Don't ever ask an Engineer what he's doing unless it's polishing a prototype. We don't like to tell you. Get over it. That's just the way of it.
Mark this day on your calendar.
Partly, because I will have some accountability to more than broken promises to my wife for deadlines missed, and another project started; not finished. But also, because I am going to try to tell you what I want to accomplish before I know that I can accomplish it.
I'll wait for you to pick your jaw up off the floor...
And recover from fainting...
Again...
I'm a little weird about furniture. Most of it is crap. Particle board has its place, but I think that furniture should last, if well cared for, forever. Everything that you have in your house, you should be proud to grant to one of your grand children; the envy of the others, and they will fight over it for decades.
My parents don't have anything like that.
Should I have kids, I would like them to.
But I want it to be functional right now.
And I want to make it myself.
What I want.
Computers are a large part of our daily activities in our house, but so is crafting. Plastic models, side projects, my wife knits, weaves, sews, crochets, croquets, and whatever else she wants to do. Our apartment is a mess, and I hate it. I want to be able to have a place to put everything away, and it not look like we just brought our Christmas decorations out of storage, or we're collecting books for a Goodwill drive. Certain things should be displayed, like books, but others should be concealed - you don't need to know the contents of my DVD/Bluray collection from the door of my apartment. And yet, everything should have its place.
So, this project should entail several pieces, and I would like them to be relatively modular, so as not to only fit in one specific spot, we end up moving, and nothing fit in the new place. That, I think would be a travesty. Though, despite their diverse functions, I think they should make a relatively cohesive sum. Being in an apartment (unlike those in New York), the room count is.. well, one. So, everything, less the bed and perhaps a dresser or something to be addressed later, will be in one room. So, they need to go together, but not be matchy-matchy, and over-do a theme. They need to fit with each other, and not completely saturate the feeling of the space. There I go sounding like an interior decorator. Martin Short from Parenthood, anyone?
Here's kind of what I was thinking - and all of this is subject to change on a whim (or my Wife's request) at any time, so bite me if it doesn't fit what you were rooting for - cause I'll take whiners right off the inherit list. I will - just you watch!
I need a computer desk. It needs to accommodate my current setup, and be flexible enough for upgrades in the future. I occasionally need access to my machine for cleaning, and such, so removal should be easy. I like clean cables, so cable management is necessary. I like a workspace, so it will have room to do homework, draw, read, construct on small projects, etc. I need some storage, so I would like to have a file drawer, and some smaller drawers for tools, and pencils, etc. Also, some larger storage would be cool, and I was thinking of making a wall unit for above the desk. Lighting is always an issue, and I'm particular about that as well, so I was thinking of integrating the lighting into the bottom of the wall unit, and devise a method of focusing it so that it would light my desk, and reading material, but not shine on my screens, or in my eyes. I am along a short wall with an outside corner, so I was thinking of connecting to another desk around the corner with a corner unit that would provide the drawer space. Whatever I get for a desk, the Wife will get one as well. Make things easy. And in the future, should she not like it, we find a bigger place, we want to expand, I could take both of these units, and she can get something that better suits her needs. I'd help her of course - don't make me sound selfish or insensitive.
We need a better solution for book and media storage. Books are unique because of the size variation. Some large shelves, some small. Some deep, some shallow. But still cohesive. I have a space in mind for a low, wide book shelf that I think could be segregated interestingly, and provide a lovely display of our current and expanding eclectic collection of libros. Media is an expanding issue. Not only for the quantity, but for the media types. CDs, DVDs, Bluray, combo packs, boxed sets, etc. If it were all one media type, then one size and shape of shelf would suit, but I might need to be a little smarter than that. I initially disagreed, but now I see the light. My Wife suggested that no one need know the contents of our collection until granted access to peruse it, so I think enclosed is the way to go. Different from our storage solutions of the past though, I think that software should have a separate storage location.
And now for crafts. Bluntly, we have a bunch of crap. Much of it is craft or hobby related. All of it needs a place where it can be organized and put away. It varies in size from teeny tiny to fairly large, and so imbues a difficult storage problem. I was thinking of making three, fairly general purpose, but slightly customizable storage units that would also function as a place to work on said crafts. Not all furniture is constructed well, but some of it is rather smartly designed. My Wife found this piece at IKEA that was a small desk, enclosed on all sides, with a door in the front that when opened, became the work surface. It had under it for support, a drawer of sorts that slid out with the opening action of the door that became the support for the door itself. Brilliant! So, I think something along these lines is the way to go. A two-door cabinet on the bottom, possibly with some sort of kick, or foot support outside, or inside or something (we both like to put our feet up on something while working), and then the fold-out work space, and then some storage on top. I envision these beasts being rather tall, and quite large, but I think that I can minimize the appearance of their size with intelligent design, and smart decoration. Adjustable shelves in the compartments would help to keep things organized, and I think that it will take some planning to make proper, smart usage out of the workspace inside. I want it to be able to close, but still have some empty space for crafts or hobbies "in work", so as not to damage them, or require that half-completed trinkets need be stored elsewhere when the space is cleaned up.
I would also adore the ability to display some of our finer works. I have some models that I would love for people to be able to see, and I intend on creating more, some of which would not fit well in a display case of any reasonable size.
I'll get to the bedroom eventually, but not in this round, I don't think. Plus, I don't have regular access to a shop or any decent tools, so this project might take a while. But stay tuned, I might post some design ideas.
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