Sunday, September 27, 2009

the changeling


We’ve been planning to buy a new sofa since we bought the country house.  Well, maybe not ever since we bought the country house, but at least since I started looking around and pointing at things and saying...that’s staying; that’s staying; nope, not taking that.  The love seat was on the top of the list.  It is so old, has broken springs and a tear in the back where they poked through.  Um, maybe I shouldn’t be revealing how tacky we are.


We also thought, as long as we were at it, we’d get another recliner.  I got it in my mind that I wanted a leather sofa and/or recliner.  I’d been to people’s homes that had leather furniture and it was always so dreamy to sit in.  Unfortunately I have leather tastes on a polyester budget.  We did actually find several leather sofas that we could afford but either the cushions were hard or the seat was so high my feet didn’t touch the ground.  Call me silly, but I want my feet to touch the ground when I sit on a sofa.


Last December we had a little extra money.  What that means is that we got paid for a job and hadn’t paid any of our bills yet, so we decided to go sofa shopping.  We like to support the businesses in the country but we quickly determined that we couldn’t afford anything we liked at the furniture store here in Wharton (pop. under 10,000) so we drove to El Campo (pop. about 20,000) which is about 20 miles down the road.  Sofa shopping with me means sitting on every sofa we like the looks of to determine comfort.  Some are too high, some are too deep, some are too hard, some, the cushions are shaped weird.  We winnowed it down to a couple of sofas, one of which was a sage green micro-fiber double recliner but weren’t ready to commit ourselves.  After all, we had just started looking and planned to head toward Houston the next day to look some more.  Only we didn’t and our window of opportunity slammed shut with the plummeting economy.


Nine months later I’m ready to start unpacking some of our stuff but I don’t want to until I know where the furniture is going to go and that means getting the sofa.  So last week we went to a pretty cool quality resale shop and looked to see what they had.  They had a couple of nice leather sofas which we still could not afford so yesterday we went back to El Campo and tried out all the sofas and lo and behold, there was the same sage green micro-fiber double recliner that we had considered last year and it was $100 less.  We took this for a sign and bought it.  They put it in the truck and off we went.


I hate buying big ticket items.  I always suffer buyer’s remorse because the grass is always greener...right?  I always get over it, I remind myself of all the things I like about it, I get used to the new thing but it takes me awhile to convince myself that this was right.  And that’s because, it takes me a long time to make up my mind.  I want to see and consider every possible alternative first which is fine if there is a finite number of choices.  But with things like houses and sofas, there is always something new being offered a few months later.  Not Husband.  He is more of an impulse buyer...I like it, let’s get it...and he never again thinks about how much it cost.


So we get the sofa home.  I actually prefer a more tailored look but this one was just so comfortable and apparently, comfort is higher on my list than looks.  



This is the color it was in the store.



This is the color it is in our house.


This is not the same color.  


“It’s the curse”, he says.


“It’s not the curse!” I exclaim.  


Although, after all these years, I’m beginning to think he may be right.



11 comments:

  1. I love it : ) I totally know what you mean about buyers remorse. I do the same exact thing on every.single big ticket item we get. It drives me batty! : )

    I saw your coment at Let's have a cocktail and I came over to say hi! I love your blog name! Very cute : )

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  2. I been there. I am still there. Nothing fits me; almost nothing. My one and only chair/leather stressless chair. Yes, top of the line Swedish Stressless chair that moves as you do, remains in the position you want and is absolutely divinely comfortable. Now, my husband wants one. We can't afford another one at this time.

    I jumped in and bought it when I found a chair for my 5' frame. I had to climb up the other furniture in the house all perfect for my husband's 6' frame.

    We have to travel further to find a furniture store.

    p.s. leather is nice.

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  3. hi ellen, this story made me smile because i like to buy things on the spot, soon as a see them, if i like them then i get them. i'm married to someone whose feet don't touch the ground, who worries about the colours - and they do look different (!) - deals - gotta have a deal...... for me if it's furniture it's gotta have style, comfort and as for the rest . . . . enjoy that very comfy looking couch!!!! steven

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  4. Whatever color it is, it looks VERY comfy!

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  5. I, too, dislike big purchases. I almost always regret the decision. And I, too, search high and low, check out every possible option -- and thoroughly exhaust myself in the process.

    It's funny how colors change like that. I'm a color maniac, but I absolutely cannot pick colors to save my life when it comes to my house.

    Thank heavens EarthDoctor son has a girlfriend who has THE most amazing design eye for interior and exterior spaces. She picked the color of paint for the outside of the house -- and it's PERFECT!!!

    I hope you have lots of comfy, dreamy time on your new love seat. It looks like a piece one could easily nestle down into with a great book (or a laptop)!

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  6. Sure looks comfortable to me, and I like the color, too. Buying a sofa is a production, isn't it? I'm shopping for one, right now, and comfort is #1 with me, too.

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  7. I'm a blend of both shopping styles. If I'm out & about & see something I want - I just get it & forget about it. If I'm shopping FOR something that's a whole other kettle of fish. It could take decades.

    Bizarre about the color of the sofa changing - however, from what I can see of the room it looks pretty good there.

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  8. Looks really comfy. And I like the way it looks in your place, even better than the store.

    We opted for comfort over looks when we bought a sectional for our family room last year. It's actually too big for the room, but I love it. I call it my nest.

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  9. Hi Ellen

    it seems to suit your room the way it is...

    Happy days

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  10. I, too, always have buyer's remorse when I spend a lot of money on anything. But I salute you! You did well.

    I think it looks better in your house than in the store, all soft and grayish green. Lovely!!

    And - I'll take micro fiber over leather anytime. In my experience leather is hot and sticky in the summer, freezing cold in the winter.

    You triumphed! Enjoy!!

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  11. I'm getting over the shock, of the purchase and the color change. Now comes the dread task of arranging the furniture. We still have a few pieces of the living room furniture to take down, will probably do it this coming weekend if it doesn't rain.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.