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gilmoregal

Could You Share Pictures of Your Sofa?

gilmoregal
15 years ago

I am ready to replace our family room sofa so went out this afternoon to get ideas of what I might want. As usual, I came home completely overwhelmed with all of the choices of styles, fabrics, etc. I thought I had a basic idea of what I wanted, but seeing so many different ones in the huge showroom just confused me. I always get great decorating ideas from the pictures I see here - if anyone wouldn't mind sharing a picture of their sofa, it might help me to pinpoint the look I want. Thanks!

Comments (58)

  • parma42
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago







    One of mine is a curved, one cushion Drexel-Heritage. Like Amy, DH insisted on a tight back. Unfortunately, we couldn't get used to the way it sat and it's now relagated to the unfinished LR. I still have to buy window treatments (two-story with a ton of windows), a coffee table (the chinoserie is way too large), a side table and a new lamp. *sigh*

    It also upsets me, that with so many stupid windows, I have no place for art. Tried a piece to the left of the sofa but it looks odd, placed above the switches.

    The sofas I find most comfortable are the ones like Ethan Allen used to make with the good quality boxed back cushions, not the flimsy ones most sell today.

  • stinky-gardener
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't have the "put your feet up & bring in the dog" kind of living room, but I'm also not a stuffy, "don't touch that" kind of gal, so I hope people feel at ease.

    LR sofa

    "Den" sofa

    {{gwi:1810865}}

    Love ALL the sofas I've seen posted. Maddiemom, your house is darling inside & out.

  • Sueb20
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's my living room sofa just after the room was painted and before the art was put back. We felt compelled to buy leather because of DH's allergies and I was reluctant at first, but I love it now and so far, the leather shows virtually no wear & tear after about 6 years. However, we have had problems with the back cushions. The inside cushions were too flimsy to hold up to the weight of the leather, so they were constantly "smooshed" from the top down. So I had an upholsterer replace the interior "guts" of the back cushions and they are much better now. I'd look more at tight backs next time around.

  • msslauren
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In addition to our living room, our formal living room sofa is as follows:

    For our sun room:

  • wodka
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    At the risk of boring a lot of you who have already seen my pics, here is our sitting area. Our living room is long and narrow, so choosing two loveseats instead of a sofa worked out better for us.

    {{gwi:1902072}}

  • lynninnewmexico
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Meg's advice is right on the money. Stop shopping until you know what you basically want. Sit down and figure out what you need: kid or dog proof? durability? comfort? how long? what kind of cushions do you like best? What don't you like? Any sofa nappers in your house? If so, you need to keep them in mind. Do you have the guys over to watch sports on tv in there and eat snacks? You might want to look for something that's very durable and stain resistent.

    Whatever the situation: look for a comfortable sofa that is still easy to get out of. I've seen many that are too deep, too high or too low to get in and out of comfortably. Think about the arms you like and don't like. For example, although I like the looks of the high armed sofas, I don't like sitting in them. I like a comfortable, fairly low arm that I can lean my own arm on.

    IMHO, a neutral colored sofa works best, as you can more easily change your accent colors and throw pillows in the room with it down the line. I also prefer classically styled sofas, as they don't end up looking dated.

    We have two cream colored, linen blend sofas in our living room. I like them because I can use any color of accessories with them . . . although we haven't changed them (black, brown, with a bit of green, turquoise and rusty red) since. These are NOT sofas for people with small kids or big dogs that like to sleep on furniture, but they do work for us in a room we use often for reading, visiting with friends and listening to music. They're very comfortable because they have spring support in each seat cushion, and then they're wrapped and have goose down over that.

    In our family room, which gets the most use, we went with an extremely comfy, brown leather sofa. Brown, because it's the classic leather sofa color and I didn't want it to end up looking dated. This sofa is a dream to sit on, holds up wonderfully to flopping teens, dogs, etc. and always looks great. It also just wipes clean.

    Anyhoo, those are my reasons for choosing our sofas.
    Lynn

  • daisyadair
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our living room sectional sofa:
    {{gwi:1902073}}
    Kids playroom sofa:

    Kids gameroom sofa:
    {{gwi:1898902}}

  • kellyeng
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mine is from Crate and Barrel and I really love it. My priorities were comfort and easy to clean. Dirt doesn't stick to the chenille fabric which was very important because muddy dog paws on the couch is inevitable in my house.

    {{gwi:1599568}}

    Wodka - That is one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen! Do you have more pics posted somewhere?

  • uxorial
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! So many different sofas!

    Here's mine:

  • bigdoglover
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    tinam61, thank you. It is time for me to learn how to post pictures here, let me figure that out and yes I will post a photo of the dog toile, which is by P Kaufmann Fabrics. It also came in gold background and blue background, and I got it for the fabulous price of $15.99 a yard at The Cutting Corners in Dallas (a discount fabric place). Not sure if it is a discontinued or what, but it's gorgeous.

    Meanwhile if you email me I'll email you a photo of it. But WILL learn to post pics, and anyone having a VERY SIMPLE way to do this, advice welcome.

  • dgranara
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago


    Here's ours (together with our yet-be-to-decorated tree). We just got this one delivered on Sunday. It's in our den and we chose it for ease of cleaning. I've never owned a leather sofa before, mostly because we live in the northeast and I'm always cold. Thank goodness I didn't go with the chenille (which I love) because just today my 3 year-old held a little chocolate candy in his hand so long that it melted - all over the sofa. Wiped right off :)

  • nhb22
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our family room sofa is both small, and big. Seats three comfortably, and long enough to sleep on uncomfortably. LOL

    Back of sofa. We like the loose cushions, and don't have any animals that sit on the backs. In the past, we have had cushions that attached, and they either ripped or came loose when the children would climb all over them.
    {{gwi:1902075}}

    The sofa/w ottoman, in our previous homes study.
    {{gwi:1806892}}

    We have two love seats in our new study. These sofas have previously been in a formal living room, kitchen/breakfast area, children's bedroom, and then finally recovered to go in a sunroom in our last home, and now in our study. They are 29 years old.

