Tag: living room

She’s baaaaaaack!

So, confession time. I was looking at today’s stats and was perplexed as to why today didn’t get as many views (compared to other days when I actually make posts). Then it dawned on me–I got the post all prepped to publish on my lunch break but had to rush away before actually publishing. Wa wa waaaaa.

The danish modern sofa I got from my grandma has made her way back home from the couch doctor upholsterer!  (Evidently, the couch is a she).

Now we have some REAL before and afters to talk about here. Lately I feel like everything I have to offer is “before, before, before.” The ball has begun to roll and now I can begin some afters. Well, at least, something I can call “in progress.”

I don’t know if you recall the “before,” but I sure do:

And now, with new foam, new binding (underneath the cusions) and new fabric… a whole new couch!

Here’s the GREAT part. The custom cushions I was thinking about ordering online (I fiiiinally got the fabric samples the day before we left for Texas last month–they didn’t “wow” me AT ALL) were going to run me over $300, and that’s without factoring in shipping and handling. I have no idea how much S&H would have been. Anyway, in Dallas we grabbed some GREAT dark gray microsuede(?) on clearance. The couch was going to require 6 yards to cover but since the fabric was a remnant, there were only 5 for sale. We did some quick brainstorming and decided to cover the back side of the back cushions in a different fabric for an interesting look! Anyway, we got all the fabric for less than $50, and the reupholstery (including labor, new foam, and new binding) only ran us $140! Can you believe this work of art is ours for less than $200?? I can’t either.

Here you can kind of see the texture of the fabric.

We’ve decided to keep the blue couch around for now. Unlike the light brown chairs (that Mosey camouflages into when sitting on them) the blue couch is suitable for napping and can sit 3 if people want to get cozy. More seating! With the two mid-century chairs (you can see one peeking in on the right side of the photo) completing the rectangle, the room can now easily seat 7-10!

I’m in love. With a living room. Once I fix the curtains (cut them up the middle to turn one into two) the light will be able to pour in!! I can’t wait. Well evidently I can because I’m procrastinating on the curtain project…

Living Room, #3.

While Doug was at Royal practice (made up of 75% I Heard A Lion), what choice did I have but to single-handedly rearrange the entire living room? Seriously, I get these drives. And I’m not satisfied until everything looks completely different.

I love how the couch and coffee table are “floating” on the rug in the middle of the room. I’m not too crazy about the armchairs in the back (not nuts about the armchairs themselves, in general, actually) but all in all, it’s a comfortable room to be in.

The thing is, we discovered that by using a splitter, we can, in fact, get cable. I don’t know if the not-to-be-named-here cable/internet company knows about this (it’s evidently common in this town), or what it has to do with what data is flowing down the cord, but so, now we can get cable. Which means ESPN for Doug and HGTV for me. So, the room re-orientation kind of had everything to do with this fact: moving the TV where the cord would reach. This meant sacrificing our setup with the big speakers–they really did make the PS3 sound good, but the TV sounds OK on it’s own anyway.

The tennis racquet is the the beginning of a possible art installment. Haven’t busted out the measuring tape, hammer and nails yet.

Here’s the deal: I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here before (I’ve tried not to since the timetable is hazy), but we’re going to be moving into a house within the next few months! No, we haven’t taken the plunge into homeownership, but we will be taking the plunge into homerentership. More info on that as the situation progresses, however. Anyway, that little diversion is to explain: although this setup is not ideal, it is not meant to be permanent. Depending on how quickly the house thing goes, it could be this way for a few weeks to a few months. Either way, it’s nice to have a fresh arrangement every so often.

Want to catch up? Learn about the record shelves, coffee table, and the new (old) couch!

New Couch!

I was going to post this the week we got back from St Louis. I was all pumped to do so, until I found out that my XD card had become corrupted and I lost all the pictures on it–including all the pictures from the trip (that I hadn’t already posted here). Major bummer.

So I stopped blogging for a little while, because I was upset.

Anyway! I don’t want to unwrap my couch for a “before” picture like I had already taken [picture deteriorating orangey-brown cushions], so now you have a shot of what my living room looks like at the moment. The quilt currently on the couch was handmade by my great grandmother on the other side of the family. I’m planning on using it on a guest bed or something once we have multiple bedrooms.

This Danish Modern couch was given to me by my grandma in Illinois. Here she is, in all her mid-century glory! And isn’t the coffee table just perfect? The couch is long enough for 3-4 people to sit on comfortably (much longer than the blue loveseat) and I can lay all the way down on it head to toe which makes it longer than 5 feet.

The big plan for it is to smooth out the places where the stain is all scratchy, and try the old oil and wax treatment. If that turns out funky, the whole thing will be sanded down so we can finish it evenly. After my first big pay day (I got a new job! More on that at a later date) we’re going to order custom cushions from El Internet in a durable coal grey for a sleek look that will match whatever direction we plan on going in for the next ten years. Bonus–all the places I’ve priced cushions come to around 300 buckaroos for the 10-year high density cushion foam. Way cheaper than a new couch!

I would try to DIY cushion covers, but given the current shape of the foam and the fact that I want new, high-density professional grade foam, I’m going the purchase route so far. Luckily, they’re all square shape, and if I ever want to re-cover the new ones at a later date, it shouldn’t be that hard!

Thoughts?