Have you heard of the Furniture Free movement? It caught my attention, so Sherry and I decided to give it a try for seven days (Sherry agreed—reluctantly). What does it mean to live furniture free, and how might it change our daily routines and the way our home feels? Will it make us happier, or just cranky? On top of that, Hurricane Florence had us on an emotional rollercoaster—panic, relief, then anxiety again—even though we were fortunate to escape serious damage. That experience left a lasting impression and offered a useful reminder. We’ll also share how we handled some odd holes in the duplex doors and the reason Sherry is planning a tattoo.
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WHAT’S NEW
- If you’d like to help people affected by Hurricane Florence, there are several reputable organizations accepting donations; we chose to support the Foundation for the Carolinas relief fund.
- We wrote about a previous big storm here in Richmond—Hurricane Irene in 2011—which left us without power for several days and dropped a large tree on our neighbor’s house.
- The photo above was taken last Saturday in Cape Charles. It was mostly overcast, and though the water was higher than usual and the tide had washed over parts of the beach, there was no obvious hurricane damage in that spot.
- The storm’s path ended up looping around us without making a direct hit. Along the way it did spawn tornadoes in some areas, which was a scary reminder that storms can affect regions in different ways.
- On a lighter note, there’s been a growing trend of house-themed tattoos. We looked through several examples and shared a few that inspired Sherry.
- Below are some tattoo styles Sherry’s been pinning. I don’t have sources for every image, but I labeled them so you can easily tell Sherry which design is your favorite.
Furniture Free Living
- I first learned about this idea from an Apartment Therapy piece titled “I Tried Furniture-Free Living for a Week to See if I Felt Healthier.” Another thoughtful take is available from Scary Mommy. The idea isn’t entirely new—some families have experimented with minimal or no furniture for years.
- We’re trying a lighter version for one week. Our main guidelines are:
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- Work standing up—no desk chairs during the trial.
- Avoid sitting on living room furniture while the kids are awake. We’ll still use the sofa to decompress at the end of the day, but during active hours it’s standing, sitting on the floor, squatting, or kneeling.
- Try to eat meals standing when it makes sense. Sherry really dislikes this rule the most.
- Note: Our children can use furniture as usual.
- We’ll report back next week with what we learned and how it affected our energy, posture, and mood.
We’re Digging
- The photo above shows why we were so baffled by the front doors on the duplex: holes and marks everywhere. Why were there so many mismatched holes? It was puzzling and frustrating.
- We ordered a handleset that covers the old holes and creates a uniform look. We chose a dark bronze finish to match the existing hardware and to hide those inconsistent drill marks.
- We’ve also been listening to the Slow Burn podcast. Season 1 examined Nixon’s resignation, and Season 2 looked at the Clinton impeachment—both are excellent for anyone curious about recent American history. The podcast’s new seasons continue to be a compelling way to learn from the past.
If you’re trying to find something we referenced in an earlier episode but don’t remember which show notes to click, we keep a master list of everything we’ve “dug” across past episodes. You can also find all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.
Finally, thanks to Annie Selke for sponsoring this episode. They ran a Labor Day sale and also released a new fall collection we enjoyed checking out.
Thanks for listening and reading. We appreciate you joining us for the experiment, the hurricane update, and the small home projects that keep life interesting.
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