225BatonRouge.com - Blogs

For years I toyed with the idea of being an interior designer. It was actually my original major at LSU. After taking the first lecture class on interior design, it occurred to me that I couldn’t successfully impose my design aesthetic on the majority of Baton Rouge clientele. My tastes would inevitably interfere with theirs, and I could not in good conscience hang yet another Audubon print over a Louis XIV settee flanked with frou-frou antique end tables. So I switched majors, but continued to have an internal fire for design.

Since I do love design, I feel more than confident in choosing my personal decor. Not to mention the fact that I can’t foresee a time in my future when I could afford and/or justify hiring my own personal designer. My plan now is to begin trading in the hand-me-downs from my family for more cohesive pieces, even though it might not seem like the most intelligent idea. Logically—the logic of my mind, that is—it would make more sense to purchase all the things I love now, and when I finally do move into a lovely (hopefully non cookie-cutter) home I'll be able to fully enjoy it. The downside, of course, of moving furniture not made of MDF is the weight, but maybe by then I'll be able to afford hiring some big, burly men for that.

So my current objectives are a) find a couch that is a comfortable, classic design and a solid color, b) find some sort of storage solution that might corral my clutter and c) figure out a way to get rid of the eyesore recliner that my boyfriend is so in love with (seriously baby, it's bad, and it's time). I've thought for years that the only hope of finding furnishings that fit my style would be to order from companies from outside the city, like Crate and Barrel, West Elm or DWR. But recently, I have managed to find a couple of really good stores in town that are not chain retailers and have some quality stuff. I'm sure Baton Rouge has some more non-traditional shopping around, but these are the two I'm currently in love with.

I'm not a fan of girly antiques, but apparently Baton Rougeans are. I appreciate antiques, thanks to an exhausting 18th century furniture class, but they have no practical use for me. So I growled to myself as one of my girlfriends brought us into Bay Tree on Perkins with hopes of finding some super fabulous have-to-have kitchen chairs. To my delight, despite the very modest space, the shop has a great blend of affordable old and new. It's crammed with everything from a set of retro orange kitchen chairs to lamps from the 1940's to worn wooden shelves. It really has enough to satisfy anyone in the need for a unique find, antique or otherwise. I left with a little list in my head, and an overwhelming desire for that incredibly comfy, high-back arm chair covered in white canvas. The next plan is figuring out how to keep from spilling everything everywhere so I can have that chair.

Another great stop is Christian Street Furniture. I remember shopping here when it was just Christian Street Market, full of odds and ends and a few furniture pieces that were interesting, but not really me. Now, the store specializes in furniture, and has a separate store just for couches, and pretty much everything is fantastic. I found an ideal kitchen table and chairs that I would love if I actually used the kitchen table. (My meals are spent on the couch, usually balancing the laptop with one hand and the fork with the other, hoping the two never meet. The kitchen table is currently being used to hold a majority of crap I'm not sure what else to do with.) I also found the most perfect bookcase, with small glass doors that might be able to mask some of the clutter and the ridiculous collection of literature I will one day get around to reading. I left with another mental list, hoping for the shutter-like headboard, that bookcase and one of the leather couches that were calling my name. I wonder if a manly leather couch could be negotiated in exchange for the recliner?

So now I just need to find the money to allow my design aesthetic to take over the apartment. If anyone would like to start up a buy-me-some-new-furniture collection, I will gladly take cash, check or credit. And I promise not to tease you about your Audubon.