A sofa love story
This week, I have been texting my best-est buddies and pestering the living-snot out of my husband, seeking sage advice. And I was also kind of hoping they would let me know if I had completely lost my marbles.
You see, I found THE PERFECT sofa.
It just so happens that I found it at THE MOST IMPERFECT time {ahem: I happen to have a nursery to prepare. And a new library / school room. And no spare cash hanging around as a result. You know the drill}.
And not only that, this “perfect sofa” has one teensy-weensy little problem…. It is covered in brittle, cream, antique silk. Original from 1959. Yes.
Did I mention this sofa would go in the most widely used room in our home?
AND, that I have two boys, ages 7 and 5 who I happily encourage to play in the mud?
AND that I am about to have a BABY??
…
but you see, that is why this is a love story.
I can tell you, I am not an irrational shopper. I am also not a fickle shopper. I know what I love, and I only regret my purchases on rare occasions. And, once I purchase something I love: I am loyal. I don’t tend to tire of my purchases or get major itches to revamp everything.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, I think there is a HUGE LESSON in it.
Know what kind of a shopper you are. Know thyself.
It is really important to know whether or not you are:
1. The loyal shopper: you buy what you love and stick with it for years.
2. The mid-road endurance shopper: you buy what you love and some of what you like, and then, suddenly, one day you are ready for a new style.
3. The fickle shopper: no matter how hard you try, you cannot stick with any look or style for very long.
Now, here at Fieldstone Hill Design, you will always hear me pushing you toward #1. I believe that the more you gain confidence in your own loves, and the more you know your own personal style, the better quality you can invest in, and the more you can stick with what you love for the long haul. A true love story.
But if you are a #2 or #3, there is really nothing wrong with that! I still want to encourage you: try to improve upon fickle shopping habits, if only to save yourself money and time in the long run. But maybe becoming the #2 mid-road endurance shopper is as far as you are going to ever get – and that is fine! Because the world {and decor!} needs change sometimes.
The biggest takeaway from all of this?:
Know what kind of a shopper you are.
Know yourself , but also grow daily in knowing your own personal style. { <– Tweet This }
…Because it will help you avoid big shopping mistakes. And it will help you take risks when you need to. Like taking a chance on love.
…
Like in my sofa love story.
I needed to take a risk. This piece is a one-of-a-kind. And it simply had “Darlene” written all over it. We were meant to be together, cream silk or not.
And while it may sit in my family room with sheets over it for a bit, until I muster up the cash to recover this beauty,… it will be worth it in the end. Love always is.
You see, I happen to know that I am shopper #1. I will not change my mind about this piece. I will not get fickle about her beauty. I will not fall out of love.
So. is it really a risk after all?
…
Enough pontificating. Do you want to see my spoils? {don’t go falling in love, now. she’s spoken for.}
{hover over the image to share some Pinterest love}
A very special thank you to Leland Couchman {yes. that is is REAL name. Talk about fulfilling your destiny}, the extremely helpful sales expert at Jayson Home. He answered all of my many questions, and several phone calls, with forthrightness and down-to-earth advice, and I was able to make a good decision thanks to him.
And now, all. I must know:
What kind of a shopper are YOU? 1, 2 or 3?
And is it time for a little furniture love story of your own?
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oh.my.word. That is stinkin’ awesome! I absolutely LOVE it!
Oh, my goodness! I did fall immediately in love even though it’s spoken for. It’s gorgeous and absolutely timeless! Great decision to snatch it up. I’m probably a #2 shopper but it’s financial. When we moved into our 2nd home 14 years ago, we had a chunk of change to spend on decor. Several of those big purchases (a sofa my parents gave us, our king sized 4 poster bed, a couple of area rugs, our LONG antique farm table, etc.) were of very good quality and are things I still love that are timeless to me. But others, simply because we needed that thing and the budget only goes so far, I had to (and continue to have to) settle. Sigh. So glad that we made the splurge purchases when we did, though, because money doesn’t get any “looser” as the kids get older.
OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!
You are right: that couch WAS made for you….although, if I had the space I think it might also have been made for me!!! It is STUNNING!!! So unique!!!!! Wow….love it and I cannot WAIT to see what fabric you choose for it!!!!
Now, I would have to say I lean toward #2…I KNOW #1 is the goal for a good, investment shopper, but I think there are a couple factors that play into becoming a #1: time, patience and funds. Sometimes, with our 4 kids who were born in 5 years time, we just didn’t have the time or the funds to get our DREAM furniture…sometimes we just had to get what we liked best in the time we had to shop and the budget we had 😉 And, almost always, we wanted those pieces out as soon as possible too :/
BUT, a few times we’ve done it right: like my obsession with Buffalo Check, or really plaids in general…I am ALWAYS drawn to them…I am a fancy Vancouver cabin in my dreams…not TOO cabin-ish, not too fancy…I like warm, and bright, and comfortable and welcoming and unique…those are some of my key words. We bought a beautiful, expensive custom made, plaid sectional when we were first married and it was fantastic…I never stopped loving it…until we moved and it fit no where in the house.
Back to the buffalo check: we are getting ready to remodel the kitchen, and family room, so when I saw beautiful black and cream buffalo check fabric on SALE, I bought all 20 yards!! It now trims the family room panels and cornice, it trims the black accent pillows and was made into two lumbars on our big, huge, comfy couches that fit our family perfectly! NEXT, it will be used in the kitchen as window treatments…
POINT BEING: (sorry I’ve gotten so wordy here…strong coffee ;)) I DO know what I love (most of the time, but, waiting for it isn’t always easy…yet, as you remind us regularly, it is worth it!!!
