I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society. –Henry David Thoreau
When redecorating a child’s bedroom for repurposing, many questions need to be answered. A few to consider are: How is the room to be used? Who may use the room? How much time may be spent in that room? Insights into these questions will guide you in your redecorating project.
With children who have flown the coup, I decided to convert one of the rooms into a guest room. Looking at the room with a critical eye, I decided I liked the color and the fairly-new window treatments but wanted to rearrange furniture and even remove some. Thus, I would begin with the room arrangement and ask: Is the furniture functional for its purpose? Is there a piece of furniture somewhere else in the house that can be repurposed? The answers led me to adding a functional accent chair where people could put on shoes, perhaps lay out clothes, or find a spot to read a good book and spend some quiet time alone.
The search for the perfect accent chair led us to both sides of Roanoke and even within the city itself. We looked at Grand Home Furnishings locally which happened to have a tent sale going on. Here great deals may be had if they had what we wanted. We even looked on the other side of Roanoke into Franklin County where the Virginia Furniture Market in Rocky Mount is located. Again, great deals may be had there if we had found what we wanted. We had purchased from there in the past and this time walking in, we were pleasantly surprised by the changes made inside the store and their expanded inventory.
Next, we tried Grand Homes Furnishing Warehouse on the northside of the city. Visiting the store for the first time, the square footage of the place was a bit overwhelming. Our recommendation: know what you need or be prepared to walk alot.
In the end and completely tired by then, we visited another Grand Home Furnishings near Valley View Mall. Who thought it would be so taxing to find the perfect accent chair? There under the tent sale, my husband plopped down and announced, “This is the one.” A bit colorful, I thought, yet I relented. Somehow the friendly sales people stuffed the striped chair into the back of the vehicle. Two days later, my guests arrived and loved it! The accent chair had served its purpose.
Jennifer Fenrich of Shining Readers, LLC is a children’s author and freelance writer. With over fifteen years as a reading teacher, she advocates children’s literacy and helps all children “shine.” Jennifer loves spending time with family, writing, and exploring the outdoors.
