September 16, 2010: Out With the Old, In With the New

It was time. We've lived with the blue sofa and love seat for over twenty years, and it refuses to die. It just got to the point where we were sick and tired of it, so we went furniture shopping.

Do you know that everything in the furniture stores is brown? I did see one bright paprika colored sofa, but that was just too much of a system shock. Besides, I don't have paprika colored dogs, and the two I do have do shed. So I had no choice, I went brown. I did find a small, comfortable, sage green recliner (ahhhhh.....finally, a chair that fits my weary bones!). We had a perfectly good and practically new sage green recliner in the family room, so we brought it into the living room last night and I tested it out. It was so big, I had to practically lie flat on my back for my feet to touch the floor! It took all my strength to recline it, and then I couldn't get it back upright. I'm really not that weak! My daughter, Amy, dropped in, and I had her try it. She got stuck in the horizontal position, too. Mr. Granny was not a happy camper when I informed him the giant recliner was just not acceptable. He was especially grouchy about having to move it back to its original location.

Mr. Granny and I searched through two furniture stores yesterday, and I think I sat on about a hundred couches and reclined in a dozen or more chairs. I'm not a short person, around 5' 5", but most of the sofas were so deep I felt like Edith Ann, sitting in her giant chair. Besides, most of them had loose pillow backs. Did I ever tell you that my boy dog, Otto, has an insatiable appetite for loose pillows? We can't leave him alone in the house, or he consumes them. He doesn't just rip into them, he eats them. We've learned to shut all loose sofa pillows in the closet when we leave the house. Of course, he hasn't eaten a pillow since he was about a year old, but I hate to take chances.

By the time I drove into the parking lot at the third furniture store, Mr. Granny was refusing to leave the car. I really don't know why I even took the man, he's not the best shopper. To him, a chair is a chair, a sofa is a sofa, and he'd just buy the first one he saw. He actually wanted to buy a gray one, and I have beige carpeting!

I wasn't even going to stop at the fourth furniture store. They were having a sale, but the previous tenants of that building sold cheap furniture, and I hadn't bothered to even go through their doors in years, expecting the new owners to be selling the same shoddy wares. But I was in the neighborhood, and I had yet to see "IT". "IT" being something I could live with the rest of my life, because hopefully it will be the last living room set I'll ever have to buy. So, leaving Mr. Granny behind again, I entered the fourth, and thankfully final, furniture store.

I was greeted by a pleasant young salesman, the first one of the day who actually acted as though he wanted to be of help. I told him I would know if I saw "IT", and he respectfully backed off and let me browse. About the third row in, I saw "IT". The salesman sensed immediately that it was time to come in for the kill sale. He deftly showed me the quality workmanship, explained that the cushions were puffy because they were hand stuffed down filled, and pointed out the fact that the set was marked down over $300 from its regular price. When I mentioned I might be interested in a small recliner, he didn't stupidly ask "what size would that be?" like the salesman at a previously visited store (did he really expect me to have chair measurements in my head?), he picked up one of the loose pillows from the sofa and went directly to a small, sage green recliner. One that fit my butt like a glove. One that let my feet touch the floor so I could gently rock. One that reclined so comfortably it almost made me want to shut my eyes and go to sleep. One that went back into the upright position without throwing out my back. Thank you Charlie, from Thomas Furniture. It's not often one finds a competent, caring salesperson these days.

I just wish I'd looked at their website before I spent $1500 at their store. There's a coupon for 10% off the purchase! Too late now :-(


So, anyway, out with the old......




And in with the new......




I still have a few accessories to change. So far I've purchased a few candles and reclaimed the large, brown, pottery ashtray from the boys' smoking area on the patio. I clustered three candles in the ashtray and surrounded them with small colored stones. I bought a small vase of dried grasses for the old sewing machine, and next to it, I set the green leaf shaped dish I'd bought when the dollar store sold out last summer.


The blue floral entry rug was replaced with this more colorful one, which really picks up the colors of the brown sofa and love seat, the lighter shade of the oak furniture, the sage green recliner, and the brick on the fireplace. Eventually, I'll recover the sofa pillows in a fabric with these darker and brighter colors.

