Roadside Sofa

Remember when I wrote about our FLOR update (here and here) and mentioned that our after picture wasn’t quite accurate because we have replaced the couch? Do you also remember when I said I’d post about that couch? Well, I’m finally following through on my promise.

To get us started, here’s an after picture of the FLOR update/before picture of the couch update. Two for the price of one.

So there are a few things wrong with this situation:

1. You can’t really tell from the picture, but the loveseat has some pretty serious upholstery problems. Ripley found it a perfect chew toy when she was a puppy, and the zipper on one of the cushion covers has popped, allowing the foam to pop out the back sometimes (hence, the strategically placed pillow).
2. It’s old. This is usually not a problem for me, but 40-or-so-year-old upholstery is a little ick.
3. It’s too small for the space. 1) It’s in front of a huge window that spans most of the wall, and 2) it’s in our #1 hangout-and-watch-TV room but is too small for proper lounging.

Enter new couch. While driving from work to yoga one evening, I passed by one of the second-hand stores in our town. This particular store has outgrown its building and is now utilizing the parking lot to display some merchandise. And I don’t mean artfully displaying a few pieces on the sidewalk, I mean like 10 mattresses propped against the building and random other furnishings outside at all times. Truth be told, it’s kinda junky looking, but it is nice for drive-by shopping, which is what I did this particular day.

As I was driving by, I saw a couch that mimicked one of my favorites–the mid-century modern tufted-leather sofa. I just had to stop and check it out. She wanted $75, which is a steal for any sofa in my book, but everybody knows you don’t pay full price at yard sales, and this was more like a yard sale than an actual store. I bargained to $65 and got delivery for $5, so I ended up paying $70 for the sofa. It’s probably best that I admit I thought it was leather and later found out it’s imitation, but as a friend pointed out, now I have a vegan sofa, which makes my vegetarian self happy. Unintentional ethics never hurt, right? Anyway, on to the sofa. It has a flaw, one popped seam.

It’s a pretty decent patch job, but I’m hoping to get an upholster to fix it for real. All in due time. Here is the after shot.

Despite the lack of light in the picture, this is much better, right? I think so. I can lay out and watch TV, and it fits the window perfectly, I think. Also, see that cute E.T. t-shirt pillow? I bought it from my crafty friend Selena, who blogs here and has an Etsy shop here.

What happened to our old loveseat? Well, we’re not sure quite what to do with it right now. I’ve always wanted to reupholster it one day, but we don’t really have a great place to put it. For now, it’s living on the wall to the right of the window.

Please ignore that it isn’t centered under the map frames (one of the few things we managed to hang before last week). It may end up on craigslist or the local consignment shop. Or it may end up with some funky 1970s-inspired fabric, hearkening back to its youth. Who knows. For now, it takes up space and occasionally seats someone.

What do you think? Isn’t the brown, fake-leather sofa so great? Any fabric suggestions for the old green loveseat?