The Couch Crisis

9 Comments

Posted by Rebecca, August 4th, 2011

Last week when I started my casa tour (which I will probably resume next week), something about the family room was seriously irking me. It’s not something new, in fact, I’ve been wanting to replace these damn couches since long before we moved in.

Actually it’s not couches, it’s couch and chair-couch (as we lovingly refer to it). In fact, we love our couch and chair-couch and they have served us well. But we bought them about 6 years ago for our condo and the layout of this room just doesn’t work with the couch/chair-couch combo.

Along with couch and chair couch, we also still have 2 square, glass topped tables from Ikea that are about 5 years old. They are too short and too tight in this space, but we need somewhere to put drinks and laptops. We knew when we first saw this family room that we wanted a big comfy sectional with some round tables on either end. We figured our current furniture will find a nice home in our formal living room or sitting room and would not go to waste. And so we’ve been searching for a sectional…FOR TWO YEARS.

I would like the same profile and size of the furniture we have, just without the table in between the couch and the chair-couch. We searched for a bit before we moved in but then decided just to put our existing furniture in the family room for the time being. We realized that the configuration we wanted would probably be a special order and we didn’t feel like spending a large chunk of change on it. But lately our couch is looking worn and the layout is bothering us, so we decided to look again this weekend. Much to my surprise, we walked into Raymour and Flanigan and saw the configuration we wanted in front of us.

Sorry for the crappy pic, I snapped it quick before we got bombarded with sales people. It’s hard to tell in this picture, but it has some contrast piping on it that i’m not crazy about. Plus the arms are tapered funny and I’m not a fan of the back pillows. Here’s a picture from the Raymour and Flanigan website

It’s much cheaper than ordering a custom sectional, but since I wasn’t crazy about it, we decided to check out the custom selection. There was nothing with that caddy cornered “cuddler” piece that I want to match the current angle of our chair-couch. I felt like I’ve hit a road block… do I go with a less expensive sectional that meets my size and shape requirements but that I’m not crazy about design wise?

Part of my concern is that we are not easy on our couches. We spill ice cream, we once had a cat cut a paw and smear blood all over our couch and so far, microfiber has been good to us. We normally pay extra for the stain guard so that spills wipe up with warm water. Macky also has a habit of scratching ottomans, so I’m worried about paying a lot for something that is essentially going to be beat up. Decisions decisions.

I’ve heard that Pottery Barn slipcovered furniture can be machine washed and does so well, so I checked out their website. Of course, no corner cuddle piece, but I like the idea of a machine washable slipcover and their more modern lines. Plus this configuration would technically work for us…

We’re going to check out a few more stores and hope we get lucky, but here’s where I need your advice! Have you seen any sectionals in the layout we’re looking for anywhere? Do you own a washable slipcovered sofa? What would you rather give up, shape, design or ease of cleaning?

I’m not sure if we should settle for the light sectional with dark piping. It was awfully comfortable when I lounged on it…. 🙂

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9 Responses to “The Couch Crisis”

  1. Tawny says:

    Hi – longtime reader here. I too have a new home that I enjoy working on to make our own. I read that you are somewhere in NJ. If you are close to DE, I suggest checking out Johnny Janosik’s. Make a day of it. Tons of antique places on the way and you can stop for some great food here and there. Good luck. : )

  2. We’re bored with our couch, too. Granted, it’s only been a year but it’s not the one we really wanted. Originally, we bought a tan one that was 100″ long. When we went to sign our lease, we were told that the regular elevator was what they considered to be the “freight elevator”. We had to go back to Ashley Furniture (the HomeStore one) and switch to the couch we have now.

    Whenever we get a new couch, we want a bolder color like a yellow or orange. No more playing it safe for us!

  3. marcella says:

    Check out the Brand ROWE, We were in love with a pottery barn sectional but the $$$ got me every time. Well then I wondered in to my local furniture store and was able to cutomize just what I wanted (except no slip cover) which made it way cheaper. We were able to spend 1/3 of what we would have at pottery barn and we got the fabric protection. And let me tell you between 2 adults a teenager, a two year old and a dog it is looking great! And super comfortable.

  4. Wen says:

    Check out the “Lounge” sectional furniture at Crate & Barrel

  5. Elz says:

    I’d agree with the above ^^ Rowe are good couches that supply PB. i’d say look at the Kivik line at ikea, they are lush to sink into. Also, have you thought about bleaching the piping? I know its verboten to buy something thats expensive and tamper with it, but I think a swipe with pure bleach would that piping out. The thread might still be contrasting though :/

  6. Susan says:

    Hi,
    Love the color of your living room. We are looking at sectionals also with no luck. I live in Georgia, so am not familiar with the store you found the dark piping, but comfy sofa. I don’t think the piping would not be as noticeable in the room. We have a green sofa with tan piping and I honestly don’t notice the color difference there. Good luck.
    How is Darwin? I lost my 14-year-old kitty to organ failure about a month ago and during my sadness, stumbled on your blog while surfing the web. My cat’s name was Zen and she was so affectionate, that even people that didn’t like cats fell in love with her.
    Good luck with the kitty and enjoy the great sofa hunt.

    • Rebecca says:

      Thanks Susan! The family room wall color is Benjamin Moore’s Wedgewood Gray. Thanks for asking about Darwin, he hasn’t been responding to his treatments 🙁 He’s doing okay to us- still eating, playing a little and currently snuggled up with me, but his little body is reaching his limit. We’re taking life one day at a time.

  7. I love the design of your home! We are moving to our new house next month. Buying couches is a big issue for us to considering. Thanks for sharing.

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