The Greatest Place on Earth

No, not Disney World.

This is the Greatest Place on Earth for the Mommy. (Clio thought it was pretty okay, too.) For shelter mag-obsessing, living room-redecorating, paint-swatch toting women like me, it's Nirvana in the Bronx:

the ABC Carpet and Home Outlet.

Many a fine item has come from this haven of high-end, well-priced bargain finds, including the couch (plus accent pillows) and rug that you often see in the background of photos on this blog (since we rarely seem to leave the house.) We painted the living room yesterday, and as I continue to obsess with the transformation of that space into something comfy yet chic, I suggested a little "research trip" to Room and Board to get fabric samples for all the sofas I love. Dave went me one better with the ABC suggestion. "Really?" I asked in disbelief. "Really? Oh can we?"

For those of you who have never been dragged along on one of my excursions up there (but have heard tell of this fantasy land), I tried to snap a few photos that convey a sense of the scale of the place. This also doubles as a Where's Clio feature to the blog. Her iridescent gold parka blends remarkably well.



We actually spent a large portion of our time in the cafe having a snack, but we did manage to go through the entire inventory of sofas (all inexplicably incredibly deep and/or reclined, as if striving to be one of those Moroccan lounging beds) before Clio was ready to go. And then we got an extra half hour or more out of her by riding on the escalator (her first) and hanging out on the Carpets floor.



Here she is examining a Madeline Weinrib Atelier cotton Amagansett that I love (great prices, too).

Ultimately we decided the pale color might blend a bit too well with our pinkish wood floors. As for Clio, she preferred the options with a little more texture.


(We love this wool felt pile, too, but it's way out of our price range.)

It all reminded me a little of Seaman's carpets, a complete playland of shag and pile if there ever was one, that my mom used to take us to when we were kids. Come to think of it, I have no idea what she would have been shopping for, and wonder if she took us there explicitly as a distraction technique. Unlike ABC, Seaman's did not have policies against kids climbing on the rolls of carpet (of course, it was lower-end wall to wall, not the Tibetan wools and luxurious pelts of ABC, but still), and I remember countless blissful hours spent playing in carpet "forts," hiding in carpet "caves," and climbing on carpet jungle gyms.

It's nice to think Clio can have similar experiences to my own childhood; truthfully though, I'd love if we could BOTH make a trip to Seaman's, and play.