“It looks like office furniture,” my husband says, standing back to observe the nearly six-foot credenza we’ve somehow maneuvered up two flights of stairs.
“It is office furniture,” I tell him, exasperated. “See, there is a stamp on the inside. It’s like art deco or something.”
I’m grasping, reaching for words to justify the purchase. I don’t like how this newly acquired piece of furniture looks up against our pale pink apartment wall or how the honey-colored wood of the credenza perfectly matches the floor—and not in a complementary way.
Still, I lie to myself. “I love it,” I decide, placing candles and plants and stacks of magazines, thinking that maybe with a few of my own touches, the piece will eventually grow on me.
The credenza is a Facebook marketplace find, and it is the type of furniture I love most: A screaming deal ($50) that comes with a story. Like the tiny coffee table I bought when we lived in London and then carried on a plane, legs detached and cushioned in bubble wrap,…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Feelings Not Aside to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.