I got my sofas reupholstered.
For more befores, go to my post about what a family room should look like. |
The only thing left to solve was the color/fabric issue. Since the upholsterer I found keeps costs low by offering remaindered fabric, there was little to no choice (or what I liked wasn't in a quantity for two sofas). To say that their fabric stock was… floral… and geometrical… and limited… is to understate things.
Cell phone picture of cute-feet-but-too-high syndrome. |
{There was a little glitch when my enthusiasm for redesigning furniture led to doing away with the skirts and old little feet. I was sure that some pretty, graceful feet (found on sale at Lowe's and finished by the furniture guy) would be better, but they made the whole thing too high! You felt perched! Your feet failed to reach the floor! In the end, the Chief cut them down, and all was well, if not quite so graceful.}
Phil and I have a term for sermons that are exclusively spiritual in a vague way. We call them “Turn To God With All Your Heart” sermons, mainly because we had a priest way back when whose each and every sermon included that phrase — and not much else.
It's just not that helpful.
A “little” extra seating 🙂 |
This is building the culture — the culture of your family, yes, and of your hospitality, and by extension, the culture… of the culture.
To be practical:
The furniture needs to be close together. You can't have three people sitting in a line on a sofa, attempting to hold a conversation with someone on a chair across the room.
You need lots of lighting, but not one glaring fixture up above. Overhead lights are fine (not that we have many here in this old house). Lamps are a necessity. You need one for every area where someone will sit and read, or knit and chat companionably. Every corner.
Don't complain that your children don't read if you don't have lamps in your family room! Not only does it provide light — a lamp provides that pool of cozy warmth that you have to have for the desire to sit and read in the evening.
{And please, I'm begging you, consider it money well spent to have incandescent lights in your family-area lamps. Those compact fluorescents are never going to give you the ambiance you are looking for. People will always feel cold, and slightly alienated. It's just not worth the “savings” to use them.}
The furniture needs to be sturdy and welcoming. Children will gravitate to their rooms (and thus not be “gathered” with you of a cozy evening) if the only place for them to relax is their bed.
It helps to have a few little items like stools and floor cushions for extra people, or a soft carpet for those who don't mind sitting on the floor for a little while when it's crowded.
And yes, we enjoy watching games and movies together in comfort, not craned over a computer or squinting at a little set. I hacked the TV credenza a while ago!
We don't go out for movies. This is our entertainment! So we go for it.
Throw pillows are important, as are quilts and afghans. Which is why it's so necessary for the furniture to be neutral, so that the other textiles can express your design style. But the upholstery can't be too light, obviously, or it will show the dirt, and it can't be too dark, or every dog hair and bit of lint will show up.
I know that some say that white slipcovers are great, because you can wash and even bleach them. I've just never gotten up to slipcovers (which can be pricier than the upholstery!). There was some dark chocolate velvet that I loved, and seriously considered, but realized that it was just too dangerously dark.
I know some of you are interested in my lamps: There are three, and they are similar but slightly different. I got them at Marshall's a few years ago (again, they were not expensive — about $35 each). (We also have two wall sconces, so we can adjust the lighting in here very well.)
The big ugly rocking chair is from a friend's garage. The throw pillows I will tell you about another time — I made the covers — all but the red embroidered one, which is from T. J. Maxx and well worth what I spent on it, because it's beautiful and handmade.
The Bolga market basket is from a little farm stand, Kimball's, on the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border on Route 122. My husband bought it for me on a whim (my whim :). You can buy them on Amazon (but not be able to choose the design).
Mary says
I absolutely LOVE that basket. Thanks for posting the link. I am in the middle of a big family room re-do, painting walls, sewing new pillow cases, moving furniture, etc. This post was a wonderful little reminder as to why my husband and I are doing this. Once again Auntie Leila you remind me that family is everything. So glad you survived the storm well.
Joyful says
I enjoyed your post and agree with your thoughts. I recently tried to improve my seating arrangements also. I looked for years for an upholstery alternative but it was just too expensive here. In the end I managed to find a leather alternative. I love it but right now it is going into Winter season. I'm finding the leather cold if it touches my skin so I have to cover it until the weather warms again. Enjoy your new cosy arrangement.
_Leila says
Joyful, this is where your lovely quilts and afghans come in!
Deanna says
I love how your couches turned out! So happy for you.
I agree with what you've said about the family room, and family culture, etc. It is so important to think through these things and have a plan!
