Favorite Places & Spaces

Just learning to navigate this site, from one of my favorite places, my den. Tis very small, the only furniture being a too large grey suede recliner, separated from the black sofa by a very unique northwestern tree-limb coffee table, which my spouse refuses to ever again move. There are bookcases along the wall, between which is the salt water aquarium (with only one existing clown fish) and the television (which was disconnected from the TV world two years ago) The wall above the sofa is where I hang art, and change the work periodically, depending on the time of year and what I have recently created. Have to admit that I consider the room's colors and decor when hanging. On the aquarium wall, are items from my travels. A stranger might not understand why there is a chicken mask with teeth beside a Peruvian doll and a terra cotta warrior on one bookcase, and a Spanish fan, Australian bird replica and totem pole on the other, but I do, and sometimes it makes me smile. Today there are "Chinese paper-cut" snowflakes hanging from the center of the room, left from Christmas, but still winter-appropriate, and a snowy tree branch painting over the sofa. Since it is against my nature to maintain a minimalist style for long, there are also mirrors on the smaller wall (the one with a door to the bedroom) and African masks. On the other side of the door, closest to the recliner, is an end table with a too-big, beautiful mosaic mirrored lamp and another bookcase (this one is an old handmade creation I've had since 1985) Some of my Russian Matroyska dolls are on its top, and thousands of family and travel photos hide inside the thirty or so albums on its shelves, along with several travel and audio books. My MacBook is nestled in its case between the recliner and the end table, and sometimes I sit first, and other times I pick up the laptop and then sit. This is where I do my scrapbooking, water color paintings, jewelry making, any kind of correspondence and needlework. It is also where I drink my morning coffee and watch a TED talk before going to work. The room is in neutral colors (ranging from black to white) and geometric patterns. There is a hint of fish motif, but nothing like the poor, helpless living room, on which I have placed thousands of seashells, starfish, and tiny mirrors. In this room, there are only the small wooden fish around the aquarium and a single Chinese scroll near the exit. Accessories include an area rug beneath the coffee table, which is bold, b/w/g geometric design (from Target) and several coordinating pillows. All the "stuff" I've mentioned, and a dozen or more big candles, which I exchange according to season and mood. What I like most about this space is that my lover and I can sit together, away from the world and be ourselves. Sometimes we share intimate conversations, and other times we speak two entirely different conversations simultaneously. We are isolated from noise, because it is in the center of the house, and were it not for all the "stuff", would likely be safe from even tornado weather events. It's small, with area to accommodate five or six people, which is the very definition of "cozy." The items in this room all have special significance to me, which makes the excess okay. Its comfort is conducive for study and creativity, and the isolation factor allows for the occasional (?!) mess of incomplete projects. I have other spaces in my home I love, but since this is where I spend most of my time, it MUST be my favorite.