Now that’s an IKEA hack!

I have a new obsession: XOJane.

I just can’t believe some of the things the writers will admit to…but I totally appreciate that they do.

When blogs first started I was amazed by the way people would write in mortifying detail about the littlest details of their lives. They admitted things to the world wide web that I wouldn’t talk about with my friends. Reading XOJane is a little like that, only you have the benefit of getting to read these kinds of confessions from a variety of people (instead of one navel-gazing blogger) and the writing is better. 

And, more importantly, the women have a point (though this one struck me as pointless). They aren’t admitting some seriously f*ed up stuff for the fun of it. They’re doing it to make a point, take a stand, or just plain let you know that your kinky side isn’t something to be embarrassed about.

If you’ve bothered to click through to any of those stories it will probably surprise you that a story about reused IKEA furniture is the one that pushed me over the edge. I just had to write about it. I looked at the pictures that accompanied the story and thought, I can’t believe she posted that! 

The pictures of the author’s house made me anxious. I’m one of those weirdos who feels a bit claustrophobic around too much stuff. When it comes to home decor, I like a little negative space. That’s not to say I like things stark and cold — I’ve got a collection of books and tchotkes that have often felt a bit overwhelming to me — but I need to know that everything has a place.  I may let the house get messy from time to time, but when everything is put away, I expect things to be orderly and at least give the illusion of spaciousness.  (This is why I almost never work in my office, which never seems to stay organized.)

So when I looked at the images of re-purposed furniture which seemed to be crammed into dark rooms, I had to take a deep breath. By the time I got to the TV garden, I just had to close the browser window! On the one hand, I appreciate a home-decor post that doesn’t seem completely out of reach. On the other hand, I wanted to tell that one lady to clean off the top of her entertainment center. Seriously, is that sand art? Someone needs to have a tag sale.

On  the bright side, that post makes me think XOJane might accept a story I want to write about being mistaken for a farmer.