Monday, September 22, 2008

You Don't Always Get What You Want...

We got a new couch Saturday. Now it's not new-new but it might as well be. My husband's aunt bought it for a room in her home that was never used. In the few days we've had it it's probably been exposed to more bums than in the years she had it. But she is downsizing and wanted it gone. For a few hundred dollars she was selling it, a matching chair, 3 throw cushions, a coffee table and two lamps. Cha-ching! How could we say no?

But we bought it unseen. A few hours after we said yes I was regretting it. What if it was ugly? How would we fit it in our already cluttered house? What if it was ugly?

Fitting it in was a trick. While my husband went to get it I moved stuff around. The problem is that we wanted to keep our previous sofa. Partly to serve as the kids but also because it's become the dog's bed. Can't have the dog displaced.

I moved the living room around. Made room where there was none. Waited for the couch. And hoped. The worst case scenario was that it would be a huge, overstuffed monster with wood details on the arms and some loud pattern.

Guess what arrived?

*sigh*

I nearly cried. $300 for my nightmare.

And then I sat in it.

Oh.

And then I laid down on it.

Oh wow.

I get these sofas now. I get why people buy them. You sit down in one and it feels like you're being embraced. It's one huge ugly hug. My little, red, modern sofa NEVER felt like that.

Now, slowly but surely, that couch has been getting more and more attractive. I keep looking at it throughout the day and thinking, "It really does suit us," or, "Gosh, how nice to have a half decent piece of furniture." It's not only getting attractive but I'm getting downright affectionate towards it. I mean, it looks new, it's comfy, it's welcoming, what's not to love?

Once again I learn that what you want (or don't want) isn't always a true reflection of what you need. That ugly couch was what we needed and I love it.

9 comments:

Jacqueline said...

Glad you are enjoying your "new" couch. Most of our furniture is hand-me-down. Not stuff I'd pick but it serves a purpose.

Anonymous said...

Well I'm sure everyone else is going to be real polite... but not me! OMG Dawn! Have the fumes of new polyester effected your brain? You can sell it you know. You could sell it and loveseat and keep the tables. I mean, there *are* huggable, loving sofas out there that *don't* look like a horrible lovefest spawning between Irish Navaho blanket and granny square afghan.

Are you sure about this.

Sigh... she will definitely stop sending me freebie files now. I just cannot help myself.

But I do have to admit that I lived with a horribly clashing pink carpet and granny blue floral/stripes catastrophe for two years at the old place... what we do for a bargain!

Dawn said...

Keep the table? Oh dear, you haven't seen the table. White wrought iron thingee with glass top. And the lamps...hee hee hee.

Nope. Ugly as it is I'm keeping it! It's soooooo comfortable. I have been seduced.

Anonymous said...

Well at least it's comfy. My granny stripes and floral couldn't even be sat upon it was so stiff and full of springs.

Anonymous said...

Here you go, you can unhorrorize it: http://www.canadiancovercompany.com/index.html

l said...

I was laughing when I read your post, only because I can sooo relate! My husband's grandmother gave us her couch and loveseat, very similar to your "new" one. The thing is ugly (grey/blue stripes). It also makes me cringe if I happen to rub my hand over it the wrong way...but it is the most confortable couch I ever sat on! Enjoy yours!

Anonymous said...

For me, a comfy couch outranks pencils and paper as a homeschool necessity. Especially on rainy days :)

molytail said...

Hey, the stuffed ....rottie? Shepherd? ...is enjoying it, so it must be a good couch. *grin*

Y'know what I have in the living room for a 'couch'? A 20-something year old ugly as anything "loveseat" that came out of a friend's garage. :-D

Anonymous said...

This was a brilliant post- bought tears to my eyes ...for so many reasons..
We too lived the horror, of buying something off family sight unseen.

It was a hideous hutch ( still cant believe I am somehow related to those that purchased it in the 1st place).
We got it..pretended to cry tears of joy.
I must have moved the sucker 10 times in the following weeks...nowhere did it look "right" In the end, I had my hubby cut the top off it, and paint it...and after 12 years with it...finally admitting to liking it...then gave the sucker away when we moved !!