Something Old

            

          I have an affinity for old things, antiques, if you will.  I think they add vast amounts of character to a space.  It was the age of my current apartment that first attracted me to it.  The classic built-ins are complemented by just the right amount of modern updates: granite countertops sit opposite a creaky, old built-in china cabinet.  My little corner of the world is the perfect combination of old and new, and that is why I love it so much.

            One of the only downsides to this place is its lack of storage (apparently people didn’t have a lot of clothes in 1927).  I had to rid myself of half my wardrobe when I moved in.  It is also lacking severely in bathroom counter space, which set me off in pursuit of a vanity for my overly large bedroom.  In the week after I moved in, my parents and I searched high and low for something I could use.  I had an exact picture in my mind of what I wanted, and I think that only hindered our progress.  We looked in second-hard shops and antique stores and finally Rooms-to-Go where I settled on a simple brown table that would “do the job”.  It was meant to be temporary, but I kind of forgot to keep looking in the months that followed…until last week. 

            My parents were visiting, and my mom wanted to pop into this antique mall to look for some small end tables.  This particular antique mall is one of my favorite things about my neighborhood, although I hadn’t yet discovered it on my vanity search.  I have found several gems in its narrow passageways stacked high with any and everything you could ever imagine.  And last week, tucked in one of the front rooms, I also found the vanity I had dreamed up in my head but hadn’t dared to believe actually existed.  Needless to say it came home with me, and has now taken up a permanent residence in the corner of my bedroom. 

            I am more than happy to add this lovely vanity to my growing collection of antiques.  I think it shall get along just fine with my great-grandmother’s quilt and the old blue stool from my grandmother’s kitchen.  There is something about having pieces of the past surrounding me that makes me feel more grounded, more centered.  They're like little reminders that the world we live in and the people around us may change, but the beauty and people of the past should not be forgotten.