Friday 21 May 2021

When Centimetres Matter

 

Seriously addicted to ... Ercol  πŸ’–

I was browsing the Vinterior website again looking at possible options for bedroom furniture when I found this little beauty.  My initial plan, as I think I mentioned a while ago, was to treat myself to new bedroom furniture, just one wardrobe with a drawer and a couple of bedside tables in oak to match the new bedroom door.   Indeed I had placed my chosen pieces in my Shopping Basket at furniture 123 but before I pressed that order button. I wanted to check out other alternatives ... and I'm so glad I did.  I found this little beauty that is by the same designer and made in the same year as my new to me Ercol sideboard.


In my basket at Furniture 123 were two of these and a wardrobe, but I was debating just buying just one as I only need one and I have a plan that might work out for the other side of the bed.  I noted down the measurements, then discovered that they were very similar to the bedside tables we already have and that Alan will be having in his bedroom in the house ... they match the oak bed perfectly so this was always the plan.


So I had a closer look at ours with a tape measure in hand.  

The overall piece of furniture is almost the same size as the Ercol one but the drawers are so much smaller, and when you are living in a small space all potential storage space matters.


The drawers in ours, and therefore potentially in the new one,  all measured 24cm x 29cm internally which equals 696 sq.cm.  Multiply that by three drawers and it is 2088sq.cm. of storage space.

As the drawers on the Ercol bedside table went right to the edge of the cabinet I knew they would be bigger.  And now that it is here I can show you just how right I was.  They each measure 38cm x 37cm, which equals 1406sq.cm. multiplied by three and it is 4218sq.cm  

So I have more than twice the storage space in my new bedside table than I would have gotten in my chosen new one and I also have another piece of furniture that has lasted 60 years already and will no doubt do at least the same again.

When you are about to live in 336 square foot of home an extra 2130sq.cm of storage matters πŸ˜ƒ

Today's nice little sit down job for me is to line the drawers with the left over bedroom wallpaper, not a vitally necessary job as they are in perfect condition, but it will make me smile when I pull them open and there's that little bit of colourful co-ordination.


Sue xx



43 comments:

  1. And I have trouble with 7 x 8!!!

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    1. Haha .... when size matters I work it out ;-)

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  2. You have wonderful taste in wood furniture, Sue - each piece you've chosen is exquisite, and I'd love them myself.

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    1. It's nice to be able to chose exactly what I want for this new home. No one has a say but me which is proving to be brilliant :-)

      I'll not mention Alan's plans for his house except to say that they are totally different to mine, except for the oak things we already own.

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  3. I must admit to not liking the wide sides on modern furniture that pinch valuable storage space, great decision.

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    1. It's the same with some modern sofas isn't it, the arms can be almost as wide as the sitting space. Having so little space in my new home is making me look at this sort of thing very carefully!

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  4. How lovely, and you are so right about the storage and I love the wall paper liner idea.

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    1. It was expensive wallpaper and I really like it, and as I only JUST needed two rolls there is over half a roll left over even with the decorate being generous with his cutting.

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  5. You've scored some great buys. Imagine you are having a great deal of fun with sourcing things for your place.

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    1. It is fun, but seems totally extravagant to me ... which I guess is one reason I am finding some pre-loved items at a much lower price. Salves the conscience and helps the purse strings πŸ˜€

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  6. A good solid piece of furniture. It looks lovely as well. X

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    1. Yes it's really solid and well made, the wood is beautiful. I've never had Elm wood furniture before.

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  7. It's beautiful and I agree every extra bit of space is needed! I can't wait to see your home all put together when you move in!

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    1. The curtain poles and light fixtures are going up today, another couple of steps forward πŸ˜ƒ

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  8. Now THAT'S a solid & beautiful piece of furniture art right there, Sue. Gorgeous!!! ~Andrea xoxo

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    1. Another very stroke-able piece for my collection πŸ˜€

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  9. Great buy and will look lovely lined with the wallpaper.

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    1. It should do πŸ˜€ I went to see the wallpaper up last night, it looks beautiful. Having it in the drawers too will be a lovely finishing touch.

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  10. That looks and sounds ideal. Twice the storage space is not to be sneezed at when you are in such a tiny home. Your surplus wallpaper is perfect for lining the drawers.