Right now I have two teen daughters on one couch reading, and playing a game, one daughter on another couch using the computer, my dad sitting in a chair using his computer, and a grown son on a chair that is behind one of the couches and next to the piano….I love that having this space has drawn us all together and not into separate rooms!
villanovagtsc says
Love the new couch!!!! If you didn't know better, you'd think you'd replaced the old one.
Amber says
They look great! I had no idea you could change pillow configuration when reupholstering. And it made me feel better to read that it has taken this many years to have a sofa set up that you are happy with. We have been married 11 years and we still are at the mismatched hand me down stage (at least I was able to get some slipcovers on sale last year so they look better together – still working on the accents, it is all a little bland right now. But at least they match!). I also have a room where the play kitchen lives because I haven't figured out how to inexpensively furnish its odd size. It is also the room with the wood burning stove, so talk about an missed opportunity for coziness! Anyway – I agree completely that furniture is worth considering as it is vital for building family and friendships. But it is also such an expensive hassle!! Thanks for sharing your pictures and encouragement!
sibyl says
Amber:
we are still in that mismatched, thrift-store stage and it'll be 17 years this Saturday! Aargh!
_Leila says
Amber and sibyl, mismatched isn't the worst. If the things are in good condition, it can work. Do visit the sites I mentioned in the post — some people have a delightful way of making their thrifted things work. It happens that this room has two matching sofas, but everything else is thrifted or purchased on clearance (other than the lamps, which were cheap :).
Really study others' “flea market style” to see how you can make what you have work.
Bridget says
I am married 15 years with eight children. I struggle with contentment because I'm still putting my feet up on kitchen chairs (when I get a chance), while dreaming of a recliner. I tried throw cushions but they were cool playthings that I was constantly picking up off the floor. My livingroom makes my eyes sore, and makes my heart heavy…but my husband works hard at his minimum-wage job, and we are warm, and the kids are happy. I make real beeswax candles to light for prayer when we are all gathered in the evening…I try to focus on the glow to escape a moment from the unsightly room we have. One person's inexpensive is another person's fortune.
Joan says
Your post touched my heart and I've been praying about how to respond to you. It is so hard to not be able to have the things you wish you had and to be content with what God has given you. I used to struggle with this more than I do now. I am 67 and we are a little better off now that when we were raising our four kids but I look at you with eight children and I think how blessed you are. I wish that we had had more children but I was too dumb to know when I was having kids what a blessing they are in your life. You never know what God will do in the future to allow you to have some nice things. Just pray and ask Him for them. If He wants you to have them, you'll have them. For now, enjoy your blessings and try not to complain to your husband. Learn to be content in whatsoever situation you find yourself in. Continue to learn on the Lord. I'll be praying for you.
Deb W. says
Just lovely and so 'homey'!
And Kimball's is simply marvelous – at least one time each summer we trek out to the NH site for ice cream with friends. 🙂
ShellyinAZ says
Great post! We are in need of new furniture! I don't want something that will fall apart in one year, but don't know where to even start. With 7 kids, including 5 boys, I need something sturdy for their sake and pretty for mine! Suggestions?
Gently Led says
Sometimes you can find on Craigslist a well-made sofa — look for Baker or Henredon — for very cheap and then recover it if necessary. A really good sofa will last forever — my mom has had her Henredons for maybe 30 years and recovered several times and they're still amazing.
Patty K. says
My parents have a hand-me-down sofa and chair from my grandfather's family that has been recovered several times and it's still going strong! No idea the brand, but they are beautiful!
SarahS says
I love how your couches turned out! I wish you could come to my house and help me. I love thinking about decorating and looking at pictures, but it turns out I am quite horrible at implementing ideas and after over 12 years of marriage (and almost ten years in this house) we are also still living with the “poor college student/we're so poor everyone gives us their cast-offs” look. Basically, we have lots of furniture, but it's all the wrong stuff! And I'm not good at re-purposing things. We have only one couch and I've been wanting to add a love seat (and to replace the couch – it's 1960s gold and salmon floral – lovely in my grandmother's house but not mine) and this post is motivating me to find one!
Abby says
Thank you for giving a clear, reasonable, and I would say irrefutable reason for good furniture: the culture! Civilization of the cave kids! I despise our current couches but have not been able to articulate why it is important to replace them. This will help. (for the record, I'd be happy to simply recover them if they weren't so darned uncomfortable.). Thank you!!
