My livingroom has been begging for a sofa for some time. When my husband and I first bought our house, we envisioned this room as a "show" room where there would be no TV, it would always be clean and we'd congregate with our visitors. Several years later, life is busy and the basement where our family room should be still isn't completed so we added a tv to this "show room" and two big brown leather chairs. The thought behind this was that if there was something we wanted to watch together, we could do it here. We've done that and it's lovely; however, there still isn't a place for everyone to gather in our house and we have 2 teenagers and a college student that often have friends over. My husband really wasn't having the whole "sofa" idea but I want to really "live" in my house and I want it to be a comfy place for everyone who lives here and a cozy place for my visitors.
I'm really into repurposing and thrift stores and now, there is a part of me that wishes I had NEVER bought any brand new furniture. I wish I had thrifted everything because furniture today just isn't made the way it used to be and it's too pristine, too new and I just don't like that look anymore. I like the beautiful craftsmanship that my husband put into remodeling our house and I think it looks gorgeous with remnants of the past ... clawfoot tubs, distressed furniture, art of the past and just anything that has a story... I just love a mixture of the old and new and I'm still looking for a good word for this style of decor. Is there a word for it yet?
I popped into Salvation Army on Saturday morning a few months back and there IT was .... the sofa that I was determined to find.
My husband would say it was too big but it was the microfiber that I wanted, it was in great condition but looked a little "lived in" and the color was perfect. I snapped a few pictures with my phone and sent them off to him. I could tell he wasn't thrilled but I think he knew I really wasn't giving up on this. He went back and forth and then finally conceded that if I liked it, I could just to buy it. A funny thing happens when you get to excited in one of these thrift stores ... everyone notices and then everyone wants what you have discovered. I took the tag off of it (which is the way you claim the piece) and as long as you don't leave the store without paying for it, it's yours. Well, two women stood by the couch the entire time I browsed the store so they could claim it if I left without paying. Another woman stalked me all through the store and kept asking me in broken english "you buy?" It is also funny how you become so territorial once you've claimed it but before you've paid for it. Two men, who seemed to be patiently waiting for their wives who had taken too long browsing, sat down on the couch. I eyed them up and down as I waited in the cashier's line as if to say "get off, that's mine."
I always plan to take on these projects myself but inevitably I need my dear husband's help. My daughter and I (and the nice guy from Salvation Army) loaded the sofa into the back of my husband's truck. The couch was bigger than I thought ... I was sure he was going to kill me. I got the straps out of the truck and got them around the sofa and couldn't figure out how to tighten them ... damn! I called him on the phone and sweetly requested his help to which he happily obliged. We got the sofa home and in the house. I give him kudos because he didn't roll his eyes, sigh or even complain and he has no idea how happy that made me. Ah, the secret to a happy wife.
I arranged it and although I too would probably agree it was a
little big, it was perfect. It brought the cozy to the room that I was hoping for and now we could really congregate with guests. I threw a few accent pillows on it and it has already brought us hours of comfort and enjoyment. What do you think?
Well, fast forward several months and much to my husband's chagrin, I've rearranged the furniture. The couch has indeed brought the comfort and coziness that I had hoped. My husband loves to lay on it and watch TV. The kids gather there with friends and I think, while we are gone, the dogs lounge shamelessly on it. It's such a great couch. Unfortunately it is in my nature to get bored. I do love this couch and if another offer had not been made to me, I wouldn't be parting with it but I've been offered something that I am really excited about. It will challenge my decor but I'm always up for that challenge so I am looking for a new home with a new story and a new purpose for this couch. Any takers?
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