“Transform a piece of furniture into something other than what it’s meant for.”

That’s the make something idea for today. If I’d had more ambition, maybe I would have created a quirky shelving system from a few odd tables, like this (click photo to open a new window for Apartment Therapy.com, the source of this image):

But my creative impulse today was not to paint or saw or level or stack or nail. It was to write. (In truth, it was to lounge around reading all afternoon; and now I’m finally putting a few of my own words together).

In our household, repurposing furniture is a way of life. Very few pieces are used solely for their intended purpose.

Chairs are not just for sitting. They are coat racks, conveniently catching the hoodies and other layers we peel when an afternoon grows warm.

The six barstools around our kitchen island aren’t just for butts, either. On weeknights, they are staging areas for organizing what needs to go to school the next day. Sometimes, when I get an urge to purge clutter, I make each stool a short-term stacking ground for one family member’s belongings. (“If you value those items, they’d better be relocated to their rightful homes before dinner time.”)

The dining table is not just for eating. It is homework central, a gift-wrapping station, and my tall husband’s favored place for sorting and folding laundry.

The bed is not just for sleeping. When the shorter launderer (that’s me) is working through a basket of clothes to fold and stack, the mattress height in our master bedroom is perfect. And since the bed is king-size, the large surface accommodates the volume that results when I procrastinate on folding for a week. Or more.

My desk is not just a work area. It serves as my filing system, breakfast nook, lunch counter, footrest, craft space, and bookshelf.

So if the ability to repurpose furniture is some measure of ingenuity, I have to give myself (and my family) high marks. But if it’s a gauge for organization and discipline, we might slip a few notches on the grading scale.