Saturday, March 26, 2011

The New Look

We have had this house for nine years. We bought it as a second home with a plan to rent it out while we were not here. And so, the house was furnished with that in mind. The icapali sofa and chair in the living room looked nice and kind of rustic but once we were living here full time we found it wasn't comfortable for sitting through a movie or settling in to read a book for the afternoon.

I started looking for furniture. There were requirements. The living room is small and the furniture could not be too large. Neither one of us likes the sofas and chairs that are so deep that they are kind of loungers instead of chairs. The colors had to go with the current color scheme. I was willing to pay a reasonable price but not more than I would pay for a sofa and chairs in the USA. None of these seem too difficult but all of them together have been a formidable chore. I hate to tell you but I've been looking for just the right thing for about four years and never could find all the criteria at one time.

Last week we walked into a store that I've checked out many times before and there it was. We did measurements and came home to be sure. I called a couple of friends for their advice. One wondered about the color of the couch.....same thing I'd worried about. But Babs who had been a decorator in her previous life, told me the color would work. So we bought a small sofa and two chairs and we love them! Carly isn't so sure about the new furniture since she isn't allowed to get on it.

You know how it is though, now that I have the new furniture, I need  to change a few things around, add one or two new lamps, find some new piece for the coffee table. It is always something!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Corner fireplaces always look like a builder's afterthought, and don't do much for seating arrangements. You've made a nice looking room there in spite of it.

JW

Anonymous said...

What is the name and address of the store? Am looking for 2 loveseats.

S

Patrick Kopplin said...

It looks great! But how long before Carly gets a pass?

Anonymous said...

Billie, what is an icapali sofa?

Joan

Billie Mercer said...

Pat, she isn't getting a pass....at least not from me but Ned is a softie.

pitchertaker said...

Looks good to me...

alcuban said...

Billie: You have two throw pillows that are the same as ours... Pottery Barn? Restoration Hardware? They're nice..

al lanier

Billie Mercer said...

Al, I've had mine for quite a while....8 years maybe. I need to get some new ones but I do like the pattern. BTW, you and Stew have very good taste!
Billie

Joan said...

Billie--what is an icapali chair? Your room looks great!

Joan

Billie Mercer said...

Here is what equipale or icapali furniture looks like.
http://www.equipale.com/

Billie Mercer said...

Further explanation....ours was very well made and the wood was stained a dark color and it had custom made cushions.

The Travelling Chopsticks said...

'The New Look' Looks Fab - i love the arm chairs! I'm living in D.F and have found it incredibly difficult to buy descent quality furniture at a reasonable price - which really suprised me when I moved here, as I thought furniture would be cheaper than Europe!