Embrace what you love (and have a professional help you make it work so you don’t turn into an Orvis commercial ;))!
you made me giggle so much! “sorry I’ve gotten so wordy here…strong coffee ”
my coffee nearly came out my nose. love it!
I love the sofa too and now I am sad I didn’t see it before I purchased the one I have. I do however still love my tufted one! I love the size of yours though. Great find! I think I fall under 1,2,and 3 at times. Mainly I have to love it.
…and one more thing: because I had to go check out their site, you got that couch for a steal in my opinion!!! Congrats!!
Oh she is a STUNNER! If you change your mind, you can always send her to me! …and now I will go get lost in Jayson Home for a while.
The sofa no doubt is a beauty. I know i have one very similar. However, I must point out the one flaw about this design. The bottom cushions can not be flipped over. The way the cushions are designed with the end around the arm and the slant at the other end make it a one sided cushion. Please keep this in mind when reupholstering so you can find a fabric that will be durable plus keep extra for any thing that might happen later. I believe you got an amazing find with this one. Love it.
ps. i have small blankets i keep on my sofa of the same color when my husband and i are just sitting around on it so it keeps it clean.
So relate to your sofa love story. I fall into the #1 shopper. Can’t give it up till I get it, I lose sleep over stuff like this, my mind spins in all directions and my family generally sits on the sideline and watches as the dust storm brews. The more we have on our plate the more that gets done, not sure how this science works but it generally does, I’d rather be super busy than not. And yes it has your name and design sense written all over it – the longer the sofa waits in the wings or hidden under painter drop cloth coverings (vs sheets) the more design ideas you can gather in you pending ‘free’ time. It looks like a comfy place to put your feet up while you flip through your reference – just think the sofa will await your attention when the Queen Bee is ready.
Oh my goodness, Darlene! That is an amazing sofa! The style, the color, the SIZE! I would have bought it in heartbeat. I am a #1 shopper, buy what I love and stick with it almost always forever. After 40 years we just purchased only our third sofa (had quite a few hand me downs that I slipcovered also) for our family room. Only the first sofa was one we tired of gave away & we still have our 20 yr old Living Room sofa. The one we just bought makes no sense, it isn’t slipcovered, is flax linen with pillows in black wool felt that show all the dog hair! We live in South Florida where we only use durable natural cotton denim. It is low slung and very wide with a matching chair and a half and WE LOVE IT even though We shopped for two yrs for a Pottery Barnish slipcovered set of sofas like we were replacing! Ha ha. We both looked at and it just looked so sophisticated and sexy 🙂
I’m coming over when it arrives!
yes!!!! you + me + fabric store. STAT!!!
Oh Darlene, this is a beautiful sofa and I know why you had to have it. I’m a #1 kind of shopper who waits for the right thing to come along and then I know I’ll never get tired of it. That goes for clothing, furniture and just about anything else. If it “sings” to me, it’s mine, if at all possible.
Congratulations on your new baby. This sofa is perfect for a family – lots of room.
It. Is. Stunning. Baby or not, you must fulfill your design destiny and go for it! Silk resists stains easily, right? (haha!) I’m so glad you followed your love, and every single time to glance it’s way you’re going to be so very very happy. Now pardon me while I see if Jayson Home has anything for me to pine after for awhile…
I love this post Darlene and the sofa!!!! I was reading this post to my mom and then showed her the gorgeous photos of this sofa! Her response was “no wonder you follow her blog. You have the same taste!” I just gave a little chuckle and agreed! Wish I had it in my home! It is gorgeous and I cannot wait to see what kind of fabric you choose!!
Blessings,
Kayla
It’s so you!! So happy for you and can’t wait to see what you do with it. Right now, I’m longing for an ikea couch (which is way stepping up for us from hand-me-downs and Salvation Army purchases)… got to love the process right?! = ) Congratulations!!
A sectional with good design — what a wedding and so hard to find. You scored! I think sectionals have fallen in grace, partly because they can be blocky, big walls of hard lines that take up so much space. There seems to have been a trend toward purchasing two sofas or one sofa and two chairs. I switched from a really ugly sectional to a sofa and two chairs. I thought I was ready for a new style, #2 shopper. Personally, my husband wants to stretch out as do our grown children who return for visits. So . . . I am going back to a sectional for the main living room. Now, to find that sectional with good design within my budget!
Heaven’s to Betsy..what a SPECTACULAR couch!!! I love the 1959 fabric. Actually I love anything from the 50’s and 60’s and feel I was born in the wrong era. My alter ego is June Cleaver! So, let’s lounge on your glorious new couch and drink some Tang while the meatloaf cooks.
Darlene, This is so right for you! And the family. They will learn to love and respect it.
I’m definitely a #1. I still get enjoyment daily from the furnishings I bought many years ago. And I love to see my old, cherished items in their new setting in my new home. They are what make my new surroundings home, although as you know I will be adding a few new pieces – but not too many. Maybe only one – the sofa. But I know when I find the right one, I will know that immediately and I will treasure it for years.
Can’t wait to see all of the updates at Fieldstone Hill!
[…] Well, we have also been working on our living room – and it has also been VERY bit by bit. I realized that it has been a really long time since I shared anything about this main living space of ours here on the blog. I have been sharing little snippets on Instagram, and I also gave a large clue when I crooned about our sofa. […]
[…] If you are wondering about the amazing sofa, and she is amazing, I wrote about her here. […]
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