Building the nest has been an activity that has consumed the greatest part of my spare-time and energy, the past few months. This is something that I have greatly looked forward to for several years now. Ever since I left 'home' almost a decade back I have lived in either hostel rooms with neither budget nor scope for much customization, or for a few brief months post-wedding, in what was our first 'home' together. However it was essentially a bachelor pad which I moved into with several practical constraints on decoration. So even though that was our very dear বাগান বাড়ি ('bagan bari' or garden home), my decor-desires to carve out a space, remained unfulfilled!
And now here I am, from garden home to a home on garden (dr)! How I 'arrived' at this place is a story by itself and the subject of a separate narrative. So let's start from when I moved in...
It was the last week of September, 2015. I was understandably very excited to be finally moving in to my own place. My first real place! The weeks leading up to it (and since the day I arrived in the country) were divided between two separate sets of hosts whose company and guidance were real lifelines in those early days. But I was craving my own space and the chance to unpack and unwind. I thought eagerly of the spacious and sunny apartment with its skylights and a glass paned living room wall opening onto the balcony, that I had seen during selection and lease signing. But then... I hadn't seen the place at night!
At sundown, the first evening in my new home brought me the realization that American homes do not have mounted lights except in 'common areas' (kitchens, bathrooms and sometimes the dining space)! I wonder how I had missed this glaring detail in the three weeks since my arrival, during which I visited at least four homes and stayed at two! Thanks to BK, I had borrowed blankets and sleeping bag for warmth and company as I sat on the carpet in the beam of light streaming in from the bathroom. Nevertheless, I was glad to be 'home'! In spite of being severely exhausted both physically and mentally, my mind raced around trying to make plans!
Today, it has been exactly 6 months from that unforgettable first evening. And I am happy that it has turned out to be a place that I really want to come home to each day, in spite of it's emptiness! It What makes it more special to me is that everything has been done on a shoestring budget almost... all the dollars saved adds to my sense of satisfaction!
One of the things that I have battled with at every step of the nest-building process is the lack of permanence. I live in this country on an 'alien' status and I do not know where life will lead me 3-4 years from now (I do know though that I would love to return to my homeland and set up my permanent nest there). So for every investment for the current nest, big or small, there is this tug of war between two forces: one that wants to finally make use of the newly acquired 'purchasing power' and satisfy the nesting urges that have been long suppressed and the other practical one reminding me that it is all temporary and I should be saving for the future and for possibly more gratifying activities like travel! But what if there is no tomorrow? If not now, then when? Am I not at that age now where I can't simply put everything off for the future but also start enjoying the present?
So somehow, a balance had to be struck!
Had this been a tiny studio (and if I was single!) I would have probably just got a mattress, nightstand, bean bag to relax on and a desk to work and eat... and decorate it with specific highlights to make it look like a perfect Pinterest feed (:-P)... a pocket-friendly yet chic solution! But here I had a whole 900 square feet apartment at my hands (and nothing but the floor carpeting to start with!)...
Enter BK, whose suggestions and guidance have proved invaluable at each step. The first step was a trip to Ikea (unfortunately this place is totally inaccessible if you do not drive). Ikea turned out to be a home wonderland and especially for the first time visitor, the sheer scale and the visual appeal of the displays can be bewilderingly attractive! I really enjoyed the handful of hours which we spent there and would love to go back! However, it was apparent that not every piece of furniture at Ikea is affordably priced and the very few which are, are staples in literally every non-immigrant household, leaving no scope for uniqueness. Also, unless you buy several pieces of furniture and do up a whole room or area in the full Ikea style, solitary pieces by themselves can hardly have the same appeal! Still, I had a few essentials like comfortable armchairs (in place of a sofa/couch) and a coffee table (intended initially to be multipurpose, but this plan was soon abandoned) that I did pick up, along with the many useful kitchen and household utility articles most of which were good bargains.
Looking back at her own experience decades back, the next thing she introduced me to was the world of garage sales and thrift stores (both of these concepts are practically unheard of in India or at least in an organized manner!) This proved to be my game changer! She took me to my first garage sale and that still remains one of the best that I have been to. And from there, slowly and steadily I have been building. Doing up a place in 'thrift' mode can be slow and requires considerably more effort and continuous 'market survey' to find pieces that are perfect for your space and taste and need; and also in great shape. You never know what to expect when you walk in to a thrift store or a garage sale so you are automatically pushed to increase your coverage, quickly turning thrifting into an addiction almost (also a good time pass on those lonely Saturday mornings)! Again, BK's suggestion of the neighborhood social network Nextdoor, further added an online dimension to my home setup acquisitions. Of course Amazon's doorstep delivery (and prime membership) has made a world of difference (for example the queen size bed frame) and I have supplemented everything with several trips to Target and Ross, to take care of the fine details.
Each piece of furniture or other decor I own now, has a story. One of the greatest shocks about America is that things don't automatically get delivered home for free or for a nominal charge. No one will come home and install or assemble things for you. Unlike in India, you are expected to heave, load, and drive your own stuff home and deal with the assembly yourself. So assembling furniture and that too without help or company, was a first-time ever challenge that finally turned out to be awesome 'fun' (something I didn't anticipate until I pulled it off successfully). So yes the first time assembly of the relatively complicated armchairs will be a memory I won't forget in a hurry! So will be the assembly of the bed frame which I massively struggled with to even move out of its packaging!
But then the furniture you buy secondhand is a totally different story. They are usually fully assembled and often super heavy (real wood as opposed to Ikea other modular particle board stuff found online). So what do you do when you don't drive? The acquisition of those pieces thus is even more interesting, and I have been lucky that several of the sellers actually agreed to help me with bringing them over (a favor which was sometimes for free and sometimes for an added charge). Still, there have been days I will look back with amusement (and maybe wonder at my crazy enthusiasm) such as when I carried a super heavy nightstand in a public bus and then seriously struggled to even get it over to my apartment!
There was also a similar experience with my vacuum cleaner which I had to carry and walk back home with for quite a distance as I had missed the delivery! At the same time, I have enjoyed the kindness of a colleague (JJ) lending me her spare microwave and extra bedding for the winter! And the pleasure of some unique finds allowing me to explore and build my style!
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| My teeny tiny dining table ready for some guests |
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