kitchen vs. living room: priority check

The two items on top of my real-life to-do list are living room and kitchen. Just about everything about them. I want to start with the kitchen because I consider its disorganization and misuse of space the most pressing problem. And, as Husband and I are avid cooks, we spend a lot of time in there. And we’re constantly frustrated by how badly we’ve organized it.

Or I am. Kitchen with a capital K is on the top of my to-do list.

At the top of Husband’s to-do list is living room.  Every time he cleans it, he bemoans the number of posters we have bought that we haven’t yet framed. Then I bemoan the fact that we haven’t framed a single wedding picture yet, and we’ve been married for more than a year. We end by not framing anything.

Husband also, more desperately wants a new couch. We have a loveseat. We are tall. Neither of us can comfortably lay on the couch. When company comes over, only two people can sit on it, unless we are very cozy and comfortable with each other. We reserve it for couples who have been together less time than we have. You know, people who are really in love (not that we aren't!).

When I bought the couch, I lived in a 300-square foot apartment. Alone. I didn’t mind bending my knees to lay on it, and in fact I felt such accomplishment at having made such a large purchase (my only furniture purchase since buying a mattress and box spring), having the money to buy such a large purchase, and having evolved from a butterfly chair to an actual couch (no futon transition period) that I figured I would keep my couch forever.

A few years ago we bought a chair to augment the seating in our living room. It coordinates with the couch, but in shape rather than color. They definitely work together, but my recent adoration for CB2 has introduced me to modern furniture with clean lines. Read: not the giant round arms on both the chair and the couch.

Husband loves the chair—even though we bought it for me to sit in and as soon as I did so when we watched movies together, he missed me and beckoned me back to the love couch—and wanted to buy the matching couch. I could not stand the idea of more round, space-wasting arms. 

I love this couch. We sat on it at CB2 and even Husband agreed that it is crazy comfortable. I think he is 95% committed to buying it. It is not leather, but I’m okay with that. My parents have leather sofas, and while they are amazingly comfortable, I also had a tendency to slip off of them. That may be a personal problem. The polyester microfiber-esque fabric of this will be cozy in the cooler months without being overly stuffy in the warmer ones.  And at 88” (over 7’ including arms), Husband and I will be able to stretch out on it both separately and together! We're not really into personal space, but we appreciate the option to have it.

A few years ago, in a more convenience-oriented  part of my decorating life, I would have feared this couch’s lack of a padded back. But now I am excited at the prospect of using flexible, customizable throw pillows for both comfort and decoration.  And look at all these options! (Of course, when I finally move away from my “using orange and red to decorate every room” phase, Pier 1 has almost exclusively orange-tinted throw pillows.) 

I really appreciate the flexibility of using throw pillows. They are less expensive to replace when your taste changes, so if you have a basic enough piece of furniture, you can easily change the whole feel of your room with just a change of fabric. And someday when I invest money and space in a sewing machine, I will be able to make new covers for throw pillows (and new curtains!) whenever I please. We have throw pillows now, but they include the ones that came with the couch, meaning snooze, and actual throw pillows that are nowhere near the couch 99.9% of the time because the couch is too small for people and pillows. 

The depth of this couch will accommodate a number of throws without overwhelming it or people sitting on it, and it will look just plain awesome. I hope to mix some geometric patterns with something funky. If I can pull it off, one crazy piece would be a fun addition!

We even have a deadline for this purchase: November 9th, when CB2’s free in-home delivery ends. Seriously we need deadlines, so this is a good thing.

This redecoration will also include the eventual purchase of a new rug.  More on that, my mixed desire and fear of light neutrals, and the intriguing concept of Flor in a future update!