A furniture upheaval

The patio furniture that came with our condo, while not necessarily the style that we would have chosen, is acceptable, especially since it was free. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.

The set isn't ideal, however. The cushions make the chairs comfy, but the cushions are slow-drying, and rain is all too common during a New England summer. The table seats only four, not ideal for outdoor entertaining. We've been wanting to replace the set for a while, but we haven't yet found the right items at the right price.

Last spring, we found a reasonably priced table from Ikea but waited too long, and it was out of stock by the time we made it to the store. Lesson learned. And the dreamy teak table (which might not have even fit in the car) from Home Goods had no hole in the middle, and an umbrella is necessary for those of us with fair skin or little protection on their heads.

But yesterday we bought a great umbrella from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and it doesn't require a table with a hole in the middle. It is cantilevered, which means that the umbrella hangs over the table from a base that sits to the side of the table. The best part was that this reasonably priced umbrella was marked 50% off, so we got it for a song.

We still don't have patio furniture to go with the umbrella, but that's another mission for another day. I'm stalking the Ikea website and will head down there as soon as they start advertising outdoor furniture.

The real reason we went to BB&B was to buy a folding chair. I acquire a new one every time I receive a 20% off coupon from the store. We've been buying folding chairs to replace the chairs that are part of my table/chairs from my apartment. We use the set when we have guests and need seating or table space for more than 6. The problem of course is that a glass-topped table is not exactly portable. It is heavy and doesn't fit anywhere conveniently. Same with the chairs--they don't fold and they take up a lot of space, and storage is at a wicked premium to begin with.

We posted the table and chairs on craigslist a few weeks ago but got nary an email, so we reduced the price and offered free delivery and received an inquiry almost immediately. Yesterday we dropped off the set with its new owner and--get this--received more money than I spent on the table when I bought it off craigslist over 4 years ago. A true craigslist success story!