You might try sending an email to Bonhams down here in LA, but I don't think you're going to raise a big price, Bonhams has a monthly auction that they call an "estate sale" auction, and you can search on the site for past results. I'm not suggesting that you strip it and paint little hearts on it, but it's not showing to its best advantage, I think. Even if it's custom made, colonial repro isn't in fashion, and esp. not in Southern California. I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom, but being realistic.

Oh! That is AWESOME! *I don't care if no one uses that word any more...sometimes it's appropriate.* You cracked the whip and tamed that wild beast! Congratulations. Sadly, in cleaning up the dining room with a deadline today, I brought some clutter back into my home office closet that I previously removed. At least I know I can deal with it without taking too much time in the very near future. I know exactly what you mean about deep cleaning too. I just hate to dust, but it's not so bad when the clutter is gone. My dining room has been reclaimed, for which I am grateful. Celtic, I wish you had a scanner too. Tell us about the picture. Was the wraparound desk piled high?

Jakkom offers some great advice, try to make an adventure out of looking for things you might like in your apt. Get out and do some shopping at some cool places you find out about. Come here and read posts that interest you, you can get some great ideas. When I had my house, I used to keep a little slip of paper in my wallet with a list of some of the kinds of things I needed for the house, so when I was out and about, I would be able to remember if I needed something or not. It's kind of nice to know that while you have a perfectly adequate floor lamp, you're really looking for something the same basic height and size, but way cooler. That's why I started out with hand me downs thinking I could always upgrade piece by piece. In the end, I have found that the quality of the hand me downs has often far exceeded any new things I have seen in the stores, and the price sure was right for the hand me downs! Over time, it has developed into my "look" which I call MCM Grandma! For example, an old lamp that was anachronistic in my house for years and years but I just never found a replacement for, is now super hot again and the young folks who come over think I'm uber hip! OMG Jakkom on the prices for the Milo Baughman stuff, I'm going to have to take a closer look at my chair and find out if it is an original or a knockoff. I know it is of the MCM era, not a repro. It has the original faux naugahyde dirty white vinyl covering. Sadly, it got nicked in two places during my last move. Not sure at this point whether I am going to recover it or sell it. It's very comfortable, despite its lean modern looks. Despite it being comfortable, SO hates it, at least in its dingy white vinyl incarnation, and it doesn't go very well with most of my other stuff, although I pride myself on being "eclectic." We'll see how my furniture culling goes, it may be time to pass this chair on to someone else who will love it properly. I kind of like it, it represents to me the humor of something that was a complete garage sale can't get rid of item a decade ago and now is really hot, and also something of quality and value, albeit "out of date" by casual standards and yet still has intrinsic good/worthy style. "Character" I guess would be the operative word. Oh, BTW Bigeze, that's another way to have fun decorating your place, seeking out things with "character" which I think can be fun. Unless you just want to go out and get everything and have it be done and over with, which I can also relate to and understand. I'm often torn between the two instincts.

OK - this is the second time today on this forum someone has mentioned zebra blinds. I'd advise against them - they are pretty awful and don't seem to do much in the way of privacy or light (as they are always striped open/close simultaneously. I actually checked the calendar to make sure it wasn't an April Fool's thing. Personally, I love the shutters but you don't. I think you're on the right track with the roller shades - there are tons of available options, and they are pretty fool-proof. Also, maybe either return that rug or use it somewhere else. It's competing with your awesome couch color-wise, and not in a good way.