The Sofa Hunt is Over!!!

Over the weekend I was fortnuate to nab a spot in a bedroom decorating course at the local Pottery Barn (and by local I mean 60 minutes away is the closest PB we've got). I was psyched about this for two reasons: 1. I was hoping to gain some insight into fresh ideas for decorating your bedroom as that is the next room on our list, 2. because I wanted to see the Buchanan sofa in person, as it was the front runner in our hunt for the perfect living room sofa.

The class was a little disappointing. It was devoted to teaching us about proportions for your furniture and tips like "wash your bedding once a week." Really PB? Really? I will also admit that I was underwhelmed by the Buchanan sofa. It looked so comfy-yet-formal online but after sitting on it for a bit I wouldn't want to take a Sunday afternoon nap on it. Even the fact that it was $250 less than the salesperson on the phone quoted me didn't sweeten the deal. So long, Buchanan.

Source: Pottery Barn

I walked around the store and took some mental notes of characteristics that I did like in some of their furniture pieces. I was definitely leaning more towards a two cushion sofa rather than the three (like the Buchanan). I also knew that I wanted something that was in a creamy natural colour (to coordinate with the cushions on our two chairs) and a durable fabric.

After Pottery Barn I strolled over to Crate and Barrel (my absolute FAVOURITE store on the planet, yes I love it even more than Home Sense). As the escalator approached the second floor (furniture floor), I was greeted with this beauty:

Source: Crate and Barrel

The C&B Axis sofa fit all but two items on our list:
- Two cushions but can seat three: check
- Comfortable to take a nap on: check
- Formal enough to have drinks with guest on: check
- Under 90 inches wide: check!
- Comes in a natural/off white shade: notta
- At or under the $1500 budget: double notta (it was a whopping 2k plus delivery...yikes!)

You would think I'd be totally distraught, but I was actually psyched because I now knew exactly what I wanted!

Once home I got online and saved a bunch of sofa-inspiration photos to our computer. I also searched around on some of my favourite home decor/DIY blogs. I noticed that John and Sherry's sofa (Young House Love) was from Rowe and thought "man that is a sweet looking sofa and almost exactly what we're looking for!" In about 30 seconds I was online and found "the sofa." 30 seconds later I had located a Rowe retailer in a nearby city. Brent loved it, I loved it, the stock photo is in the colour we want, now I just needed to know the price tag. About 1 minute later I was on the phone with the store and after another 30 seconds almost fell off my chair: $600-$1100 ::pumps fists::

Does it get any better? Oh heck yes it does! I didn't mention this earlier but Pottery Barn sofas take 16-18 weeks to arrive. That was the deal breaker for Brent. Rowe on the other hand? 2-6 "but they've never taken longer than 4," said the sweet girl from the retailer (who I might just hug when we go to the store on Saturday to order the sofa).

Two more features that take this couch above and beyond for us: machine washable slipcovers that don't look wrinkled after you wash them (thanks John and Sherry for the tip on your blog!). I now have zero reservations about the combo of a light couch with our someday children! What's more is you can order the toss cushions in any colour/pattern fabric you want, saving us moolah in the accessories budget! ::commences happy dance::

So here she is, Darby (style name).

Source: Rowe Furniture

We've read so many good things about Rowe's quality from actual owners, that basically a spring is going to have to pop out of the floor model to stop us from placing an order! Can't wait to show you all how it looks in our living room!