Category Archives: See how others live

We are in dire need of a new sofa. Our Ektorp is now almost 7 years old, and is showing signs of unrepairable fatigue. I changed the covers a few times, even dyed white covers in the denim-esque grey they are now. But the time is here to say our farewells. Each time one of us sits down, tiny feathers fly through the air. And with a tie for the sloppiest user between our dog and my significant other, there are stains that are not going anywhere anymore either.

Our sitting room. I have since added an antique chair and a dark green/black glass designer’s coffee table where the ottoman is in the picture. Also, the rug has been replaced with a checkered white/black/grey/beige one. I prefer the one in the picture I think…..

I always like to see what we can find for as little money as possible. The entire sitting area of our living room is now decorated with hand-me-downs, Ikea, thrift store finds and family heirlooms. The combined worth probably exceeds the $1000 max spent on it, even if it might be just in emotional value. But in my humble opinion it also looks as if we spent more than that.  For our new sofa we are looking for something a bit more sophisticated and a bit more mature. But we do like a classic look, so are considering a buttoned design. And as we like the Hollywood Regency style, as well as Palm Springs inspired interiors, we are looking for something a bit retro. Here are a few pictures I collected to inspire us in our hunt.

Jonathan Adler Lampert Sofa

Calligaris Manhattan Grace sofa by S. Cavazzana

A Chesterfield Inspired sofa. I don’t like the yellow leather (is it leather?) but love the style and how it fits in with, in this case, a thrift store setting. It would look good in our house.

A classic Chesterfield sofa in distressed leather. Love it, but it’s a bit too obvious somehow. I do love how it fits almost every style. And I wouldn’t have to worry about my sloppy house mates.

To the one who designed this: For shame! Photographing this lovely sofa in such a dull setting with fake birch laminate floors. Birch laminate… really? This needs to be on a glossy painted black wooded floor, a herringbone parquet floor or a plush carpet. Not on birch laminate!

I guess it’s clear what sort of style we are going for. Classic, but with a retro twist maybe. Buttoned if possible. So let’s say we are again limiting ourselves to $1000 for a new sofa. If we were to buy a Chesterfield it would be through an online auction site like eBay or Marktplaats, so let’s focus on something else for now. I checked Ikea but didn’t find any that I liked. A google search led me to a conspicuous looking and website with the equally conspicuous name fashionforhome.nl.  And guess what? They have tons of sofa’s in a variety of styles suitable to our self-inflicted limited budget! Check out these for instance:

Three seat sofa Chelsea, € 899,00

Three seater Buckingham, € 799,00

Three seater Kenley II, € 779,00

I Think the first one is my favourite. Dave likes the second one… Which one do you think we should pick?