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November 9, 2015

Picking A New Sofa

I finally pulled the trigger and placed an order for a new sofa for our upstairs living room.  We have needed to replace the old Ikea sofa that is currently in here for years.  I know it doesn't look terrible in most of the pictures on this blog, but believe me when I say that that is just magical blog photography smoke & mirrors.  Here is what I can get it to look like after adjusting ALL of the pillows and then giving it a bit of help in Photoshop.
Living room with Ikea sofa and chair-www.goldenboysandme.com

And here is what it looks like the rest of the time.  Actually, this isn't accurate.  Usually there are TWO goldens sleeping on it.  And the back pillows usually sag more.
Ikea slipcovered sofa-www.goldenboysandme.com
It is a really comfortable sofa and so we have lived with the sloppiness.  I love that I can just throw the slipcover in the washer with some bleach and make it fresh.  This slipcover is 5 years old and it does have some light stains but nothing too noticeable.  And I would continue to live with the messy if it wasn't for the fact that we need another sofa for a new space in the house.

My husband and son have been working on finishing a portion of our basement as a sort of "teen cave".   It is completely their project and I haven't had the time (or the will if I am being honest) to get involved much at all.  My son wants the old Ikea sofa from the living room in the new space.  I offered him the leather sofas from our family room, but he said NO THANKS.  Have I mentioned that no one in our house enjoys the leather sofas in our family room?  So this fall I found myself looking for a new living room sofa.

Here's my checklist of what the new sofa has to be:
1. Slipcovered in a light (but not white) fabric
2.  Comfortable, but well sized for the room (meaning not too big)
3.  Affordable

I began to research and visit furniture stores.  It was a welcome distraction these last few weeks.  These are a few of the top contenders.

The Pottery Barn Carlisle.  Exactly the style I was going for, but with a pretty big price tag.  I liked that there were a couple of sizes to choose from and we thought it was comfortable when we sat on it in the store.  This sofa was our first runner up.
Pottery Barn Carlisle sofa-www.goldenboysandme.com

The Crate and Barrel Willow sofa.  It wasn't the look of this sofa that got me, but rather the comfort.  And it is a smaller scale which would work well for our smaller space.  Ultimately, it wasn't the style I was going for, but boy was it comfy.
Crate and Barrel Willow sofa-www.goldenboysandme.com

Of course, we took a trip to Ikea to sit on the Stocksund sofa.  We already have the chair and the Stocksund would certainly be the most affordable choice, but it lacked the comfort and plushness we had felt on other sofas.  One bonus would have been the availability of slipcovers right at our local Ikea.  The cover on our chair is holding up so well that I would have been happy to have that fabric on a sofa too.  We decided against the Stocksund for this purchase.
Ikea Stocksund sofa-www.goldenboysandme.com

We finally decided on a sofa from Birch Lane.  Lately, I have been loving their catalogs.  I just adore their casual and comfortable style.  I thought that the Montgomery slipcovered sofa was just what we were looking for at a great price point.  Of course, the hardest thing about ordering from a catalog is not being able to sit on the furniture to try it out.  There were several great reviews of this sofa and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we are happy with it.  We were able to order some fabric swatches and we picked an oatmeal colored fabric.  It should be arriving this week!
Birch Lane Slipcovered Montgomery Sofa-www.goldenboysandme.com
I can't wait to show you our new sofa just in time for holiday decorating!

13 comments :

  1. I love the Birch Lane catalogs but haven't ordered anything from them yet. The sofa you chose is beautiful and I hope it ends up being comfortable! Either way, I don't think the goldens will complain...
    Enjoy your week!
    Shelley

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  2. We're currently in the Ektorp stage of our kids lives! One day when they don't have sticky fingers, we'll upgrade to something more expensive but for now we love ours!

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  3. Can't wait to see your new sofa:-)
    I'm a fan of Ektorp. In the past I used to have a leather sofa - I really hated it and I'm happy that I have Ektorp now:-)
    I'm also lucky because my Golden Boy doesn't sleep on the sofa. When he was a puppy he tried to, but we taught him not to do so.
    Greetings:-)

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  4. Courtney,
    You found some great choices. I heard the Willow couch from Crate and Barrel is the most comfy of all sofa's but I have to agree they need to switch up the look just a tad. The one you got from Birch Lane is gorgeous. I cannot wait to see your review on it. I hope it is comfy.
    Kris

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  5. I think I've only rec'd one birch lane catalog. From what I remember they had so many beautiful things. I can't wait to see the couch. please give Forest and Keeper kisses from me!

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  6. I was in the same boat as you when I bought my house....it's amazing how many options are out there for slipcovered sofas! They are an investment but I love that you can throw the cover in the wash (goodbye DOG HAIR and stains!! Hello FRESH and CLEAN!!) I sat on quite a few, did research online and eliminated MANY and ended up going with one from Ethan Allen with a washable Sunbrella slipcover in an off white color. I love it! I have yet to wash it.....so far any marks the dogs got on it I've been able to just spray with Mrs Meyers and wipe off with a clean cloth. Love, love, love!!

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  7. Are your curtain rods custom ordered?

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  8. I love Birch Lane...I get their catalogs and I simply want everything! They remind me a lot of Pottery Barn. When your sofa is delivered do you have the option of not taking it if it's not what you like, as in craftsmanship, comfort or appearance? It's so hard ordering from a catalog as you said. I usually go to furniture stores and yes, I'm partial to the store my daughter works for (it's a small chain in Chicago). If it's in the showroom
    I can test out the comfort but picking out fabric is always up in the air. The warranties are great...I check those out thoroughly. In furniture stores, hers included, you can see their access to manufactures of all sorts...so much out there for many budgets.

    I think it's so cool that your kids want the Ikea sofa... kids get attached to things like that! LOL Beats having to buy something new! As far as leather, I never liked it much but I've done a turn around after having experienced it in some hotels and B&B's. I've had some good naps!

    Hope all is good...

    Jane x

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  9. Please let us know about your sofa as soon as you can. Even if it's just a reply to this instead of a full post. I ordered the Carlisle on 9/12 after getting the run around from PB, they lost my sofa (and I've been charged). They have major warehouse delivery issues. Notice how you can't review on their site....??
    Anyway, I just discovered the Montgomery! But, I'm scared to order without testing it out. Would love to know your thoughts!! I want to order within the next week :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi! We are loving our new sofa and I will be posting a review with pictures tomorrow morning. I hope it helps you in your decision!

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    2. Thank you so much for the information! Can't wait to see it in your lovely space!!

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  10. I can't decide which one is top rated recliners. This is giving me confusing. So, please help me to get the best one.

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