purchasing a new sofa part 2

We did it!! There was a holiday sale at Pottery Barn that ended yesterday so in order to capture maximum savings, I made the purchase. The sofa won't be ready for 8 - 10 weeks but with how fast life seems to be flying by that almost feels like no time at all. To pick off where I left off on Friday, we had decided on the Carlisle Grand Sofa with a down filled bench seat but were unsure about the fabric selection. From the start, I knew we needed a performance fabric. The sofa is Booker's favorite place to nap and while, I have grand illusions of restricting access to the new sofa it probably won't happen. He just looks so cozy and cute snuggled up! 

I also had determined that we wanted something neutral. As discussed, the sofa is BIG! So I wanted to minimize its scale with doing a light colored fabric - one that would also hide dog hair. My gut reaction was to do ivory as that is what the sofa is always photographed in and what we saw it in at the store. 

Carlisle sofa by Pottery Barn

Now ivory might seem in contradiction to my desire for a performance fabric but it is not. Pottery Barn carries several lines of performance fabrics that are stain resistant regardless of color. Now would a navy performance fabric do better than an ivory one - yes. But an ivory performance fabric would win over a navy non-performance fabric. Interesting right? Or at least this is what I have been reassured to by several sales people. I also did my own stain tests on a selection of fabric samples. I tried soy sauce, sriracha and butter. The butter proved to be the hardest to get out but I also really rubbed it in there. The soy sauce pretty much just beaded up and I could whip it away and the sriracha for the most part came out with a little work. 

Ultimately, it came down to two fabrics - the Sunbrella Sahara Weave in Ivory and the Premium Performance Basketweave in Ivory. The Sunbrella is a Grade C fabric while the Premium is the highest grade above E. The overall color is really the same between the two but their nap or texture is different. The Sunbrella has a flatter and more striated weave while the Premium (which is a Perennials fabric) has more texture and looks like linen. Aesthetically, it was a clear winner for me - the Premium. But, the Premium would have been $550 more and I had concerns about how the texture would do with dog nails and little pulls in the fabric. So the winner - the Sunbrella Sahara Weave in Ivory! I still have some reservations about the fabric but with the dollar savings I am already thinking about finding two vintage chairs to reupholster for the room.... 

Fingers crossed the sofa fits through the doorway...eeks!

purchasing a new sofa

Back in September, I wrote this post about how we had moved into round 3 of our first floor renovation planning. The general theme of the post was about balance and fluidity. Finding a plan that works functionally and aesthetically but that is also feasible for us. It also was about relaxing the process and understanding that things might come together in pieces. After a couple of months of drawing, redrawing, sitting on the design and coming back to the design, I think we have a design plan that fits these two themes. I am not saying its not going to change but, at least right now I feel good about it. So good in fact, that I think we are going to take the plunge toward commitment and purchase a new sofa.

Now this is not how I would typically recommend proceeding. The purchasing of main pieces of furniture should generally be the last thing or at least near the end of a renovation list. But sometimes in the design of a home, things don't come together efficiently or necessarily in the right order. 

The main reason for us jumping out of order and why I feel fine with doing it, is that we really need a new sofa! Ours is my post college sofa that my parents bought for me for my first apartment. I think it was originally $400 and is now in its 7th year of use. It has been moved 4 times, been spilled on and stained an unmentionable amount and has never been professionally cleaned. I/we never anticipated having it this long and have really pushed its limits in terms of acceptability. We have put off purchasing a new sofa because I didn't want to do so without having a plan for our renovation. So now that we have a plan, one that is well designed and attainable in the near future, we are moving forward with the big purchase.

First, the living room plan. We need a sofa that will work with our existing layout and one that will work with the new. Our current room floor plan below.

The room is challenging because it is 1.) not that big 2.) has a flue that protrudes into the room and 3.) has 4 door openings and 3 doors. Its positives are that 1.) it is close to the kitchen 2.) has good natural light through a pair of french doors and one large window and 3.) has the original chair rail and molding. To address the negatives and accentuate the positives (plus keep in mind the flow of the rest of the first floor) I have come up with this plan. 

The first big gesture of the plan is to change the room's opening to our back hall and kitchen. Essentially, we will be closing in the current access and a closet to create a large center opening. This will allow for a partial open floor plan with sight lines from the living room into the kitchen and from the front door all the way to the back of the house. The second big gesture is to fur out the flue bump out to make a proper fireplace. We haven't figured out how or if we will retro fit the flue to be a working fireplace but by widening the bump out we will make an architectural feature out of what currently is an awkward eye sore. 

