Sofa!!

The excitement really only needs a one word title.  After 3+ years of lamenting our too-large-for-the-living-room lumpy (but oh so comfy) couch....

We finally have a sexy adult sofa that will hold up for more than a couple years.  The word 'sofa' just sounds so much more sophisticated than 'couch,' don't you think?

We splurged for the Diane's sofa from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams in the stock velvet (aka unable to be ruined by little kitty paws), and I.am.in.love.

I'm also so amazingly happy with how far the living room has come this year!  From the highly artistic and totally accurately perspectived sketch that I showed you back in January, I think I can say- mission accomplished.

All the puzzle pieces have finally come together and I'm giddy!  Just a few last finishing touches needed *coughpillowsandrugcough* and I will soon be able to put the Done(ish) stamp on this room.  When is a room in my house ever fully done?  Well, done enough to take some new pics for my Home Tour.

Hubby's still rather neutral on pretty new Diane- I think because the color is almost identical to our old one, but OMG, I personally think having the right scaled sofa for the space is a breath of fresh air!!

Since my sketched out plans in January, the living room has gotten:

• A gold touch via coffee tables
• An amazing update to a treasured antique chair
• A custom built-in bookcase (here, here and here)
• & new (to me) mis-matched end tables that fit so perfectly in the room

So, are you as in love with Diane as I am??

New Old Chair

Monday, you got a peak at the reveal of my newly reupholstered antique chair, so I though today I'd show you the full transformation. We inherited our awesome chair from a friend.  It had been in his family for longer than he'd been alive, but he had no place for it.  After an unfortunate incident with the Queen (Daisy), the non-colorfast seat needed washing.  For 4 years, we've had the chair in our apartment, and then various rooms of our house in it's not-so-fresh red/pink state.

I was so excited when the waitlist I had been on allowed me to get into an awesome reupholstery class last minute at the Eliot School in Boston (not a paid endorsement, they were just awesome and if you live in the area, check them out and the classes they offer!  Do it!)

The first class was painful, where I started ripping my beloved chair apart, but the rebuilding was so gratifying!

I am not even going to pretend to be any kind of expert at reupholstering, but I will tell you that the key is to pay attention as you're disassembling and take note of how everything is attached.  Then do that with your new materials and fabrics.  Simple, right? ha!

Once the fabric was all attached and trimmed, the final steps were to glue on the double-welt (to hide the staples) and sew a cushion.

LOVE!

Sometimes it works to bribe furry models with treats.  Sometimes.

If you're anything like me, you love a side by side before and after.

How's that for a transformation??

I'm so pleased to be able to give the chair a new life!

Berkshires Treasure Hunting

I love and hate weekend trips at the same time.  Hate only because I come home to everything I wasn't able to do at my house over the weekend and then play catch-up, but weekend trips are pretty awesome otherwise.  This weekend was a girl's weekend (check off #3 on 30 before 30) with one of my best friends.  Antiquing in the Berkshires (Western Mass.) sounds like no fun to me.  None at all.  I hate antiques and treasure hunting and .....  yeah... needless to say, a good time was had by all.  AND we got to come home with a few fun treasures. I was a girl on a mission: end tables for my living room update.

Day 1 left me pretty high and dry mission-wise.  My only score was an adorable tea set (in less than perfect condition) for a whopping $5.  The set included only a teapot and a sugar bowl and I had plans for them the moment I laid eyes on them.

As you can see, the teapot-turned-planter is hanging out in the living room, while the sugar dish has found a temporary home on the kitchen window sill.

B made out like a bandit on day 1, scoring 4 awesome mid century upholstered folding chairs with brass hardware that I neglected to get a picture of.  I was too distracted by my dream lamps.

Since I didn't want to sell my kidney to buy them, I walked away and wiped off the drool.

Day 2 was kinder to me and and my mission and I ended up coming home with 2 very reasonably priced side tables.  One being EXACTLY what I was looking for, and the other was just too good of a deal to pass up.

This find was the best way to start out the 2nd morning.

Although not in pristine condition, thankfully this little table is only in need of some minor sprucing up.  Much to my pleasant surprise, even Hubby really likes it!  At $55 it was cheaper and in better condition than ones I had seen on Craigslist!

The other table is a small, oval flip top table.  It's most certainly not antique, but it was only $20 and I think I can Tim Gunn it (make it work!).

And here it is with my sexy reupholstered chair that I'm SUPER excited about.

Now I can't wait until the entire living room is at 100%!!