My husband and I have always had used, hand-me-down sofas and love seats from family and friends. This saved us a ton but, well, that also meant we were stuck with whatever style or print was already on it. After 13-1/2 years, we decided to buy a brand new couch of our choosing. It was time to go sofa shopping!
When I was younger, I just remember my mom saying she was going to get a new sofa and, POOF, we had a new sofa in our house. So, I figured that we’d just go to the store and say “I want that one!” and it’d be delivered the same day. Apparently it doesn’t work that way. I wish someone would’ve told us to order our new sofa(s) BEFORE getting rid of the old ones.
Sofa Shopping and Unavoidable Headaches Begin!
We were clueless to the fact that many stores offered custom sofas and what was in the showroom was for display-only. After finding a style you like, you have to choose the fabrics you want and then wait some 8-10 weeks for it to arrive. Even if a store had that exact sofa in stock, it could still take 2-3 weeks to be delivered. I wish someone would’ve told us to order new sofas before getting rid of the old ones. We had few uncomfortable months of sitting on the floor or in awkward, random chairs . . .
Over the course of two days, we went to some 14 furniture stores in search of a sofa we liked. Fourteen!! We had no idea it would be such a huge project. Many of the showrooms carried similar styles and it was a challenge to find any sofas that had all four features we wanted. I could not believe how hard it was to get one that had flared arms, three seat cushions (versus just two and someone ends up sitting on the crack), a high back, and that was in our budget. It also had to be comfortable to all three of us, of course.
There was a dark brown leather sofa at Costco that seemed promising. It was $150 over-budget but the quality was good and it had two power recliners in it. However, that would meant it’d have to be kept about a foot from the wall at all times and we didn’t have that extra room to spare.
An Unexpected Furniture Store
We just happened to drive by a new furniture store that had opened and they had just want we were looking for. With much debating, we finally agreed on the fabric we wanted and put in our order. We were told it would only take 2-3 weeks, and that longer than usual because the manufacturers (located in southern California) likely had a backlog from holiday closures. Oh, and since we didn’t know much about this place yet, we made sure to put the purchase on our credit card just in case the shop mysteriously closed before we got our sofa.
Home Sweet Home
10 days later, our sofa was ready to be delivered. Assembled and carefully wrapped, two guys moved our sofa in and put it in place. It took a little while for us to get used to it. We liked how the color turned out but it just seemed so foreign to have this red block in our living room. Also, the cushions seemed so hard. As mentioned, our sofas in the past had always been “well-loved” before we got them and we were used to cushy, soft cushions you just melt into.
It didn’t take long for us to ‘break in’ the sofa. It’s been so nice being able to actually sit together to hang out or watch a movie. Now that we had our main living room piece in place we could start putting the room together nicely. We got our big mirror up, attached speakers to the wall, and arranged the rest of our furniture. I even found a simple little accent pillow to pull together the look. Finally it’s starting to feel like home 🙂
23 comments
Love your new couch. We just bought a new couch before Christmas. We got a tannish colored leather couch, but get this we bought it without seeing it other than a photo, without even sitting on it! An interior designer had it for a house she staged and had to sell it because the house sold and was offering it for HALF off. We’ve never had a brand new couch either. The price was right. We don’t regret our decision. Next I want to get a sectional couch for our family room. Our living room is only large enough for a standard size sofa, but it doesn’t seat all of us. 🙂
I recently purchased a new sofa. It took a bit of looking but I finally found the perfect one.
Yay! It’s so pretty. We have uncomfortable old couches. The fake leather has dry-rotted off so they look horrible. With two preschoolers in the house we don’t plan to replace them any time soon though. Have I ever mentioned that we can’t have nice things? 😉
ok, I’m trying NOT to laugh because I had that couch for YEARS (the navy/beige stripes with pink roses). And, yes, it was a hand-me-down from my parents!
Congrats on the new couch.
I’m loving the color, so beautiful! And, yes! Right now, my bedroom is giving me the biggest headache (uugghh!). It has a weird shape so furnishing it is kinda stressful lol.
Beautiful sofa! I’m NEEDING to be a new one, too.
We went through this, but at long last we found the right one for us
I like your new sofa! We have a newer set, bought less than 5 years, and I already hate it.
Yikes, 14 stores?! We got lucky & found one at our second stop last month when we were shopping. It took us some getting used to our new one too {it’s not bright red, which looks GORGEOUS by the way, but just a lot bigger than we’re used to}. I’m glad the place you found your couch was so awesome &turn around was so fast!
We’ve been searching for the perfect sofa for over a year now. It’s a nightmare!
We have not had too much troubles when shopping but we do need to get a new sofa for our family room.
I know just what you mean, when we went shopping for the sofa we have now it took us days and days and countless stops to find it. I love your new sofa though and the color is awesome!
Thank goodness I’m not the only one who had to go to a bazillion places to get the right thing. We did that with our dining room table. 🙂
Love your couch, and the color is awesome too!! Glad you can get off the floor (or random chairs) now. 🙂
We waited a long time to buy new furniture too. I did buy a desk and had to wait 4 weeks to deliver, I was so bummed.,
I LOVE the color you chose, what a pretty sofa! We recently bought a sectional that is comfy and nice!
Great color choice. I like warm colors in living areas.
Looks like a great choice. And it is so hard to pick a Sofa.
The salesmen that stock you when you shop drive me crazy!
We’re lucky that NC has some of the largest furniture companies and outlets in the country. For our last couch, we just went to an enormous furniture mall, which had dozens of manufacturers all in the same place. It made finding the perfect couch much easier!
How pretty nice pick! We actually bought a new couch last year or the year before, can’t remember. It was a bit hectic as we didn’t have many options. Luckily the last store we went to had one we just loved!!
I prefer when my shopping experience includes a helpful but not hassling sales associate. Although our current sectional is only three years old, I know the next couch we purchase will be when our children are old enough to help take proper care of it.
Those are some big issues, but the biggest for me is the fabric. OHHH the fabric. I feel like a total goob because I used to work in the decor biz and would create custom sofas for people – so I know about fabrics and those that are good for wear and tear.
I love it. You chose such a bold color, too!
Comments are closed.