I have a lovely new reclining loveseat, in which I reclined and took a nap today. Mittens hopped up and curled onto my chest, purring. Purchase is a hit :)

Of course, as I sat down later knitting and listening to the radio, I wished I had an end table. So I put aside my work basket and hit the shops. I now have a lovely Chinese stand with a marble inset as well as a dark-stained cube into which I can hide clutter.

The stand came from a shop full of Chinese lacquerware and teak. Seeing all the Chinese stuff in one spot reminded me of the living rooms of my mother's friends -- plastic-covered white upholstery, black and red lacquer everywhere with inlays in metal and mother-of-pearl. We weren't allowed into these luxurious rooms; they were like museums with the best of everything in the house. I strolled through the crowed store where the proprietor informed me grandly that everything is made of real wood, no particles. It felt a bit naughty, as though somehow I'd snuck into an auntie's living room.

I bought the little stand. That sucker is heavy; the proprietor told no lies about the solidness of the wood. It has mother-of-pearl inlay. I put my huge fern on it and it looks very lovely.

The cube is plainly made and came from an American furniture store where they sell stuff with incredibly fake distressing. I hate that stuff, where you look at it and can see where someone's beat on the surface with some nails to leave gouge marks in regular patterns. The cube is non-distressed, other than by having been transported in the trunk of the Eclipse with the hatchback tied down over it. It's also very lovely.

It's starting to look more like a home now. All it needs is my husband :)