Possible new furniture

[amberica]

Well, we had a great extended weekend. :) It's funny - ever since Jon said that I get to make the final decision on new furniture, he's been a lot more interested in shopping for it with me! I think he's worried that I'll pick something out that he hates, and he knows I like his input. This is perfect!

This weekend, we found a coffee table that we will definitely be getting no matter what, and looked at a couch/loveseat combo with some potential, and a beautiful sectional that we liked too.

The Breakdown:

• Coffee Table - Slumberland
  It's really pretty, nice decorative wood inlay on the top. It is one of those that has a shelf underneath and a drawer on the bottom, and the top can lift UP and FORWARD, kind of like this, except picture a functional drawer under that bottom shelf. (I can't find a picture of the exact model we liked.) We saw several with this feature, but this one was the most aesthetically pleasing. It also cost a little more ($309), but that's a sale price this week down from $379. Plus, we get a 30-day price guarantee, so if it comes down any more, we get a discount. More than I'd usually want to pay for a coffee table, but hey - we were given money to buy new furniture so we might as well get what we like!
  
  
• Two Harbors Couch and Loveseat - Slumberland
  We just looked at these two pieces, not the entire set - they are on sale for $699 each.
  
  What I like about them: Each half of the loveseat ROCKS INDEPENDENTLY! It's really fun! I think they also recline. The couch reclines on each end, and the "middle cushion folds down to create a convenient table surface with two cup holders." Sweet! (Here's a picture of that feature) Both pieces are really comfortable and made with a very durable fabric. They come in navy, burgundy, tan, and green. (I like the green best.)
  
  What I don't like: It's not quite the look I've been wanting - it's kind of that "overstuffed" furniture that I don't really like. I'd prefer something a little more "clean" and modern-looking. Also, I tend to prefer couches with legs so that I can slide things under them for storage.
  
  
• Manhatten 4-piece Sectional (I know, it's spelled wrong - but that's how THEY spelled it!) - HOM Furniture
  This was really nice to look at. We would only get the 4 pieces (2 corners, 2 armless), not the ottoman or end bumper.
  
  What I like: Very attractive. I like that all 4 sections are independent pieces so the arrangement is easy to change. I kind of like the back cusions because all those pillows can be moved about so that you can sit in whatever position you find most comfortable.
  
  What I don't like: It didn't look like it in the store, but this piece is HUGE! The longer part (3 sections wide) would completely go from wall to wall if we oriented it to cross the width of our living room (a very LONG and NARROW room). Yikes! Also, I did not really find it as comfortable as the Two Harbors furniture. It just felt like it would take a lot of work to get myself sitting in a way that would not make me slouch and get a sore back. The price is way higher, and you get less "features" (rocking, reclining, fold-down table) - and this is the SALE price at $1799. Yuck. It seems more "fancy" and less "durable," and while I do find it much nicer to look at, I am thinking about how much less practical it would be for LIVING with than the Two Harbors set. I get the feeling that those pillows would eventually get really smushed and deformed, and it would end up looking pretty sloppy in a relatively short period of time.

At this point in time, I'm really leaning a lot more towards the Two Harbors set. The way I see it, it will be nice and comfy and live-able, and although we are looking to do our decorating in a simpler, more Eastern-inspired aesthetic, I believe that we can still work with these. And as I told Jon, I figure that someday it might make good "basement furniture" (stuff for lounging and watching movies) and we could get nicer stuff further down the road for "Living Room Furniture" (nicer stuff for "entertaining" - not that we do much of that anyway! But yeah... that's my idea.)

Comments

[mouse-gerald.livejournal.com]

Ooh, you've got taste!

I like your idea of getting stuff from Slumberland and maybe someday retiring it to a rec room. Their prices are good, but in my experience their quality is sometimes a bit lacking.

I love shopping at HOM. That's where all my office furniture came from, and some of the fixtures in the rest of the house. And they have the best selection of rugs I've seen anywhere in town.

[amberica.livejournal.com]

Cool - I was hoping I could get a little feedback! Yeah, I am really liking the idea of getting stuff to live with now and retire later when we can afford even nicer stuff.

Even getting to this point has been a challenge. We have been to every imaginable furniture store over the last couple months and this is about all that we found worth seriously considering. Uff da!

[imogen-blue.livejournal.com]

i like the manhatten. it looks less like grandmother's loungeroom.
cushions do get flat but they can always be re-stuffed. i change my cushion innards every year or so. it also looks cleaner & less likely to get possessed by a demon & swallow you whole.

any couch you buy will need new stuffing eventually.

[frino.livejournal.com]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the couch from HOM furniture. We ran into the same sort of thing - comfort vs. "the look". We opted for comfort and features (reclines, and etc.) over looking good. Our house isn't big enough for furniture that gets used once or twice a year. :~(

[amberica.livejournal.com]

Yep, I did what you did - I went back to Slumberland tonight and bought the stuff with more features and comfort. Like mouse_gerald said, it will eventually be great rec room furniture, and then we can buy the "good" stuff when we have a "real" house to buy for (i.e,, one we plan to be in for a long, long time, not like this silly rental place with the funny light switches.)