{Day 17: Creating Living Room Loveliness}

Why can't I decide about a table for the foyer? Because we haven't gotten our new couch yet. But... we're getting a new couch!!!

We shopped for it on Memorial Day, thought about it all summer, and went back on Bela's birthday to make the purchase. 

We chose a sectional from a big Michigan-based furniture store. 

 

This is what the new couch looks like, but without the "cuddler" (the chaise) on the end. We also chose a different fabric; the store model is upholstered in a microfiber, which the salesman admitted he has, and with three kids, said it drives him nuts! The pile is always running the wrong way. 

We chose a B-grade fabric in kind of a sandy oatmeal color that we both loved best, and then purchased a stainmaster plan because, well, we live with two little kids and a dog. The fabric can get stained or ripped or whatever and they'll clean, fix, or replace it. I tend to be a little Generation-X skeptical about such offers, but we'll see...

I also have to admit that I didn't understand how fabrics were graded at the time, and assumed that grade A was best, just like in school. Being the budget-conscious mama that I am, I thus reached for grade B. I was so thrilled that my favorite--the exact fabric I had imagined and dreamed for this couch--was available. But, as many of you readers already know, that's not how fabric is graded. Here's a great explanation of fabric grades for those of you who were like me and want to know more.

A couch is an investment, though. It's one of the biggest pieces (both in size and price) in your home and you'll have it for a long (LONG) time. We'll spend a lot of time sitting on it, creating memories (because we're the kind of family that enjoys cuddle time and Friday night movies and reading books, sitting right next to each other, together.)

This is what the sofa looks like in one of the showrooms. As nice as this room may be, I guarantee it's not how I want our room to look. Wrong colors, too generic, nothing special.

But what kind of end tables will we use? Will we have a coffee table or an ottoman? Will we put a console behind the sofa? And that is where it gets difficult to make some decisions for the foyer... Because this is what the space looks like now.

That's the back of one of our current sofas in the mirror. In the past, we've had a tall table behind the sofa and it's very handy. You can put a drink on it, or a table lamp, or a basket for all the remote controls. Plus it's still in the foyer so it can serve the same function as having a table on the wall where the mirror is to hang. 

The couch won't be here until later in November so there's still a long time to think and create. And, to decide if we want to paint now or later... Because this is not how I want the room to look, either.