Lisa G. says
The “after” pic of the sand castle look quite Pompeiian. 😀
Mamabearjd says
I am so excited for you about your couches. I have sturdy, slipcovered couches in a neutral canvas. Single back and single cushion. I love love love them. We just rearranged the layout and its like they are brand new again. Dad has his own special seat, I think that's important.
Lindsay says
I love it, Leila! Very cozy with plenty of personality. The color is perfect.
In typing this, I was going to gush about my Ikea Ektorp sofa and chaise. I have the chaise in Idemo Light Brown. It is a little darker than what you have, but it works well with four dirty boys. On the other hand, the couch we got second hand from my SIL is WHITE. I've read all the same things you have about how easy it is to bleach them, but by golly, I don't think any of those women homeschool four boys who play in the dirt every single day. It is not easy pulling those covers on and off, imo, plus I find soaking in oxyclean takes time, and I can't do the whole thing at once, so anytime I wash it, I'm without covers for a day or more. And what do you think the boys do with the couch while the covers are missing? Suffice it to say, my cushions are lumpier than they once were.
So, all along, until typing all this, my plan has been to replace the couch cover with the matching Light Brown one next time I have a spare $150. But, in looking for a link to share, I discovered that my color has been discontinued. I found it on Ebay, and I suppose I should just bite the bullet and get it for my December birthday while it is still available! In looking at what is available now, I don't think their offerings are quite in that sweet spot you describe as much as this is, being either too light or too chocolatey, though the new Idemo beige is pretty close to your color:)
Mary says
Amen to the CFL bulb comment. Those things are atrocious. Not to mention that I will never in a million years put bulb that contains MERCURY and requires hazardous waste disposal in a house full of little boys! The couches look great!
Anne-Marie says
I'd add one more item to the placement criteria: the placement of furniture should indicate that conversation, not television, is the most important reason for the room. So, for instance, put chairs facing the sofa with their backs to the TV, and turn them around when it's time to watch.
Patty K. says
Agreed! We have our TV on a rolling cart which gets rolled over to a wall in the DR when not in use. (I wish it could live in a closet, but we are short on those!) That's our solution to only one living room space. 🙂
Rachel says
You have just answered the question, “Why are these rooms so uncomfortable and useless?” for me. Nine kids, Papa, the dog, and Mama canNOT squoosh onto one couch and a chair. AARRRGH. And lighting? Um, the thing hanging under the ceiling fan.
So not enough furniture and not enough lighting.
But how to fit more furniture into small room? I will have to work on this. Doorways and windows make things really difficult.
Dixie says
Maybe it would help to focus on the floor — several big, comfy floor pillows with washable covers? Those could all be tucked in a corner when not in use to keep the pathways clear, and then pulled out whenever needed. We preferred the floor to couches when we were kids, anyways, and loved floor pillows.
Rachel says
Excellent! Now I'm off to find sources….and lamps!
Patty K. says
It's also OK to let some chairs stick out into large doorways! If you position a couple of chairs with a table between them and a lamp on it so the chairs are slightly turned toward each other, it creates a “conversation area” and it's OK to let a chair hang out into a walking area. Or to put a couple of extra chairs on either side of a large doorway. Also, experiment with putting furniture diagonally in corners or putting a sofa in the middle of the room facing another sofa or pair chairs! Or put the pair of chairs in the middle of the room facing the sofa. You can do anything you want to make those “conversation areas” appear! Good luck!
JessT says
I long, long, long for a two-sofa living room! Someday…
Your living room is lovely!
Laura says
I just was given a couch and I have two now and loooove it! Totally opens up the room for company! I just want to get new tables once my kids are older.
Julie says
I picked up a loveseat for $40 at an estate sale last year, and although I was initially afraid of what myhubby would think, we both agree that it has made all the difference in the comfort level of our living room. I'm still trying to teach the boys of the house that the couches are NOT trampolines, but at least there's enough room should everyone decided to sit down at once. One day the throw pillows will come back, but not now 'cause that's exactly what would happen with them!
Rachel says
I KNOW…who came up with the name “throw” pillow? That is just asking for trouble!!! Do you think things would change if we called them “stay put” pillows?
