Ship of Fools: What's in your "chill out" space?

Thread: What's in your "chill out" space? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by ecumaniac (# 376) on :

I'm soon to be in the enviable (though expensive!) situation of having *two* bedrooms all to myself in my share house. Initially, the smaller room was to be a study, but I think I might want to make it more of a chill-out space instead. A 'man cave'.

What's in your chill-out space?

Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :

I think what is most important is what is not in my "chill out space."
There is no phone, TV, or computer. There is a CD player, bookcase with books and a few small art objects, comfortable small love seat and chair, throw for when it is cool, pictures I like and a candle or two. There is a journal and pen, a finger labyrinth hanging on the wall and that is about it, except for a view of my garden.

Posted by Silver Faux (# 8783) on :

A rocking chair, a big soft cushion, and a CD-player along with some soft music CDs.

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

Bleak moorland, a minor road and a pedal cycle.

All the moorland around here is an upward journey, so I can burn off my frustrations on the upward part. Then it is take it as slow as I like to do the chilling out bit (moorland winds mean I'm often chilling in more ways than one). Then should the mood take me it's the exhilaration of ride as fast as I dare on the way back. A perfect 2 to three hours.

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

I live in a studio apartment (it seems like more than that, good layout and all), so my chill-out space is the same as pretty much all my other space. So when my space is acting as chill-out space, it has a bed with comfy pillows and blankets, a 100-disc changer loaded up with Joy Division and Sisters of Mercy and such, incense & candles, prayer cards and other favorite art objects, chocolate, and Diet Coke. Also a TV & DVD player and collections of Kids in the Hall, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and an Eddie Izard DVD, among others - but those comedians are great for those times when I really need to laugh my way out of someplace dark.

And a cat. There's also a cat. She only half counts, because I'm really allergic to her, and she pesters me for some magical secret food she thinks I'm keeping from her. But when she's in the right mood, she cuddles with me, and that's nice, if I've had my antihistamines.

[ 08. June 2012, 00:55: Message edited by: churchgeek ]

Posted by Horseman Bree (# 5290) on :

A 25 ft by 16 workshop space, adequately equipped: big enough to build a 14-ft. boat (and, yes, the door is big enough to get it out!)

No radios or other electronic entertainment- who needs it? But there is a portable telephone - why leave the space just to talk?

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

Books, a chair and a pot of tea. And a cup.

Posted by Vulpior (# 12744) on :

Our lounge room is our man cave. We have a 2m+ screen and projector, 7+1 surround sound, separates for vinyl, cassettes and CDs, plus a spare screen which will soon be set up for monitoring the twitter feed for the match or programme we are watching.

We watch from cinema style seats that recline, with remote controls in easy reach. As well as the universal remote programmed for most functions and appliances, we have one-touch controls at hand for the side/table lamps (we don't like overhead lighting), for the outside fairy lights and for the electric blanket.

We have a bar with commonly used spirits mounted on optics and space for 10 bottles of red at hand (the rest is in the spare bedroom cum cellar).

I have a side table by my seat with copious space for the queue of reading matter. I have a separate screen-free 'retreat' with bookshelves and seating, but don't make as much use of it as I thought I would.

The dog and cat allow for some unpredictability. They can sit where they want, though we each have our own seats and the animals may only share those!

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

In our "chill" space: an overstuffed loveseat; DP's grandpa's leather chaise lounge -- super comfy; my sole handmade afghan, made during a brief fling with craftiness; and our oak electric faux fireplace, which makes for a very cozy room in the wintertime. We enjoy periodic "unplugged" afternoons here.

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

**ring!** **ring!!**

Hello? Vulpior residence? I'd like to make a reservation, please!

I have two chill out spaces; one is right here in Heaven (or Hell if I need a good laugh!)...basically the whole Ship is good for my chillin' out.

The other place is at the piano or organ. I can get lost for hours there! What feels like five minutes of practice can easily be three hours of real time.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

Meditation stool and lots of "holy pictures", both Christian and Hindu, soft LED lighting.

I just don't use it nearly as much as I might.

Posted by Mogwai (# 13555) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
I think what is most important is what is not in my "chill out space."
There is no phone, TV, or computer. There is a CD player, bookcase with books and a few small art objects, comfortable small love seat and chair, throw for when it is cool, pictures I like and a candle or two. There is a journal and pen, a finger labyrinth hanging on the wall and that is about it, except for a view of my garden.

Did you just say you had a "love seat"? I wasn't going to admit to my "love cushion" but now it helps to know i'm not alone.

Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on :

One of them has a bookcase and a sofa. The other has a TV and an xbox. The third has a PC with internet access and Football Manager.