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    1. It definitely isn't, I'll never sneeze at space again ... pollen perhaps but not space 🀣.

      Nothing is being wasted, any tiny scraps of paper will go into my journaling box πŸ˜ƒ

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  11. Your Ercol bedside cabinet is lovely. Coincidentally, I also have an oak bed, and 2 bedside tables which look exactly like the ones in the second picture down. The drawers are smaller than your lovely Ercol, but I have 6 of them, which is plenty of space. They came from Aldi, about 15 years ago. They're surprisingly good quality oak and veneer, and they were very inexpensive!

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    1. Rather weirdly I can't remember where we got our oak bedroom furniture from. It was bought when we moved into our Oxfordshire farmhouse, which was quite big so we needed lots of new furniture all at once.

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  12. I really like using wallpaper to line drawers and shelves. Pretty to make you smile.
    Great job on the furniture.

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    1. It adds a final pretty touch doesn't it ❤️

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  13. I have exactly 24.5 inches of space between my fridge & stove - a few years back I bought a cabinet that I paid to have assembled in my apt. The two fellows who did the work were very dubious about it fitting - but it just made it! They were very impressed that I had measured it out so well.
    Your place is really coming together! My apt. is 560 sq. feet and is a one bedroom - this is fairly generous for here but that's because it is an older building. In a new apt. I'd be lucky to get 450!

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    1. Ooh, I bet that was a satisfying fit πŸ˜€.

      So your space is not that much bigger than mine, have you enjoyed living in a small space?

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    2. I've lived in smaller and could do it again - as long as there is some decent closet space and room for my bookcases I can manage. This size apt. is just about right - although I have looked at some smaller ones in the past couple of years. If it made sense financially I would move but because I have lived here for 12 years my rent can only go up a certain percentage each year - if I moved to a new space I'd end up paying more for less.

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  14. That's a humungous difference, especially as the exterior measurements were so similar! I do like lining drawers too. There are unexpected treasures to be uncovered 60 years later! I inherited a lovely dropside table and underneath the lining paper was ... a swimming certificate, dated 1958, testifying I could swim 25 yards of the local pool! I would've been just 6 at the time. I replaced it and put fresh paper on top.

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    1. I did check my sums twice as I was amazed at the difference 🀣

      How wonderful to find your swimming certificate, a real piece of history for future generations to find ❤️

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  15. It's lovely and you're having so much fun with all this. Thanks for sharing it.
    xx

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    1. I hope I'm not boring everyone but I do want a record of everything I am doing πŸ˜€

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  16. Golly, you are so thorough with your measurements! I'm notorious for misjudging sizes, Sue, I really envy your dedication ;)
    And I'm certainly not bored with your posts, I look forward to reading them as they make me smile every time :)

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    1. I do have a really good eye for straight lines and excellent spacial awareness, something that drives Alan mad sometimes. If something is hung even a couple of millimetres wrong I WILL NOTICE 🀣🀣

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  17. This was a delightful post.
    I'm also a bit obsessed with minimalist living and like to wonder how small a space I could occupy if the need arose.

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    1. It's always fascinated me how little space you can get by with, this is my smallest home yet πŸ™‚

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  18. A delightful post.
    Fascinating use of space and colour.

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  19. Storage is very important. To be able to put bits away when needed is great. I have OCD so clearing the decks helps my mind. 🀦‍♀️

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    1. It's nice to be able to fit what you own into it's correct place for sure, but I do have a bit of a split personality, sometimes everything has it's place and sometimes I have piles of stuff 🀣🀣

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  20. I have usually worried about the outside measurements when finding furniture but this is a perfect example of checking the inside measurements for better storage for your money! Well done! and it is lovely too!

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    1. It's worked out well in this instance. Little drawers in chunky bits of furniture, or thick arms on small sofas bug me.

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  21. This really has nothing to do with your current post... but I just wanted to let you know that I have been reading your blog (literally) for years (since the first rented farm) , and I really enjoy it. Somehow it always calms me and makes me think. I just finally wanted to let you know that I appreciate all the work you put into something like this and that you have allowed others to follow on the journey with you. I live far away from you, and in a life that is much much different than yours.... yet what you write "speaks to me". Thank-you for all of the wonderful moments.

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    1. Thank you so much, what a lovely comment, you've made my day πŸ’–

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