_Leila says
Julie, if you spy that basket in the corner, behind the dog 😉 you will know where I put my throw pillows when there are too many bodies in the room 🙂
Dusa says
I totally agree with you about the lighting. The more lamps, the better. And yes yes yes to incandescents (if they need to be CFLs, go with warm instant-on). One of my home goals for 2013 is replacing the futon cushion with actual sofa cushions. Thank you so much for your insights on this!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for this! I just had to add my thoughts on the CF bulbs. Not only do they contain mercury gas, but in my experience they do not last any longer than the regular bulbs. Since they are so much more expensive, this is a serious fault in my opinion. I recently repainted my bathroom light fixture, and (since the ceilings are really high) we put CF bulbs in when we re-hung it. All three burned out and had to be replaced within a month.
bibliotecaria says
Wait, wait — you can have one, long, continuous cushion in the sofa seat? I am…stunned. It's amazing how an idea comes out of nowhere.
Good call on the fabric.
Jenny says
Yay! Love it! I am trying prayerfully hard not to covet your embroidered red cushion because it is so very beautiful!
Sara says
I'm just starting to figure this out. We had some dear friends coming into town for the weekend recently, and I insisted that before they arrive, we buy some other sort of thing for sitting on for our living room so we wouldn't all be lined up on the couch awkwardly. I think part of my general hesitation/anxiety around furniture – besides decorating-type things being completely unintuitive for me – is a complete sense of mystery about how much one ought to pay for such things. I'm cheap, all furniture seems expensive, and I don't know how to judge quality. Any tips?
suzanne says
Love your posts Auntie Leila! As we entered our 30's my husband and I started purchasing furniture and letting go of all the hand-me-downs that our family and friends “bestowed” on us after marriage. Some I had recovered but let it go because it just was not comfortable (wood arms with cushions). We purchased a leather sofa, loveseat, chair combo as I imagined us being 60 year old and the old leather would hopefully age as well as we may one day 😉 after 5 years I still love it. Love being able to wipe it clean after pets and now our 2 year old. Your recovered sofas are gorgeous and you can't find anything that lovely looking in the stores. My favorite place to shop for furniture pieces now are thrift stores! Unbelievable prices if you have a good eye.
ArdenLynn says
You always hit the nail right on the head, especially for big families. When we put a family room addition on we were making do with a small sofa and loveseat. We were all trying to watch a movie one night when my teen son walked in, looked around for a place to sit and then walked out. We started the furniture search the next day. We still need a few floor pillows for the younger kids but we are all pretty comfortable in the room and that's saying something for our family of 10.
We also finally bought “the” family table we needed to make everyone comfortable and it will extend enough to accomodate the kids that come back and bring extras. It will also contract enough to not feel like we are eating at an empty table when those loved ones are away. I HATE sitting at a table with a lot of empty spots.
Patty K. says
I must admit that I am always so confused and puzzled by poorly arranged living room furniture, such as where everything is in a straight line or lining the walls like a waiting room where you are too far away to talk to anyone. It just makes me think that they don't do any visiting there or don't even sit around and talk to each other….
My current living room is very oddly arranged with a front door on one side and a big missing wall that opens into the dinning room (don't get me wrong, I like the openness, it just makes furniture arranging a bit hard). So I feel like the furniture IS a little too far away since it is indeed lining the walls, but the room isn't quite big enough to bring things closer with out wasting a lot of space and getting in the way of walking room. Ah well. At least we added to our seating with a glider-rocker found in the alley!
Also, we need a bigger table too!!
_Leila says
Patty, just try it! Pull the furniture away from the walls! The outside space isn't wasted. You can tuck a bench back there, or a little desk in a corner, or a soft ottoman for extra seating when you have company.
Just try!
Amanda says
The couches look fantastic! I didn't realize you could change the configuration of the pillows/shape either when upholstering! I might keep that in mind for us someday because I hate the loose pillows too, they always end up smooshed down somehow, even on a fairly stiff sofa. The texture and color of those sofas is really perfect, looks almost beachy. I had to laugh at the too-tall legs issue though, that's totally something I would've done and my handy husband would've had to fix it 🙂
I completely agree with your comments on home furniture and such being an important part of creating the family culture. It's always where I go to first because when I have a comfortable, practical, and pretty space I just find I'm able to focus on the other mommy stuff easier. Not surprisingly, it's easier to deal with spills and oopsies gracefully when you have durable flooring and wipeable sofa covers 😉
Emily says
Your couches are simply lovely! I mean that–simple and lovely. The very structure of them (the one pillow and lack of skirt across the front) looks put-together and clean. I long for this!
