2 Kids, 1 small bedroom

It's finally happened, the day that everyone dreads. 2 Kids, 1 husband, the house sold, the van loaded, the parents-in-law waiting - waiting at their house to welcome us. That's right, we've sold up and like many others at the moment, we have nowhere else to go. Rather than lose the sale, we decided that we should move in with 'mum & dad' until we have found the perfect house. Sadly this made perfect sense, so here we are.

We have 1 slight issue though. Aside from our room, there is only 1 spare bedroom. When I say bedroom, I mean 'bed-room'. If you can get a bed in there, you can't really get anything else. The kids are 4 and 6, so have come to appreciate a nice mattress to lie on, and their school generally likes them to be awake. A solution was needed and they weren't happy to 'top and tails'. After much head scratching, a little voice chipped in "well, my friend Paul has bunk beds".

Bunk beds - of course, even I wanted a bunk bed as a little girl, although I never could decide whether top or bottom was best (really, there is a good argument for either...) and this would be perfect for the space available. My only worry was that surely they would be quite expensive? I mean they are 2 beds aren't they? And we would want a solid wood one, not some plastic 'put up' job that finds us with children and a crumpled mess on the floor in the morning, that no doubt I would have to untangle.

As is turns out, bunk beds are surprisingly good value for money, even a nice solid pine bunk bed (I'm thinking that with wood, perhaps my husband could saw it in half later to make 2 separate beds?). You can find them for around £100 - £200, so not a bank breaker, but a ready solution to 6mths of being cooped up in a little bedroom.

The kids love the ladder, have even worked out a 'timeshare' for the top bunk and there is still a little space under the bed to cram some toys, and I still think that it could be sawn in half a little later down the line...

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When is a bookcase not a bookcase?

When you don't just fill it with books of course - Of course you may disagree with this, 'a bookcase is always a bookcase regardless of what is in it. After all, a rocking chair against a wall is still called a rocking chair...’ Yes, this may sound of miniscule importance, but this is what I was faced with after I had made the simple decision that it was time for me to re-house my books.

I thought I had done enough. I had measured the area that it would 'slot' into and worked out roughly how many shelves I would need. Fin.

Time to call the sister (like a bloodhound when it comes to 'good deals') and put her on the search. What did I expect upon arriving home? A simple email with links to bookcases for me to peruse and choose. What I didn't expect was questions questions questions.

• Do I want a pine bookcase or should I go for an oak bookcase instead?
• Do I want a cupboard at the bottom to store things (like books perhaps?)
• Do I want a headstock or just a flat top?
• Do I want divided shelves?
• Do I want a traditional or modern style?
• Do I want flat pack or pre-assembled?

I soon realised I was an amateur and more research was going to be needed.

I thought I would begin with choosing the wood. Normally I can be partial to a bit of pine, but, for a bookcase, oak seemed to scream out at me. I wanted something that would add character to my living room yet fit in with the overall design theme I had previously chosen. An oak mantelpiece and an oak table currently reside, so an oak bookcase would fit in nicely. I'm also not bad with a screwdriver so a flat pack is seen as a challenge, not a nightmare.

The style? I have hundreds of books so the decision as to whether I need drawers or a cupboard was easy. It was a no. Give me shelves and give me many (I can always get a separate unit for my dining room later...). It was the same for the headstock - without one I have an extra shelf. Easy.

Then it was just a matter of getting online and choosing the one for me. This was surprisingly easy, as long as you know what you want, which finally I did: A tall, oak, flat topped, many shelved book case that fits my gap.

Ordered, paid for, should arrive in a couple of days, now where is that screwdriver again….

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The Living Choice

When discussing the merits of a well turned out living room, most of us concentrate on the size of the television screen and sofa, forgetting the crucial pieces of furniture that we build our primary relaxation area around. In fact if we were asked to list the separate items of furniture found in our living rooms we would be surprised at the final figure.

Unless you are lucky enough to live in a house with multiple reception rooms the chances are that your living room must act as a multi-functional space for watching TV, entertaining and relaxing. In order to meet these demands it is obvious that furniture for this area needs to be long lasting; a growing pre-requisite given the current economic climate.

Meeting these needs, both classical and practical, wood never goes out of fashion, readily available in a multitude of styles and finishes suitable for almost any living room. In fact, the wide variety of ranges means you will always find the perfect style to suit your tastes.

By following a few simple rules and ensuring that your final choices best meet the needs of the size and shape of your living room, you can quickly transform its feel by introducing simple items such as a coffe table or even a wall mirror. A few subtle changes will mean you can sit back and enjoy room of your dreams.

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