A little bit of you, a little bit of me

In marriage, compromises are an art.  It can be challenging to think of something that will make both partners happy, or to get at least one person to let go.  My biggest compromise lately has been in our master bedroom.  There has always been something missing on the far wall, where there was a lot of empty floor space in a weird shape and a big, giant blank wall of gray staring at you when you enter the room.  I was always thinking of a chaise lounge, or at least something long and skinny that kept with the comfortable, neutral theme of the room.

Well, as of last January, there is no more floor space.  So what did we find?  A lovely, vintage-y chaise lounge?  A small chair and side table for reading before bed?  At least something upholstered and neutral?  Nope.  This post is about compromise, remember?  No, what we ended up with is this:

A weight bench.  My wonderful husband wanted to get into a more regular routine, which I totally support, and I found a full set for an amazing price on Craigslist (complete with both heavy dust and tags still intact).  After extensive discussion, we found that this was the only spot in our house that could accommodate the odd shape and massive size.  A bit far from the upholstered neutrals of the rest of the room, but at least it fills the space and balances the room a little more.  I think we still need to add a full size mirror to the right of it, and perhaps an organizer for the free weights, but for now it works for us.  I decided that I didn't need to have yet another spot to read (I have the third floor library for that, or, more regularly, the bed itself), so I didn't need a chaise lounge or side table/chair combo.  Overall it is a daily reminder of combining my style with Jeremy's functionality, and Jeremy actually uses it, so that's a bonus.  The day it turns into one big clothing rack is the day we know we don't need it any more!