Could we please talk now about making a room inviting through flooring? We live in a rental with gorgeous 1940s parquet hardwood flooring in the living room. It truly is beautiful. So I thought I would never want to cover it up…but then we had children (a toddler and a preschooler right now), so I bought a (real!) oriental area rug at a garage sale–it's about 3' x 7' in a 10' x 13' room, so it only covers about a third of the room. Even with the future arranged coversationally around it, the rest of the room feels cold and I notice that the kids don't want to settle onto the floor and play. They cram onto the little rug. But I can't afford to go out and buy a large rug, and I'm a bit grossed out by getting something like carpeting second-hand because of pets and smoke and the like that you also inherit with such things. Babies crawling on a used rug (to me) = icky. Are there any suggestions out there for a way to make this situation improve? THe other catch is that we'll likely only live here another 9 months, so I don't want to invest a lot in this, but I feel like I can't hardly stand another day without a more comfortable solution for this living space (our only living space). Sorry to be slightly off-topic, but I thought you ladies would have some great ideas!
Emily says
I just realized the inconsistency of me saying on the one hand that I can't bear the thought of buying carpeting second-hand, and on the other hand mentioning my garage sale oriental rug purchase. It would be more accurate to say that it was a moving sale of a good friend who had neither pets nor smoking in the house, and I felt comfortable with the purchase because I knew the source! Just wanted to clarify 🙂
_Leila says
Haha, Emily!
In my den I have a carpet that I got from a store we have around here — it's called Building 19. You might have something similar near you. It's sort of a remainders place — they just get a lot of cast-offs from regular stores.
They have a big carpet section, including wall-to-walls that have been bound. I found a neutral green carpet, 9 X 12, for about $80.
But the main point is that it's StainMaster — and so it has lasted perfectly for 13 years! When it gets a spot, I just wipe it, and it's gone. Every once in a while I rent a carpet steamer and then it's like new. Honestly, if I ever put in wall-to-wall (which I won't), StainMaster would be IT!!
It's got a very tight pile, and it's a solid color, so it's perfect for kiddos to spill their blocks and legos on. So I highly recommend it. (Its only drawback is that it doesn't come out as nice in photos for the blog as it is in real life! 🙂
Michelle says
I don't know if anybody is still reading this, but I've been stewing over it for a few days. Here's my question: toddlers + floor lamps. Does anybody have a solution, aside from endless “no”?
Emily says
We love Kimball's! Can't believe you mentioned it in a post since we are from Virginia and I figured you guys were not likely to be anywhere near our New England hang-outs. We try to hit Kimball's every time we are in the area. Best ice cream I've ever had and a beautiful setting to boot! Once upon a time we started our New England vacation there and continued our tour up to Maine as an ice cream shop “Hop.” After approximately 10 shops (including a tour at Ben and Jerry's), Kimball's won hands-down!
Thanks for the ideas on family-oriented furniture arrangement and selection. I'm constantly moving my furniture around to suite our space, current residents and the need little girls have to “just dance!”
_Leila says
To Kimball's lovers: Are we talking about the same one? I feel like I would have noticed if there was ice cream there! Although we were on the way to friends' for dinner, so maybe I was distracted?
Anyway, the one with the baskets is on Rt. 122 near Hollis, New Hampshire. I saw baskets and farm stuff. Could I have missed ice cream??
Elisa says
Your sitting area is so nice. I love your new couches! I get new couches after our next and last move. I can't wait!! I'll have to consult you as to what brands are the best. We have been renting for so long, I can't wait to make a space my own.
maria says
they look great! I am so excited for you about your couches. decoration is nice. keep your work
Beth says
Sorry, I know you posted on this long ago, but maybe it's still worth asking: How do you keep your afghans and throws and things nice and clean and cozy? I used to have a throw blanket or two around, but in the past couple of years I've stopped setting them out. It seems to me that they easily get kind of yucky. People push them onto the floor, and they collect dog hair and dust instantly (although you know we DO vacuum our floor almost every day). And people wiggle their feet into blankets–which is after all what they're for, right? To make you warm and cozy? But my 11-year-old boy and 13-year-old boy don't ever seem to have clean socks on, even when they have clean socks on. And although they shower daily, that doesn't solve the problem of their general tendency to griminess. Whatever they use will get funky, fast.
Also, when you have throw blankets, where do you keep them? In a basket? A trunk?
Of course one can simply launder blankets. But they are large, and we already do at least a load of laundry a day (and most days, two), so I just know I would put it off. So… thoughts? Rules for use? Places to store them? Other ideas for making sure they are a lovely addition to the room?
Thank you so much for your lovely photos and your words of wit and wisdom! I love it all!