Day 79: Furniture Frenzy
Mr. E and I have been chatting for awhile about making some changes to our first floor layout, especially to accommodate more guest seating not only for visiting but also for hosting meals. At the moment, we can seat 4 people at the counter-height island in the kitchen along with 2 people on the red loveseat and 1 person in the purple chair. This works just fine most of the time, especially when it's just the two of us and the kitties, but it does limit our options for entertaining.
The biggest challenge has been around some sort of dining table configuration that could seat 6-8 people. We really don't have the space to have that large a table permanently set up, so we've been trying and trying to envision modular possibilities that would maximize the space we do have and provide for optimal flexibility in seating arrangements as well.
Mr. E suggested a field trip to Ikea this past weekend to look for table-top options to which we could add legs, possibly adjustable, as we had toyed with the idea of having 2 tables that could raise and lower so that 1 of them could be used as a coffee table. When we saw the length of the table-top, however, it was obvious that the appropriate dining length would be too long for a coffee table.
We decided to go for 2 table-tops with legs, knowing that we can easily keep one entire set dismantled and stored somewhere when we're not using it. That way, we'll have 1 table of roughly 60" x 30" permanently in the room and another that we can add to it for more seating, when necessary.
Now if only the table-tops weren't out of stock! *sigh* According to the Ikea web site, they should be back in stock at our local Ikea in West Sacramento by the end of the month.
Prior to our Ikea trip, we had checked out the options for additional seating (not dining) at Scandinavian Designs (SD), prompted partly by the $50-off-$500 coupon we received in the mail last week. We found 1 sofa at a reasonable price that we both liked, but thought we might find something else at Ikea, so we didn't make any purchases at SD.
Our browsing at Ikea for comfy seating options was completely unsuccessful, however, and we both felt that the design aesthetic at the store has changed over time and become much more poufy and traditional, whereas we tend to prefer items that are more streamlined and somewhat modern.
So... back to SD yesterday to look at the sofa again and make some decisions.
This is the Bloom sofa in Anthracite, which looks better in person than in the picture (really, it does...). To replace the red loveseat in the living room, we decided to purchase 2 loveseats (no photo available) rather than 1 longer sofa, as that gives us more flexibility in layout of the furniture along with more total seating. Realistically, only 3 people would sit on the long sofa, but 2 people can fit comfortably in each loveseat - even maintaining some personal space between them! - so that will give us seating for 4 guests.
While we were wandering through the store on our way to look at this sofa again, we found some other items of interest, which resulted in multiple purchases that prompted the title of this post. We're getting this all-in-one recliner, but in red, to replace the big brown chair in the Library uptairs:
The big brown chair and matching ottoman, currently downstairs in the living room, will be finding a new home with my colleague, N, who will be moving soon from a small apartment to a 3-bedroom house.
Mr. E also finally found a reasonably priced and more comfortable office chair, which is something we've been seeking for several months:
And finally, we'll be bidding a fond farewell to the sleeper sofa in the Office and replacing it with this adjustable day bed, which has multiple moving parts to convert from a sofa to a twin bed to a queen sleeper:
Phew! All of this is due to be delivered next week, so Mr. E will be calling the Salvation Army for a donation pick-up for the red loveseat and sleeper sofa.
It's a bit sad to say goodbye to the sofa, as that was a piece I bought at American Furniture in Madison after I moved into my 1-bedroom apartment on South Brooks Street and needed not only a sofa but also a place for houseguests to sleep. So that sofa, which now sports a SureFit slipcover that I altered the heck out of to make it fit, has been with me longer than I've known Mr. E!
Once everything arrives, I'll post photos of the new configurations in all 3 rooms.
The biggest challenge has been around some sort of dining table configuration that could seat 6-8 people. We really don't have the space to have that large a table permanently set up, so we've been trying and trying to envision modular possibilities that would maximize the space we do have and provide for optimal flexibility in seating arrangements as well.
Mr. E suggested a field trip to Ikea this past weekend to look for table-top options to which we could add legs, possibly adjustable, as we had toyed with the idea of having 2 tables that could raise and lower so that 1 of them could be used as a coffee table. When we saw the length of the table-top, however, it was obvious that the appropriate dining length would be too long for a coffee table.
We decided to go for 2 table-tops with legs, knowing that we can easily keep one entire set dismantled and stored somewhere when we're not using it. That way, we'll have 1 table of roughly 60" x 30" permanently in the room and another that we can add to it for more seating, when necessary.
Now if only the table-tops weren't out of stock! *sigh* According to the Ikea web site, they should be back in stock at our local Ikea in West Sacramento by the end of the month.
Prior to our Ikea trip, we had checked out the options for additional seating (not dining) at Scandinavian Designs (SD), prompted partly by the $50-off-$500 coupon we received in the mail last week. We found 1 sofa at a reasonable price that we both liked, but thought we might find something else at Ikea, so we didn't make any purchases at SD.
Our browsing at Ikea for comfy seating options was completely unsuccessful, however, and we both felt that the design aesthetic at the store has changed over time and become much more poufy and traditional, whereas we tend to prefer items that are more streamlined and somewhat modern.
So... back to SD yesterday to look at the sofa again and make some decisions.
This is the Bloom sofa in Anthracite, which looks better in person than in the picture (really, it does...). To replace the red loveseat in the living room, we decided to purchase 2 loveseats (no photo available) rather than 1 longer sofa, as that gives us more flexibility in layout of the furniture along with more total seating. Realistically, only 3 people would sit on the long sofa, but 2 people can fit comfortably in each loveseat - even maintaining some personal space between them! - so that will give us seating for 4 guests.
While we were wandering through the store on our way to look at this sofa again, we found some other items of interest, which resulted in multiple purchases that prompted the title of this post. We're getting this all-in-one recliner, but in red, to replace the big brown chair in the Library uptairs:
The big brown chair and matching ottoman, currently downstairs in the living room, will be finding a new home with my colleague, N, who will be moving soon from a small apartment to a 3-bedroom house.
Mr. E also finally found a reasonably priced and more comfortable office chair, which is something we've been seeking for several months:
And finally, we'll be bidding a fond farewell to the sleeper sofa in the Office and replacing it with this adjustable day bed, which has multiple moving parts to convert from a sofa to a twin bed to a queen sleeper:
Phew! All of this is due to be delivered next week, so Mr. E will be calling the Salvation Army for a donation pick-up for the red loveseat and sleeper sofa.
It's a bit sad to say goodbye to the sofa, as that was a piece I bought at American Furniture in Madison after I moved into my 1-bedroom apartment on South Brooks Street and needed not only a sofa but also a place for houseguests to sleep. So that sofa, which now sports a SureFit slipcover that I altered the heck out of to make it fit, has been with me longer than I've known Mr. E!
Once everything arrives, I'll post photos of the new configurations in all 3 rooms.
posted by jms | 3:19 PM
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