
kitty – oh we may have to try the gauze trick. maybe on a snow day, after a couple drinks!
practically joe – no doubt. i am just as surprised he’s not chewed on the cardboard “chairs” or done anything with those. dogs are just goofy…
I like it. Are you sure you want to sell out and do the whole furniture thing? All you really need is a camp chair.
When I saw all the tape on the floor, I immediately thought crime scene with the shape of a body drawn out. Maybe I’ve been watching too many old Dragnet episodes lately.
That does match the motiff.
the view out on to the deck looks great – more piccies next time….
You are SUCH a geek. *shakes head*. I can only worship at a distance.
that is ONE good looking pup.
kyknoord – the reality is that i’m sick of doing my work at my dining room table. needs me a floppy leather nest from which to do my work… so much easier to fall asleep at the computer that way!
squirrelqueen – one of my gags is to draw chalk body outlines on sidewalks, driveways, etc. It would be quite fun to do them on the pavement outside houses for sale… but that’s kinda mean.
uncle keith – don’t let it ever be said that i don’t have class. “low” is a form of class…
nursemyra – it’s nicer in the summer when the trees are full… can’t see the neighbors, and i don’t have to pull the blinds when stomping around the crib in my undies…
dolce – sad. but i’m a dork. “geeks” outrank “dorks” and “nerds”…
Otto – Welcome to The Park! He’s a pretty pup… this round of odd behavior makes me wonder if he’s brilliant, or even dumber than i thought…
Your dog’s fairly intelligent. He was doing the same thing as you, looking at a two dimensional plan and visualizing it in 3 dimensions. Reminded me of THIS dog and the invisible force field that only affects canines: