The Price My Space Party is Monday so don't forget to get your rooms ready. I may even have the post up Sunday evening so you west coasties can get in on the action early.
This is the second half of pricing my living room. Read the first half here. Let's get to numbers 5,6,7 & 8 shall we?
5. Pair of these chairs. Y'all these chairs have a fancy name, and for the life of me I cannot remember what they are called. I've used them here and here and a whole slew of other places. These chairs move around more than a swarm of flies on a watermelon and were one of the best items I've ever spend money on. They were each $350 and that included 2 matching ottomans that I use as extra seating and a coffee table.
The blue table was a yard sale find at my sister's house and I traded clothes for it, I'm sure. It started off black. Pillows: Target $20 each. Lamp: Target $40, years ago. I told you about the drapes in part 1. Total for this part of the room: $780 and that includes the two ottomans you don't see in this photo, I counted the windows in part one.
6. Rug: Tuesday Morning, 5 years ago $200. It's a 5 x 8. I wish it were an 8x 10. This rug has held up, again for 5 years. And it's made so well that I can flip it over and use the other side if it gets too dirty. I really should just have it cleaned.
7. The Toile Sofa: I've written about it before. We bought it in High Point at a showroom called Utility Craft. It's a Clayton Marcus that is/was a division of Lazy Boy. It's got those cushy down wrapped cushions and it's just made really, really well. It's held up to five years with 3 boys, a man who sleeps on it, and 5 moves. It cost about $1800. A huge amount for us. We paid cash for it and spent a while deciding what we wanted. It can seat lots of people/kids if needed and one day, when the toile gets all ripped up, I'll just have it recovered. Total: $1800 {I took a poll to see what others spent on their sofas to make sure I wasn't the only one who's spent this much, click here to see the results}
8. Red Chair: This sweet thing is quite worn. But I love the lines, color and scale. It was $350 purchased also in 2004 in Thomasville, NC at some hole in the wall store that was going out of business. The toile pillow came with the sofa and the other pillow got a 30 minute makeover. The picture on the wall came from my husband's grandparent's house and I wish I had 67 of them to hang on every wall. Total: $350
Total for second half: $3130 plus $552.75 from the first half = $3682.75 for our living room that seats 8 comfortably and 12 uncomfortably. And has already lasted 5 years.Well, as you can tell, there were some things that we spend money on and other things we found super cheap. To me, if you have the money, it's worth it to spend it on upholstered pieces that will cushion the family hineys for many years. The things that you sit on get the most wear and need to hold up more than anything else. And that's where the bulk of our money went. I'd rather have a nice sofa than go to Mexico. As far as windows and walls and accessories, I try to find those things as inexpensively as possible. You can build those over time and switch out and rearrange, shop the house and really get creative with all that extra stuff. But, if you can, it is worth it to put your money into a well made sofa.
I've also seen some amazing hand me downs, consignment and goodwill finds and slipcovered sofas that have looked fantastic.
Five years ago, we had a budget set aside to help us furnish our house and for that I am forever grateful. It might have to last us the rest of our lives. Now, I have close to a zero budget. I am so glad that we purchased some things back when we could. I wouldn't go back and invest that money or spend it any differently. I love that we "invested" it in our home and get to enjoy it every day. And now, I have a new challenge, how to decorate on a virtually non existent budget.
So, join us Monday. Feel free to price your space. No pressure. But, whether you spend thousands at a retail shop or quarters at a yard sale, you can have a beautiful home that you enjoy and that blesses your family. I cannot wait to see how you all have beautified your nests!
40 birds say {click here to leave a comment}:
Like you, we bought good stuff when we could (i.e. no kids, both of us working full-time) ten years ago and we're going to die on those pieces, baby! - a cherry dining table and chairs in a simple Shaker style and a cherry bedroom set, also in a Shaker style. All built by those handy Amish folk. I don't think we'll ever get rid of them. I wouldn't trade a beautiful nest for a trip to Mexico, either!
I love that sofa! Toile & comfy are the perfect combination. DH built ours, and it's HUGE -- and it's so tall -- I feel like Edith Ann on it, but I love that he took an entire day (12 hours) to build exactly what I had dreamed of.
i want to do this but i don't think i can be as specific as you are. i have a terrible memory about how much things cost. i'm going to try this weekend though. i'm going to look at my rooms and see if i can come up with prices on most things so i can join in.
i really enjoyed seeing yours. the plates are my favorite. i've got to do that!
What a thoughtful post. We too have a mix of highs and lows, although our very expensive sofa just BROKE underneath and we've only had it 4 years. And it's Bernhardt. Just shows that more expensive is not necessarily better!
p.s. I agree on the Mexico thing. I wouldn't trade a trip to Mexico or Hawaii for that matter for a piece I enjoy every single day. Glad someone else agrees!
I just moved to Georgia, and I would LOVE to have your talent! God has blessed me with many things...but decorating is not one of them!
I love your style & choices... we've been furniture shopping but unable to find ANYTHING that I remotely like!
Patience is a virtue :)
You have such beautiful furniture, I have especially loved the black chairs & ottomans! I agree that spending money on the major upholstered pieces is a very good investment. Thanks for sharing your room, I have enjoyed seeing how you've decorated this new space!
I think I took part in your survey - I seem to recall the question, but yes, my living room couch was the most I ever spent on a single piece of furniture - $1,500.00, but it is THE most comfortable, cushy couch. At the time I loved the large floral pattern on the dark blue background, but I'm kind of leaning toward "simpler" now and when we down-size I will probably have a slipcover made in a washable, white material.
I love this room. Those matching/plaid chairs are my FAVORITE. I heart them and wish they lived in my living room:)
While I love pretty furniture and a nicely appointed nest, I wouldn't trade vacations with my family for a new sofa. Nice furniture is just that-nice. A time to regroup, relax, and expose my kids to new cultures, foods, and traditions is priceless.
I can guarantee you that your kids will not remember what their childhood couch looked like. They will however remember the lessons learned and the memories made on family vacations.
I want to play along, but heck if I can remember what I spent for everything in a single room. I'll have to see if I can dig any old receipts up. Hmmmm.
Nester,
I've been waiting patiently for the scoop on your sectional.
We are in the market for a sofa and have been contemplating a sectional. I thought I wanted leather, but everyone says "oh no, don't buy leather". Do you have any thoughts about leather?
Our current set up is a sofa and loveseat, very matchy matchy from Lazy Boy. We've had them for over 10 years, and it shows! BUT, what a lifesaver the sleeper sofa has been for us many, many times.
Thanks for the price guide! and I'm looking forward to Monday.
love ya!
Lynne, I LOVE leather! I like the really dark leather that you can scratch your name on. Just make sure you get real actual leather. There are tricks that stores sometimes use and can call something "genuine leather" without it being all leather. Wish I knew more to tell you.
We had a leather sofa for 10 years before the toile sofa. If I had only chosen a darker color instead of the awful oragey color and a more traditional style instead of some bachelorey poofy arm look, we'd still have it!
Oh and remember, you can just do a wall or a table--doesn't have to be a whole room when YOU price your space!
manyblessings: I so agree with you--that time with your fam is much more important than sofas.
However, I've been in some big homes where there is one sofa and empty rooms but the mom and dad go on trips every other month. Nothing wrong with that but for ME, I love being home and get enjoyment out of having people over and snuggling on the sofa with my kids.
But who said you need to have a pretty sofa to do that.
Oh and just for laffs, my husband and I went to Mexico the year after we got our sofa! he he.
I think the biggest thing about decorating a room is it takes TIME. Whether it is time in saving the money, time in deciding things, or whatever - rooms don't get decorated instantly.
I think my fave part is the black whatchamacallit chairs in front of the window. :)
My husband used to do the High Point thing for the trade shows a couple of times every year, but now he and the boss man fly to Vegas. :) He got to meet Jaclyn Smith once (from Charlie's Angels)...apparently she has a really high end furniture line. Wonder how she went from busting up bad guys to designing coffee tables? ;)
We're actually try to get items on sale but for our family it's about what we like.
Ikea, Target, Crate & Barrel and Ashley Furniture finds are in our gathering room.
I wish there were tag sales near us. I love many of your finds.
Yep, I got caught out with that "geniune leather" thing too-the parts that your body actually touches ARE leather, and are aging beautifully-unfortunately, the parts that your body does NOT touch are vinyl and it's peeling and cracking. SO attractive.
However, leather is awesome-it stands up to abuse and can be wiped clean and you just can't do that with cloth upholstery. And if leather is what does it for you Lynne, then by all means get leather-as Nester has said on other places on this blog (and I'm paraphrasing my patootie off), other people don't live in your house, YOU live in your house! So live with what makes YOU happy.
It's incredibly expensive to get entirely leather furniture though, so be prepared for sticker shock. Our loveseat and recliner were something like $1200 and $500 6 years ago purchased on base, on sale, and as I said they're not entirely leather on all sides.
Colleen P. is so right! Furniture companies call it "leather match". Places where you body does not touch (sides and back) are usually a vinyl that color matches the leather. I have had leather sofas for about 11 years and they've been through lots of "baby incidents" that fabric sofas would not have survived!
I love your toile sofa. We need more seating in our family room & I'm worried about buying anything new because we have 2 little girls. It seems to combine quality, functionality and toile all in one! Thanks for doing this ... it was fun to see your room & get ideas.
Lynne, don't know where you live in NC, but if you can get to a store that sells Natuzzi leather, I can vouch that it is incredibly made (comes straight from Italy) and is reasonably priced. We got our leather recliner at Furnitureland South near High Point. We had to wait 6 months for it to get here from Italy, but it was worth it to get the well-made beauty that it is. And it was cheaper than La-z-boy.
You know it is really funny that I gasped about how much you spent on everything, but started tallying mine and it's even more. I think it is worth every penny, your space is beautiful.
"But, whether you spend thousands at a retail shop or quarters at a yard sale, you can have a beautiful home that you enjoy and that blesses your family. I cannot wait to see how you all have beautified your nests!"
THIS is why I love you! As I said on one of my postings, "Nestor empowers us!"
A friend of mine who read your E-book said, "Oh, how I wish someone has given me this when I was a young military wife and trying to make my house a home."
Thanks for all you do for us, sweet sista!
Pamm
Sallie, I KNOW, I gasped at the though of telling my sofa price. Worried that people would think I overspent. But, when I looked at how much I spent on the entire room, how long we've used it in so many houses and the fact that I'll be using it for years to come, it was a great use of our money.
so the sofa cost a little more....it's a SECTIONAL!!!!! not a bad price for a mammoth sectional like that if you ask me!
I think you did the right thing, Nester. The sofa is the anchor of a room, the one piece of furniture that is in use every single day, year in and year out, the place the kids want to be when they're sick so they're close to you, the place the husband wants to nap, the place you sit for a cup of coffee with your friends (or your sister!)...I think choosing a sofa that really reflects who you are and what you like is more important than what it costs. The cost, ultimately, isn't all that much broken down per day over the 10 years, on average, that most people will keep it. The better you like it, the longer you'll keep it and the better care you'll take of it. You'll get it new upholstery and foam when it starts to look droopy and dated, and get new springs and mattress padding for the sofabed, and it will continue to make your family happy and comfortable. Yes, it will develop worn spots where your son prefers to read books with the cat, and one arm will always look flattened because that's where the husband tilts toward so you can watch TV snuggled under his other arm. But it's the place where everyone in the house comes eventually, so they should see these things and feel comforted by them.
It takes forever to pick a sofa out, and that's because the perfect one is sometimes elusive. When you find it, embrace it and bring it home and love it for decades. You can thrift shop to your hearts content for everything else, but I wouldn't get too worked up over spending the money on what you love.