Now, please excuse me while I fall asleep in my new recliner.

25 comments:

  1. Love your new furniture, but especially that antique sewing machine! Glad you finally found what you like.

    Men, what are we gonna do with them? I usually go furniture shopping on my own, and then once I find "it" I go back and bring him. That seems to work well.

    Years ago we had a sofa with loose cushions, and I didn't realize when we were in the store, but they would not stay put when we sat in the sofa. That was a very frustrating piece of furniture. Our cats finally shredded it, and I didn't care!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alison, that sewing machine was purchased second hand by my mother-in-law and father-in-law right after they were married, in 1929, so it's well over 80 years old. After Mr. Granny and I were married in 1962, it was given to me. I used to make clothes for my children on it. It still works, but we've removed the belt for safety's sake.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. Granny really just sat and waited in the car while you did furniture shopping at stores 3 and 4? Good for you on getting it done on your own! It looks like you made a fine choice on the sofa set and the sage green recliner.

    The last time I went couch shopping, I got a bit frustrated because it seemed like the majority of the stuff was just "crap" and not comfortable enough. Furniture seems to be one of those things that the ones in your price range mostly look/feel mediocre, and the ones that are really nice seem way overpriced.

    Have a good weekend in your new recliner!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness! My mother owns a sewing machine just like that, handed down from my great grandmother.

    I used to be so fascinated by it when I was a child. I would open the little panel on the top and gaze down on the old heavy dusty sewing machine tucked inside. One time I remember even hefting it out of it's hiding place (on the hinges) to set it up right so I could get a good look at it. That thing must have been made out of cast iron or something! Super heavy!

    Thanks for the memories...

    Oh, and LOVE the updated furniture by the way. My husband told me a year ago I could have a new couch, but I just haven't found "IT" yet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thyme2, I was spoiled with my previous purchase, the blue couch and love seat. When I bought that, the furniture store was going out of business, and they had a "sidewalk sale". Just as I began looking around, their truck pulled up and unloaded that set, which was still in its protective wrapping. Someone had purchased it, but their check bounced and it was repossessed. I picked up both pieces for $350! It's still in good shape after more than 20 years, so I gave it to my youngest son....the same one that has our previous car, lol! Stuff doesn't go far from home ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chelsea, it's hard for me to part with stuff when it's still in good shape. I could have continued to live with the blue set and the old Chrysler because the were still in good condition. I just had to grit my teeth and DO it!

    Some day, when the grandbabies are all old enough to respect the sewing machine, I'll put it back together and see if it still sews as well as I remember. I know there are needles and attachments in one of the drawers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh wow, I can't believe you had your old furniture for 20 years! Wow, and it lasted! I love the new stuff. You are right about the lack of color, everything is brown!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Annie your new furniture looks fabulous! Your sewing machine looks very like the one my granny had, except that hers was wood all the way down with more drawers at the sides and a cupboard in the middle that the machine appeared from.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh I finally have something where my hubby beats yours. He actually had opinions for furniture shopping. He sat in every chair in the store. Though he did want one of those enormous recliners which wouldn't have fit in our small living room. I talked him into one that matches the one I picked out for me. Now it is cute. We have matching recliners in front of the TV. And don't you hate how they make couches too big to sit in? I'm 5' 7" for goodness sake. A lot of them if my butt is against the back where it ought to be, my knees can bend to go to the ground. I have friends and family too that are petite. They would never fit into them. Well except like I usually sit on the couch - with my legs curled underneath me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So happy you found "IT". Enjoy your new room!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I understand what you mean about fitting into a recliner. My husband is well over 6 ft tall, I'm just 5'4". Finding chairs we both liked was not easy. Oh and I have that same rug! I love it, you can put so many colors with it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Just love your new living room. How do the dogs like it?

    I would call and ask about the coupon. A reputable place would want to please their customers and honor it. Was it for an online order only. I never do that but my frugal hubby often get's great results taking to the manager and getting the online deal. Might be worth a try.