Between them, they work very well [Smile]

Posted by Desert Daughter (# 13635) on :

Window giving out to beautiful huge bech tree outside. Inside: Lounge chair with reading lamp, several shelves stacked with books, more books spilling out onto the floor, icons on the wall and a tatami and meditation cushion in front of it. And, oh, more books...

Posted by ecumaniac (# 376) on :

Thanks everyone who's replied so far! They all sound so lovely. I don't suppose you'd be inclined to share some photos?

Posted by Caissa (# 16710) on :

Comfy chair, books and music.

Posted by Mary LA (# 17040) on :

Books, shelves and shelves of books. Haworthia succulents to guard against lightning. A small slow-growing aloe in a pot on the windowsill. Geckos peering down from the ceiling. Candles in case the power cuts out. Great Dane sprawled on the floor. Pot of tea and chipped mug.

Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :

Mogwai posted

quote:
Did you just say you had a "love seat"? I wasn't going to admit to my "love cushion" but now it helps to know i'm not alone.

Love seat = Small Sofa.

Love seat

Posted by Kyzyl (# 374) on :

Stereo w/ turntable (and vinyls) and CD changer. Lots of books. My shortwave radio and "ham" radio. Telescope in the southwest facing window and astronomical binoculars in the northeast window. Computer tuned to Spaceweather.com or some such place.

Yeah, I'm a nerd.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

The closest thing I have to a chill-out space these days is an empty church. We are supposed to man it so that it can stay open, allowing access to visitors, those who want to pray, light a candle, or sit quietly, etc.

I can go there, sit down with a few books or newspapers in total silence with very few distractions (apart from the occasional visitor who wants to talk). I emerge from the cocoon 3 hours later feeling very calm and peaceful.

Posted by drnick (# 16065) on :

I guess my lounge is my chill-out space, with the stereo, TV, shelves of books etc. (I live on my own in a two bedroom flat). Then again, when I want to just read quietly, with no distractions, I tend to do it in my bedroom.

While I have an ongoing project to turn the small spare bedroom into a study, at the moment it's full of bicycles and general 'stuff' - basically a storage room with a bed. (Anybody who stays overnight has to accept it is really the bicycles' bedroom and they have to share). I've never got the hang of minimalism, and tend to hoard stuff.

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

In the olden days men didn't have 'chill out spaces', oh no, they had allotment sheds. An allotment for those who don't know was and is a plot of land of about ten square poles or about 300 sq yards (typically 10 by 30). They were intended for those who didn't have any land so they could grow fresh fruit and veg. and were a boon during the wars, but they became much more once it was realised that the allotment sheds, intended for the storage of tools, could be a sanctuary from the cares of the world. Yes, and the missus.

Newport has stacks of allotments, not all of which are let to the landless or the poor of the parish by any means. So long as you pay the modest rent and don't let the land go fallow or grow illegal substances (yes, I've known both on local sites) local authorities are pretty much happy to let things go. Some avid gardeners move in at times, to guard their produce, allegedly. There are maximum dimensions for sheds and the biggest I have seen was a combined shed/summerhouse/greenhouse that took up a third of a full-size plot!

Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :

You beat me to it, Sioni! I have 380 acres of water meadow with an allotment in it. Suits me just fine (even if it does mean that I've turned into my dad).

AG

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
You beat me to it, Sioni! I have 380 acres of water meadow with an allotment in it. Suits me just fine (even if it does mean that I've turned into my dad).

AG

Anyone for rice?

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

Easel, paints, brushes.

I'm away just now, but will take a photo when I return home.

[Smile]

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jedijudy:
... What feels like five minutes of practice can easily be three hours of real time.

If there's a Mr. JJ he has my sympathy - D. regularly goes down to the Cathedral to practise at, say, 9 p.m. and doesn't come back till 3 in the morning ...

Posted by Galloping Granny (# 13814) on :

A big tree at the eastern end of the beach. Twelve minutes' walk through the reserve (trees, birds singing) and there's a seat under the big old macrocarpa. I sit there and watch the sea – I always hope to see a gannet or two offshore. Then back along the beach itself. In summer I walk before breakfast, when it's not yet too hot.
At weekends there may be others walking, who exchange cheerful greetings, and a great variety of dogs are part of the attraction (a Viszla and a Japanese Spitz last weekend).

GG

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

I just realized I forgot to say what was in my chill out space.

Here I see Avatars of folks I recognize, and whose words I am anxious to read!

In the other great space is a large amount of peoplelessness. Stacks of beautifully engraved music bearing names of great musicians. Drawknobs that promise sounds ranging from those of tiny delicacy to majestic stained glass window rattling boldness!

quote:
Originally posted by piglet:
If there's a Mr. JJ he has my sympathy

No, there is no Mr., but my children would probably eat up any sympathy you would send them. Especially to their younger selves! (I never came home late because of organ practice...only Wednesday choir rehearsals kept me away until past their bed times.)