I agree with you about investing in better upholstered pieces if you can. It's hard to find them in good shape used unless you're very determined and very patient!
We paid around $450 (plus the interest) for a couch we bought at Ashley and I seriously hate it. It's only 1 year old and is already extremely uncomfortable. The padding on the armrests have already worn out. I wish, so so SO wish, we had just sat on the floor until we could save enough for a nice sectional...though from the way the economy went we would have been doing that for well over a year. I suppose in that case it was worth it?? Someday we'll have money to spend on nice furniture. For now, Goodwill is my favorite store! (and yes, I think it is too expensive sometimes! lol)
That Utility Craft store is not in High Point anymore, they tore it down and put a bank there. It's sad, cause they had great stuff.
I'm not certain,but I think the fancy name for those black and white chairs with the matching ottomans are bergere chairs (think there are some accent marks in there, too cuz its french!)...and I heart them, too!
I'm going through a dining room redecoration (think As Good As It Gets lake home dining room) and I really struggled. Our prior furniture was pricey but I thought it would last forever. It has, but my taste for it has vanished. I've tired of it after 16 years and just ordered new. Now I'm faced with the dilemma of what to do with the perfectly good table, 8 chairs and breakfront. Looks like somebody will score a great Craig's List find soon! Ugh.
Moral of the story: Don't go for the pricey stuff...ever!
Ellen
I bought new furniture 5 years ago- just months before we adopted two very young boys, a year before we added two more bringing our kid count to 9. It was 'good stuff'- lazy boy for the sofa and recliner plus a club chair that was also a rocker. None have survived. After the sofa and the rocker were declared dead 18 months ago, I bought two IKEA Ektorp sofas with the red cord slip covers. The slips need replacing but the sofas are holding up well.The are not the greatest sofas ever for comfort but they aren't bad and they are taking the abuse well.
The next big challenge is to find/create storage for a whole lot of books, flatscreen TV (and its got to have doors so it doesn't take over the room) DVD/VCR player, and all the unattractive detritus of homeschooling. That and decorate around the coffee table that I deeply don't love but my husband does which will.not.die. The thing will be here after Armageddon, I swear. He refinished it. I wanted it all black but he declared the 4 burled wood insets too pretty to hide do there they are, on display. Sigh. But it was free!
yikes...$3682.75 for the living room! Love the room-- but i am thinking that "great deals" to some people mean something entirely different to other people.
I'm with you. I'd much rather have something for my home than travel anywhere. Because we travel our home each and every day and it should make us happy. I shall have to look in on this room pricing and learn more about what to do so I can hopefully join in!
Brenda
Just brilliant, this 2 part post! What a beautiful, real, elegant room! I love the "I'd rather have a decent sofa than go to Mexico" bit! So true about budgeting in $ for furnishings. We have just built our first home. If I hadn't budgeted something for furniture, we would be enjoying our wooden floors a little bit more than we would have liked. A-M xx
love, love, love the matching black chairs! and, i second cassidy that i wish they lived in my living room.
lynne, we bought a natuzzi sofa and club chair almost 4 years ago, and they are both in amazing condition. but, like nester said, we bought an expresso color in hopes that as they do show wear and tear, they do it in a cool distressed way. i have 3 children under 5 and so far, they have stood the test of every bodily funct you can imagine. they also came with a 7 yr warranty in case anyone comes at them with sharpie or scissors. it is definitely worth trying to find a dealer in your area.
and, in response to manyblessings comment, i think there is a happy medium on how you choose to spend your money, but i would like to say, i do remember what the couch was that my parents had when i was young. and, your boys will too, as they make fun of how trends have changed and remember the great times they had on that couch! thanks for sharing!
Any idea what store you purchased those black/white chairs from? I heart them and would love to find some similar ones. Thanks!
Also would love to know what brand the chairs/otttomans are. Can't seem to find anything similar!
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