    Have a great weekend on your lovely new furniture....no fight Mr. Granny for the recliner. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Meemsnyc, I'd add more color with a throw over the arm of the sofa, but Otto would probably eat it.

    ********
    Jan, that old sewing machine would be the last piece of furniture I'd ever part with. I just love it!

    ********
    Daphne, when left on his own, Mr. granny buys things like the giant recliner. Why? Because if he bought two cases of Miller beer and the chair, he got a $50 rebate. It made no difference that the chair is terribly uncomfortable, is way large for "his" room, and nobody ever sits in it. Oh, the $50 rebate never came, either.

    ********
    Kelly, I kind of enjoyed it last night. Annie has discovered she can get on my lap if I have the bottom of the recliner at a slight slope...she uses it like a ramp. The chair is narrow, so she lays across my legs, and that dog is heavy! But she seems so happy to finally be a lap dog, just like her brother (Otto has no problems jumping onto laps).

    ********
    LB, yay! We have twin rugs! I was happy to find one that brought out all the colors in the living room.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lorie, Otto just sniffed it, then jumped right up on the sofa and went to sleep. Annie hasn't tried it out yet (just my lap in the recliner), as she can't get on the sofa without her stool, and I've removed it for painting. It should be done and ready for her today. We don't spoil our dogs ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nice furniture. Good you got a comfortable recliner. Oh my, that sewing machine, my mother has one of those and I used it while I was a teenager :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. LOL, Sarada, by the comments made here, lots of people must have those sewing machines!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very nice furniture and the amazing part is that you were able to deal with nice salesperson...that is really something.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mr. H., finding a nice salesperson made spending the $$$ much less painful. I just hate it when I can't get decent and friendly service, which happens all too often. Having just bought a new car, I'm still in shock at the attitudes of auto salesmen. We spent a month trying to deal with one, before giving up and purchasing a completely different make from another dealer.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the new look! Haha, my mom has about 7 or 8 of those sewing machines.... she stores them randomly at her kids' houses, good thing I live 1200 miles away since being her only daughter, normally I would qualify for having to store them ALL! Wonder how my single brother does with the ladies when he has them over to his bachelor pad and they see one of the Singers... LOL

    ReplyDelete
  20. Erin, one is enough for me, thank you! If those single ladies are smart, one of them will grab up your brother just to get possession of that sewing machine!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm sitting on my new brown and beige sofa, looking at the new brown and beige chair and thinking you might be right about the color options avilable. The salesman at one store told us that if we couldn't find anything in his store in the range we were looking, we might want to think about used furniture. I thought it was pretty rude, but didn't want to be rude back by saying that his stuff was junk and it wasn't what we were looking for. Ah well, hopefully we won't need to do it again soon, but since we really only bought stuff that the kids can utilize, we will probably need some new ones in about 10 years or so.

    Congrats on staying strong and finding the right chair for you! I had a heck of a time when we looked for a glider, I'm only 5'1" and it took a lot of sitting and gliding to find one that fit my frame!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nartaya, salesmen can be so rude! Years ago we were looking for a new car, and Mr. Granny had just got off work, so I had him meet me at the dealer's (still in his work clothes). We were looking at a Chrysler Town Car. The dealer approached us and said "Would you like to look at another model? I really don't think you can afford this one." Needless to say, we bought my new Camaro Z28 elsewhere, and it was a lot more fun than a Town Car!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm one of those if it ain't broke, don't fix it people. I probably would have kept the blue, although the beige looks good too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Nice new look, Granny! We too will need to make the plunge into new living room furniture soon. What we have now is just a mishmash of what we could afford in our younger lives. Our couch is always covered with blankets both because it is ugly and for our dog, Bradie.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Granny, I know exactly what you mean about having your feet touch the ground! I'm only 5'1"... and getting lost on a couch and having my feet swinging in the air.... is just NOT comfortable!

    So glad that you found the perfect chair!!! But just can't picture you relaxing in it... you're always doing so much!!! : )

    Enjoy your new set! May the feet be found quickly!

    ReplyDelete