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

the closest I come is a fire pit in the woods out back with a very comfy chair. accompanied by a pot of tea or glass of wine and a good book.

Posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom (# 3434) on :

Strangely, strange even to me, mine is the gym. Noisy, usually a bit malodorous because of the bodybuilders who share the space with me, but for some reason, I come out of an hour's workout completely relaxed and happy. I've only been doing it for a month now, but I can see it continuing for a long time. Endorphins, I think. [Cool]

Prior to this I would have said my chill space was the living room, with its comfy chairs and piles of books. This still works for me, but the gym works so much better.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I'm minded to go with those who see it as much in an activity as a physical location. A rather cheerless room in an institute works for me, when I'm painting a watercolour there. Probably the best combination at the moment is the garden - doing something not too strenuous with frequent stops just to look at all the shades of green, the movement of the leaves, the play of the sunlight (when available).

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
Mogwai posted
quote:
Did you just say you had a "love seat"? I wasn't going to admit to my "love cushion" but now it helps to know i'm not alone.
Love seat = Small Sofa.

Love seat

I always thought a "Love Seat" was one of
these - possibly more comfortable - where Victorian lovers could sit, perfectly respectably and without touching, and whisper naughty things into each others' ears...

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

Pete has been to my chill out place.

It's a tiny remnant of kahikatea trees that one of the early settler families saved from destruction. In the last 6 years or so a predator proof fence has been errected around it and it is used as a nursery area for young handreared kiwi chicks before they are released into the wild. There are also weta and other endangered native insects.

Ater the big earthquakes it was one of the places that was relatively unscathed, and that alone made it a good chill out space.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

Gear stick, clutch, accelerator and brake pedals, and a steering wheel.

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Gear stick, clutch, accelerator and brake pedals, and a steering wheel.

Do these devices take you anywhere specific. I can't imagine urban driving as being a chill out space.

Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:

quote:
Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
You beat me to it, Sioni! I have 380 acres of water meadow with an allotment in it.
Anyone for rice?

Oh boy, have I been tempted a few times lately!

AG

Posted by Horseman Bree (# 5290) on :

Mildly bemused by Vulpior's

quote:
a bar with commonly used spirits mounted on optics

Do you have some peaceable equivalewnt of a light sabre that can support spirits, or is there some form of lens that I don't understand?

Whatever it is, we'll have to keep an eye on (or under?) it.

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

Optics

Posted by busyknitter (# 2501) on :

Knitting. Books. A perpetually ready tea pot. Squishy cushions.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

Very interesting to read this thread. [Smile]

NenDaughter got married in the spring so we now have her big bedroom as the spare and I have Plans for the boxroom as my space (I think Mr Nen may have other ideas, but he has a study all of his own downstairs). I was thinking of having a chair and desk where I can keep my own journal and notebooks and not have to clear them away every time someone wants the table. And I'd also like a comfy chair and a reading light. No CD player. I love silence, and seldom get it. I also want a special picture, though I am not sure of what.

Posted by ecumaniac (# 376) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Gear stick, clutch, accelerator and brake pedals, and a steering wheel.
Do these devices take you anywhere specific. I can't imagine urban driving as being a chill out space.

I don't mind urban driving, provided I don't have to be somewhere specific at a certain time.

Posted by The Weeder (# 11321) on :

Books.

One wall and one alcove full.

Thank God that Kindle has come just when I have run out of actual space.

PS There is also a book case on the side landing, and one in the living room. Oh, and in my bedroom.

And I do have regular weed outs which I give to Oxfam. Otherwise we would not fit into the house.

[ 13. June 2012, 20:03: Message edited by: The Weeder ]

Posted by Patdys (# 9397) on :

Bitumen, Lycra and 6.3 kg of carbon, rubber and a little plastic.
And hills, lots of hills.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Gear stick, clutch, accelerator and brake pedals, and a steering wheel.

Gods yes, and a bit of twisty road to go with.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Gear stick, clutch, accelerator and brake pedals, and a steering wheel.
Gods yes, and a bit of twisty road to go with.

Come to the mountains of Virginia. We have lots of twisty roads.

Moo

Posted by Cryptic (# 16917) on :

I'm pathetically short of a chill-out space at the moment, but if I did it would have tools, sawdust, and a lock on the door to stop others interrupting my chill...

Posted by Enigma (# 16158) on :

A warm, steamy, fragrant, bubble bath to relax my tired bones. Then warm fluffy towel and bathrobe to dry off. Then bed with freshly laundered sheets where I might do a little light reading or (more likely) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz [Snore]

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