Living Room Furniture Update

It just occurred to me that I have not posted about the status of the living room furniture search. The search has ended. We did not purchase a sectional. The cheapest one that I could find, that I actually liked, was over two thousand dollars. Ouch. I had a long list of requirements for this new couch/sectional...

1. The back cushions had to be removable.
2. It had to be long enough for me to lay down.
3. The seat had to be short enough that my feet would touch the floor. You might think I simply mean the height of the couch. I also mean the depth of the couch. On some couches when my back is against the back cushions my legs dangle off the end of the seat cushion. This leads to discomfort and poor circulation.
4. The fabric had to be easy to clean. My preference was leather but a few minutes of shopping knocked that idea off the list. Leather, in order for it to not make you sweat or be super cold in the winter, needs to be good quality, true leather. Quality leather is expensive. I could have bought any number of 'pleather' options but steered clear of those.
5. Which leads me to my next requirement: Affordable.
6. Not be dark chocolate/espresso brown. I had a very dark brown couch for many years that I loved but this time I wanted something a little lighter. I know grey is the couleur de nombreuses années (This is French for "color of many years", my play on color of the day--couleur du jour) but I'm not a huge fan of grey in the living room. Plus, I have plenty of grey in Sandi's room.
7. The legs had to be substantial; none of this mid-century modern spindly legs business for me.
8. Minimal space between the bottom of the couch and the floor. I didn't want enough room for my dogs to play under the couch.
9. No more foot long rolled arms! Think about it, that's two feet of un-sittable space.

So, did my new couch meet all the requirements? Not exactly. Here's a picture.

I realize my criteria was very specific and I did make some changes (ex: leather, not an option). The couch above is not the color we ordered. I loved the color in the picture. I even picked the exact same fabric swatch out of about 100 brown/tan choices. But it just isn't the best option for dogs who sometimes get muddy feet. And I hate to seem like one of those people who buy furniture for their dogs but I'm really not. With this couch Remy is going to lose his 'spot' on the top cushion (he likes to sit there and watch what's going on in the kitchen, i.e. wait for food to drop on the floor). I want nice furniture but not at the expense of cuddle time with my dogs. Instead we ordered a slightly darker brown fabric and our new couch is now being constructed. I am nervous about the selection because it was just a swatch of fabric but the cushion covers can be dry-cleaned and even scotch guarded. But the price is the #1 reason why I decided on this couch over the 100 or more that I saw. It's super comfortable, my feet don't dangle, the cushions are removable and the arms (yes, I  know they are rolled arms) are only about 6 inches. Here's a little comparison of what I ran into. This lovely plaid couch was on clearance at a different store.

The fabric is way too light, I know, but it has a bit of beauty and sophistication that I'm missing in my life. It was also very comfortable. This 'clearance' couch was over $1400. I got my couch on sale for $779. I also bought a leather recliner.

I was dead set AGAINST getting a recliner but this chair is so, so comfortable. I had my eye on another one by the same brand that I posted about before. This one is a prettier color and it is $500 less than the other chair. It's one of the top leather brands and again, the price was unbeatable. I don't love the arms so much but Jeff really seemed to like them. We got a couch and a chair for a little more than one 'clearance' couch. We'll pick up both pieces once the couch is ready. Wait, there's more...I purchased the blue velvet fabric I wanted at 60% off during Cyber Monday. 

I'll have to wait and save some money before I can get the swivel chair reupholstered but I do love the fabric. I know it's hard to see how pretty it is in this picture, but trust me, it's luxurious. It's also heavy duty, high performance, upholstery velvet. I'll need a new rug and pillows, maybe a blanket as well, to complete the look but that will be later. This post is twice as long as it needs to be.