Now for the furniture plan. The obvious and really only starting point is for the sofa to go opposite what will be the new focal point in the room - the fireplace. And if you refreshed your memory by reading the September post, you know that I had pretty much decided on a sectional. Specifically, the Carlisle chaise sectional from Pottery Barn. In the plan, the sectional would look like this.

Carlisle Slipcovered 2-Piece Chaise Sectional

The main draw back of this configuration is that the chaise extends into the center opening. Meaning you would have to walk around it to get into the room. With the renovation, the back hall is going to generously sized so I do think it would work if we really wanted it to. However, the sofa is already largely scaled for the room and I worry about how big it will feel - especially if it obstructs the opening. If we did the regular sized Carlisle at 80" long it would look like this in plan.

Carlisle Upholstered Sofa - Front View

And if we did the grand Carlisle at 90.5" it would look like this in layout.

Design wise, I would say the standard 80" size is best scale for the room. In fact, if I was being really design focused I would probably not recommend this sofa at all because of its 45" depth. A narrower sofa would be more in proportion to the room something around 38". But its not always all about design but balancing design with wants/needs and what we want is a big, cozy deep sofa. 

Carlisle Upholstered Sofa - Side View

So what have we decided on....the grand Carlisle sofa! We had the opportunity to sit on the grand over Thanksgiving in Chicago (our local store didn't have the model) and found the extra length along with how deep and cozy the sofa already is made the chaise not really necessary. Nice but not needed. And considering our room plan as well as the greater versatility of a sofa over a sectional, we have pretty much decided. We also know we want the one bench cushion - no center sag - and the down blend cushion. Now we just have to select the fabric.....

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

holiday decorating tips

It has been 8 days since Thanksgiving, which of course, means we are 8 days into my favorite time of year - the Christmas season! Upon returning home Sunday, I got right to decorating the house. I finished up on Monday and have been enjoying our festive home all week long. I don't like to go overboard with the decorations usually selecting items that are in line with our style and go with the house. That being said, I do like things to feel special and will incorporate a little more whimsy into my decorating than I would otherwise. Below are a few of my holiday decorating tips. Above all remember to keep it simple. 

1. Build on Decorating Traditions

The holidays are all about traditions and that applies to holiday decorating as well. Over the years, I have slowly and selectively been collecting my Christmas decor. As I have said, I don't like too much so I want each piece to be something I really love and has meaning. Something that when I bring it out of the box brings back memories of holidays past.  Each year, I like to build on my collection by either treating myself to something new or by taking on a little project. Last year, I created this simple holiday card display. It adds just a little something extra to our kitchen without being too fussy. This year, I am thinking about trying to make a pinecone garland. My Mom collected a whole bunch from our yard and I love how a garland of them looks over a mantle or arched doorway. 

from top left - via My Domaine - via DIY & Crafts - via Country Living - via Real Simple

2. Use Greenery - Lots of It

One reason, I like the idea of the pinecone garland so much is its a greenery element that will last year to year. Winter greenery, while not necessarily in line with point 1, is my favorite thing to decorate with around the holidays. It adds a freshness and warmth that just can't be matched and maybe the best part - its still appropriate after December 25th! I could easily spend a small fortune on wreaths, garland and swags so I have to control myself. This year, I am going to get a large wreath for over our fireplace. I also might indulge in garland for the staircase. I love the simplicity of this one. 

via Julie Blanner

And yes, even though you will be cleaning up pine needles till May, I do think winter greenery should be real. Sorry no exceptions on this one. 

3. Don't Forget About The Outside

There is nothing quite like coming home to a house with lights. I am usually home before Jeff. But on the occasion that he has beat me to it, I love pulling in the driveway to see our christmas tree in the front window and our few lights on. We only have one back outdoor electrical outlet so I hang white stars in the front two french door windows and then have light up candles in the windows above. Its simple and symmetrical just how I like things. I also want to attempt an outlined lighted tree on a blank porch wall that is visible from the street. I hung one last year - which quickly fell down - so I am hoping I can come up with a more reliable means this year. 

source unknown

I also really love some wintery outdoor pots. I usually just save the trimmings from our Christmas tree and plop them in our front pots. Super easy to do and requires no extra purchases.

4. Candles

I am not usually a candle person but around Christmas and really throughout the winter, I like to have a lot of them. All are white in color and most are unscented except for maybe that one that just smell like Christmas. My favorite holiday candle is the Fir & Grapefruit scented one by K. Hall Designs. 

via Digs Digs

5. Play Holiday Music

Not so much a decorating tip but highly important. I find that having my eyes, my nose and my ears all involved in this festive time of year is key. Check out this past post for some of my favorite holiday tunes. 

For other holiday posts see Christmas Wrapping, Christmas Tree and Advent Calendars.