I have been SO excited to share this little redo with you!! It involved some of my favorite things -- moving furniture, which we never, ever do in this house. (Our floor plan doesn't allow for it in most rooms.) And it involved moving or reworking furniture I already had -- I only purchased one new piece for the room and it made the BIGGEST difference!
I've told you about our living room before -- it's one of those spaces that has always stumped me. I've tinkered with it many times over the years. We've lived here 11 years and I've never loved this room. And I hated that because it's the first one you see when you walk in our house. I'm terrible with high ceilings and there is really only one wall in the room so that challenged me.
These are all good problems to have, seriously. But this room has never felt right to me:
That's a photo from years ago, and it's always been a pretty space. It just never felt cozy and like US.
And I've told you of my loathing for the sofa. We got it soon after we moved in and goodness -- it was just SO BIG. Massive. Really, really long (100 inches), and the depth was 40 inches. It was a beast. I didn't like the color (yes I picked it out all those years ago, I know) and it was so hard to clean -- the fabric would "shadow" every time I cleaned a spot.
This sofa is my perfect example of waiting to find something you love and not just buying something to fill a space. I did that a couple times early on in our house and regretted it every time.
I don't have many photos of the sofa to show you because I just didn't love it:
Earlier this year I mentioned I wanted to get rid of it -- I've felt bad for years considering that because it's a perfectly good couch. But after so long of not liking it I decided I was going to change it up. I kept asking myself why I'm keeping something that I don't like in my house? And it went to a friend who needed a new one and she is beyond thrilled so now there are two of us that are happy. :)
I had an idea in mind to rearrange the living room but it couldn't be done with that one -- it was just too big. So I waited. And waited a few more months. And then waited a couple more years. And then I found the one a few weeks ago. As you may know, I am honored that I get to work with Better Homes and Gardens to share their products every couple of months, and this time they wanted us to talk about furniture.
At first I looked at coffee tables and little bookcases. And then I came across this sofa. It looked REALLY good in the photos but I always said I'd never order a sofa online. Then I remembered it from the BHG headquarters last year:
I remember thinking then that it was a really, really nice sofa. I'm not a huge fan of traditional slipcovered sofas -- but I have always loved the idea of being able to throw the covers in the wash. I remember thinking this one didn't even look like a slipcovered sofa at all.
Most of the reviews were very favorable -- some had issues with the frame, but overall owners were really happy with it. I couldn't believe I was thinking about ordering a sofa online (I always said I would never do that because I like to feel the comfort). I read a couple reviews that said the cushions are firm at first but loosen up over time and get comfier.
And I remembered sitting on it at the headquarters and being really impressed…so I clicked the button. I don't even know who I am anymore -- but I was SO EXCITED at the thought of a new couch, I was willing to gamble a bit.
The delivery process was great -- they emailed me to let me know the status. The only thing was I'm glad I noticed there was a number I was supposed to call one day to schedule the delivery (I didn't get any notice that I needed to do that). The delivery company was awesome and the sofa was delivered within two weeks of ordering.
It came in plastic, inside a huge box. My husband and I carried it in (it wasn't incredibly heavy) and I started assembling the few pieces:
There aren't any instructions, which wasn't a big deal because it's just legs that you screw in and one other piece. The long piece I wasn't sure what to do with and then figured out it goes on the back of the sofa. There were no obvious holes so I felt around to figure out where they were:
I had to cut through the thin fabric to attach that to the back.
Colby was making himself at home pretty quick:
The slipcover was super easy to get on and the cushions were already covered. It took less than 10 minutes to get the whole thing put together.
I was THRILLED with it when I got done. It was the perfect size (more than a foot shorter than our old one) and the depth didn't take up as much room either. My only complaint are the legs of the sofa -- you definitely need to lift it to move it around, not push it or they tend to bend (I guess I should say the bolt bends, not the legs):
I also wish the slipcover was just the tiniest bit longer too -- along the front it's fine but on the sides it rides up just the slightest bit. Ironing it helped that a little.
After it was all together I started moving the furniture around and remembered a couple small DIY projects that needed to be addressed. I started replacing the chair rail in here over a year ago and never continued. This corner has been unfinished for all that time:
I'm on top of things, obviously! And yet again -- look how pink our walls were before! I still can't believe that.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret -- I never finished the wainscoting behind the sofa when I installed it years ago:
I mean…the sofa blocked this part, so why do it? Other than just doing it because you should? I get tired sometimes people. :) So I found some scrap trim in the garage (that I saved just for this) and finished off the squares.
I really don't think I could be more thrilled with how this room came together. I adore it:
I LOVE bringing furniture away from walls and I've been planning to do this for some time in here. Now I can. :)
I've always gone back and forth on furniture in front of windows. Our windows are tall on the main level and therefore go pretty low on the walls. But every time I see a photo of a sofa in front of windows I love it. I don't what it is about it. As soon as I did it in this room I fell in love:
I think in a weird way it showcases them even more? And what's funny is now that things are pulled into the room a little bit, the room feels more open, but also cozier. I don't know how it can be both of those things, but it is.
My favorite part of this whole "makeover" is that I used furniture we already had in these spaces and just moved them around. The only new accessories are the pillows. The new chair rail cost $10 and otherwise everything else stayed the same. I didn't even move the art at all:
Shopping for new stuff is fun, but making what I already have work is fun for me too. When I have the time I absolutely love moving things around and seeing what works:
Yes, that is a magazine from July of 2014. I am a magazine hoarder.
If you remember, the blue dresser used to sit in the foyer. I pushed it over here and fell in love with it in this spot:
Funny how perfect the color is with everything else in here. I told you about my love for blue (the color I said I'd NEVER use in our house) and that continues in this room. I moved the black dresser that you see in the photo at the top of this post over to the foyer. It worked out so well!
I've been waiting so long for a neutral couch that I can make work with any color. The blue and white look so great against it:
Now don't get me wrong -- this is a $500 sofa. I don't expect it to last forever. I do expect it to hold up pretty well and last a long time, so I'll be sure to update you on that. I was pleasantly surprised with the comfort -- it's not one you sink into, but it's not uncomfortable at all and the cushions feel substantial.
I think my favorite part is it's going to be hard for the animals to smoosh the back cushions. The dog and cats sit up there and the cushions don't cave under them. I'm constantly fluffing our other sofa from this. :)
Overall so far, I'm thrilled with it. I love the clean lines, the color and the size. I am so thrilled to have this space look like the rest of the house now. It looks like it fits in and for the first time I'm really happy with it. I am tackling a fun project in this corner very soon though -- maybe even this week:
Any guesses? That bookcase will get moved upstairs. See? More furniture rearranging -- I love it!!
I'll share a few more pictures of this room tomorrow for my summer house tour. I'm joining in with a big bunch of talented bloggers that Marty put together. So many beautiful homes and tons of inspiration this week! I need to go clean some more of my house. ;)
Do you have a slipcovered sofa? Do you like it? Any tips? This one doesn't get as much use so I don't think I'll have to wash it often.
I received compensation from BHG at Walmart for my time and participation in the BHG Live Better Network. All experiences and opinions are my own. Follow BHG on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.
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