Monday, March 5, 2012

The BIG Couch Purchase!

*Warning - this is a long chatty post, but it has a happy ending which is...

We did it!!!  We bought a couch!!!  I cannot tell you how thrilled I am not only with our purchase but also that the decision has been made and it is behind me.  Because honestly...it was excruciating.

Let me back up.  I have always prided myself on my ability to make decisions.  Although every decision I make is not always perfect, I am good at making up my mind and moving forward with a plan.  But for some reason this purchase was the exception. 

I agonized for months about fabric.  And I think the agony all began with the disappointment in our current couch.  We dropped a pretty penny on the Pottery Barn Classic slip-cover couch with chaise and pull out bed.  We bought it 4 years ago with the thought that it would be the perfect solution with two dogs.  Easy to throw in the wash and clean whenever needed. 

Well, yes it was easy to throw in the wash and clean but from the very first time we did it the couch never looked the same.  The wonderful red fabric faded instantly.  The lovely pleating quickly became kind-of pleating (and I am just not going to iron the thing every time I wash it). 


And even after the first wash it became really hard to get the thing back on.  My husband and I actually have this totally ridiculous, YouTube worthy dance we do every time we have to put the thing back together.  And it usually results in very frustrated laughter and us wrestling the thing to the ground.

But to make it even worse, as time went on the covers shrank more and more which led to the zippers popping off and the seams ripping.  (Let me add here that it would cost about $1,000 to replace the covers which we all know could buy us a whole new couch!) 


And now, 4 years later the cushions are completely dead and you can feel the wooden frame under your tush every time you sit down.  So...if you haven't got the message yet, I was bummed with the purchase.

Needless to say, this total failure was were I think my complete fear of the next purchase began.  And if slipcovers were out then what???  Many people recommended leather.  Which I totally agree is extremely durable and very easy to wipe clean but for our space I just couldn't commit to the look of leather. I like it in so many other situations but it just wasn't what I was looking for, which left me stuck.  Staying up at night, couldn't commit to even going out and shopping stuck.  Which is SO unlike me!!!

The one thing we were able to do was set a budget, $1000.  With two dogs and a growing toddler we decide it was not the time to spend tons of money on any high end furniture.  We thought about the IKEA route but I wanted something more substantial (solid wood frame, higher density cushions) so we decided $1000 put us right in the middle.

OK, so jump forward to today.  All week I was leaning toward this couch from Home Decorators Collection...

Pinned Image


I liked the modern lines mixed with the vintage feel of the nailhead trim, but as seems to be the trend lately I just couldn't pull the trigger.  Why?  Well, I know nothing about Home Decorators Collection, other then that it is owned by Home Depot.  There are no stores anywhere close to me so I wouldn't get the chance for my tushy to try it out in person.  And honestly, when I called to ask the "design consultant" my list of questions she had no useful information for me beyond what I could read myself on their website.  But it did help me clarify what look I was hoping for...comfy, vintage, modern, rustic, stylish...no I am not just throwing out every word I can think of, I really wanted all those things!

So my husband, daughter and I hit the road this morning and set out to make a decision.  And let me add that my extremely patient husband was very very close to loosing all patience with me.  He just couldn't understand why I was so paralyzed by this decision and who could blame him, I was starting to feel a little crazy myself!

Although we did not find exactly what we wanted at our first stop I did have a very informative fabric conversation with the sales woman.  We discussed water soluble vs solvent which I now know are coded with an W or S or SW on the furniture label.  I learned that although cotton can be easier to clean it quickly absorbs spills and shows stains much more severely (which is exactly my experience with our PB cotton covers).  So what I really wanted was a blend.  I also wanted detached cushions with removable covers.  Yes, I would have to take them to the dry cleaner to be cleaned but it was doable rather then the cushionless backed sofas which could only be spot cleaned.

All this wonderful information (thank you lovely sales woman!) gave me the confidence I finally needed to kick the decision making into high gear.  One more pep talk from my husband in the car on the way to the next store and it happened.  We made a decision.  And not only did my husband actually find the couch but he found the perfect fabric!  He is a good man, a very good man.

And now, you have read this entire post anxiously awaiting the big reveal but I have nothing to show you.  What?!?!  I know!!!  Because we made the decision to special order the fabric and specifics we wanted we wont have the couch for 12 weeks.  Yes, I said 12!  And because the floor sample was a light grass green and was so far off from what we ordered I just couldn't bring myself to share a picture of that with you.  So you, as well as me, have to wait the 12 long painful weeks until our couch arrives to see it.  I know that is extremely evil but it somehow makes me feel better about my own very long wait.

The funny part is when the salesman said 12 weeks I didn't think that sounded to bad.  But when he walked away and my husband pointed out that 12 weeks is 3 months I felt a little bit of shock and when he then made sure I understood by telling me that meant May at the earliest I wanted to cry a little.  Ugh, but getting what you want is worth the wait...or at least that is what I keep telling myself. 

So I will do my best to try and not talk about the new couch everyday for the next 12 weeks but I can't promise it wont come up once in a while.  Did I mention that in addition to being a good decision maker I am very impatient?!?!

I will say that we were successful in staying within our budget.  With the 30% off sale going on at the store our subtotal came to $996.  Now I will admit with tax, the upgraded warranty and delivery it came to a grand total of $1290.  But I'm thinking that was pretty darn good for getting a custom made, solid wood, upgraded cushion density, 88" couch.