Red Sofa (again!)
cobi's house • colour • decorating • Comments (8)
14 years of use and abuse….it was time for a new sofa.
Let me just say, I believe in buying furniture that lasts and 14 years is probably not that long in terms of the life of a ‘good’ sofa. I know, because I have one upstairs that my mother bought in the 70’s and short of being reupholstered, it’s in great condition.
But our sofa was bought from a trendy store in the 90’s and it’s main attribute at the time was the oversized styling and denim fabric that was all the rage rather than it’s springs and coils. Suffice to say, after a few years, I started to wonder if it had any.
Anyway, we lived with (and on) it through babies, 2 houses, new slip covers, sick days home from school, 2 dogs, movie nights, tv dinners, the whole gamut and to be honest, it owed us nothing when we put it by the curb and watched a couple in a truck drive off with it a few minutes later destined for cottage country.
The funny party of the story is what I bought. I definitely wanted a well constructed sofa this time - I guess I’ve grown too old to tolerate style without substance - and so I headed for a tried and true brand, one that’s made right here in Canada, where I can actually stand and watch each coil being tied if I want.
I knew I didn’t have the time or the cash to redecorate my whole living room (plus, I like it!) and so I needed something that would work with the carpet and paisley wing chairs and my beloved kilim covered ottoman. I considered leather for its practicality and I do think a well styled, chocolate brown leather sofa is a classic in any room, but it just doesn’t have the ‘cozy factor’ that I know my kids loved about ‘ol’ red’.
I headed to Barrymore Furniture in Toronto and chose the style within a few minutes. Neater and tidier than 14 years ago, but stuffed with premium fill that sinks when you sit down and has enough body to come back up when you get up (they call it ‘memory’) and most important of all, long enough for a tall person’s afternoon nap.
The other thing I loved about this sofa was the 3 cushions in the back. I had them upholstered in a beautiful woven pattern but they can be done in a solid like the rest of the piece. Because this sofa has a lot of depth, they work perfectly if a non-tall person sits down and needs more back support. They can also be put on the ends if you want to lay down, but look neatly lined up when the sofa isn’t in use. Brilliant.
Anyway, after going through the racks and racks of gorgeous fabric samples, yes, I decided to upholster the sofa in a durable (it will take 78,000 rubs before it shows!) garnet red almost identical to the last one. I guess I’m just destined to have a red sofa. It reminded me of a woman I knew who decided to buy a new sofa after 20 years or something and shopped and shopped and finally decided on the same chintz that was on her old one. The sales people at Barrymore tell me it isn’t that unusual for people to do - who knew? I guess some of us just really know what we like.
What I love about a red sofa is that it’s solid looking but not too dark. It hides the dirt. It works with lots of other colours. It looks great in the winter (and we don’t use the living room much in the summer). And best of all, I can leave my floor and walls neutral and the room still has personality, which I think is the key to happy decorating.
Anyway, our friends and family likely won’t even notice the sofa had changed - they just won’t sink to the floor when they sit in it the way they used to! The most important thing is that it passed the kid test - they were skeptical I could find anything as comfortable as ol’ red. And as you can see by the picture, the dog gave it two paws up too.
For those interested, here are the deets on my new sofa:
Sofa style:
Barrymore’s own Broadway Collection style #2722 with Feather Delux fill and spike legs in Dark Walnut finish.
Fabrics:
Kravet (26761-9) Ribbed Ott: Venetian Red
Robert Allen Kaleko Inn - Cashew
ol’ red
new red
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