Dreaming of a Sofa

Now that we have moved, our hopes and dreams for our rooms are coming together. We just want them to be all that they can be! I already showed you guys what we were thinking about for our patio, and there will be an update on that (most likely next week). But today, we shall discuss the living room.

We like for our rooms to look collected over time, and this HURTS because a lot of times that means time actually has to pass in order for us to get the look that we want. Discovering treasures, mixing patterns and textures, and not over drafting our bank account all cause us to have to slowly shape a room. But this can also be fun because we get to see it evolve. As we dream up our living room, we have realized it all will have to surround what couch we get. Oh, and in our house, we switch back and forth between calling it a sofa and calling it a couch. Anyone else do that? Is there a technical difference between a sofa and a couch?

Why do we believe the room will have to be designed around what couch we get? Well, I am so glad you asked. Below is the floor plan to our apartment, but flip it in your mind, because that is how ours is set up.

See our living room?? Our media center with the TV is on the angled wall. And take note of the kitchen island. This is one reason why our couch is important. Its size will determine just how much room we have for other furniture, and how big our rug should be. Ideally, we would love to have a 3 seater couch and 2 individual chairs. But that may be a bit crowded. We also want a couch that is good for cuddling, so the depth of the couch will determine how big of a coffee table we will get.

Here are a few rooms that serve as our inspirations -

Better Homes and Garden

I like the chaise at the end of the couch, the cloth, white couch that looks deep enough for cozy movie watching, as well as the 3 individual tables to serve as a coffee table. The round rug is also pretty awesome.

Houzz

I like how this one has the coffee table with 2 ottomans right against it. This keeps them semi out of the way but available for foot stools or seating. The couches look worn, but comfortable.

Houzz

This chesterfield sofa is beautiful. I also like the matching chairs in front of the window. The large rug helps anchor the room and brings together all of the colors.

Speaking of colors, we are staying closer to red, purple, and greenish-blues. We also are mixing in vintage, shabby chic accents, like my custom made book pillars (which I plan on showing you guys in a later post), and black frames with black an white photos.

The Mister and I love the look of Restoration Hardware (who doesn't?) and libraries, with a Columbus the Explorer twist. Sounds weird? Well, we got the Camden  Furniture Collection media console and book case at Target.



Media Console - see those sliding doors? The handles are brass. You can't really tell in this.

To pull in more of that explorer vibe, we like surveyor lamps. I found this one on Amazon.com.

Maps, too. We actually bought this guy and he is just waiting for us to pick the right couch so he gets put in the right frame.

So, you see... all of this seems a bit all over the place. The right sofa can anchor it all. Leather ones -



 

Leather Possibilities Sofa at JC Penney



Portfolio Rio Convert-A-Couch at Overstock.com



But I am not a huge fan of leather. I stick to it. And it has its leather smell. And if Lola scratches it, its done. Plus, they cost more. Chris is still pulling for leather, so I am still hoping he will change his mind.

At this point, I really love this one.

Martha Stewart Living Room Collection at Macy's in Saybridge

It looks soft, comfortable, and good for cuddling. The color will go with all of the things we will throw in the room, and the chesterfield design brings in the other elements we like, too.

So what say ye, my blog reading friends?