    Previous Sunroom
    {{gwi:1737683}}

    Our living room sofa is an antique camel-back that badly needs to be recovered. However it has nice 8 way hand tied springs, and comfy down cushions.

    Front

    Finally, our upstairs den has a long (very comfortable to sleep on,) red, down filled loose cushioned, slip cover couch. This sofa is primarily used by the children. I don't think I have any photos of this den, but here is a photo from my previous house. The sofa was in a downstairs family room.
    {{gwi:1479040}}

    Back
    {{gwi:1902076}}

  • sedeno77
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wodka = I am in love with your room! Looks like a magazine photo.

  • wodka
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    yvette, thank you. I was just thinking how beautiful everyone's looks - so many different styles and colors. We don't have one now, but I love a good leather couch - we had a great leather sectional once, that was indestructible yet maintained its looks for years.

    And the wall colors - wow! newhomebuilder - I love the color of your study! What is it? After just one year in this house, I can't afford to repaint any rooms, but that is a beautiful, warm, rich color!

  • moremoremore
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You totally need to get some magazines...tear out each one you like not thinking for very long why you like it...don't think, just tear...then compare them all and see what the common elements are...that's how you can make up your mind...

    I have a Lee sofa and looovvvee it! You can't see all of it in the shot...it has nice dark wood plain feet..I also wanted a flat back for longevity and support...

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    beautiful pictures everyone!

    I can't seem to get my pic to attach, but I do want to encourage you to sit on lots of sofas and find what is comfortable for you and how you will use it. That is way more important than having it "match" or be a certain design style. In my latest sofa, I have unfortunately found that it is too deep and the arms are too low for the way I like to sit. But I love the thick unattached two cushion seat and back with down and batting filling; and the soft twill microfiber cover. I have two cats and this is holding up well to them.
    I agree with an earlier poster, too, I have in the past found great used sofas that were easily recovered and that I preferred because of the less massive styling for my small house.

  • nhb22
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    wodka - Thank you! The study color is BM Plymouth brown.

  • brutuses
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, some beautiful sofa's. Lynn, I love your linen sofa and it's design. Is it a national name brand?

    NHB, love your antique camel backs. Love the dog of course. She's such a ham!! She should have a job in modeling! LOL

  • redroze
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We're still in the process of decorating our house, so don't mind the emptyness and bare walls...

    Our Pottery Barn sofa in the living room. These were with our old hardwood floors, as they have since been refinished to a dark brown.

    {{gwi:1612627}}

    Our custom sectional in the family room:

    Our old sage green sofa-and-loveseat combo that used to be in the family room. We got tired of the whole "matchy-matchy" look, plus we refinished our floors to a dark brown so decided to replace it with a neutral sectional. These sofas had more a traditional feel with the rolled arms.

  • sedeno77
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My sofas won't suit everyone but here they are:

  • nhb22
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you brutuses !

    moremoremore - I like your sofa back. That style may be just what I need for my back. Would you share the manufacturer?

    yvette123 - Your sofa's are gorgeous, expensive looking and both look extremely comfortable!

  • moremoremore
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Builder...it's a Lee Industries sofa (they are online)....they have SO many tightback styles. That's why I got it. Sinking in to a lot of pillows is fine for me for a few minutes, but I needed support and wanted to keep a clean look...Everyone who sits it in says it's very comfortable...it's firm but still has a little give so you're not on cement :) and if you are in the mood for some cushion, you can put some nice down pillows behind you.

    I also rec'd the non "cloud nine" seats....they have foam plus down so you sink in more. I did get cloud nine BACKS on my chairs which are also lee and do have cushion backs...but all my seats are standard to add a little more support...still very comfie. Alan Ferguson has the best prices I can find...I have no idea where they are but I read a lot about their Lee prices when I was looking and they were great. Best of luck!

  • coleen3201118
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What I would recommend is probably something so basic it doesn't need to be said - ALWAY sit on the sofa before you buy it! I didn't do this w/ my previous sofa and regretted it - fortunately, it found a new home in DH's office!

    wodka - your house is lovely - but your LR looks spacious (and wide!) to me! What are the dimensions?

    Here's my replacement (i.e., comfortable!) sofa -

    {{gwi:1902083}}

  • My3dogs ME zone 5A
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's mine - a Hancock and Moore 'Kent Chesterfield' from Craigslist! The biggest bargain I ever got there, for sure. This photo looks bare, as it had just arrived, but it's the only one of it without a dog snoozing on it. The three of them haven't been able to scratch it, so it's worth its weight in gold to me.

  • nhb22
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    my3dogs - You just had to show that sofa off again, didn't you?

    i saw the funniest thing on CL the other day, and thought of you. Is there any way to retrieve a CL post that has been deleted?

  • totallyblessed
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    msslauren~ Oh my gosh. I just discovered what I want for our garden room.... your rattan/cushioned sectional couch. It's perfect. I can not believe I have not seen one of those in the stores I've shopped in. I did not want "wicker" furniture, wanted a sectional, but didn't really want a heavy couch. Yours is PERFECT. So glad you shared. Can't wait to go shopping and find one like yours. :o)

    kelleng~ I was sooo excited to see you post on here. I've been so busy I haven't been on GW for about a year other than a stop in a time or two. And this is only my 2nd post reading tonight, and there you are. You know how much I ADORE your house. Looks fabulous, even the little peek above. :o)

    I can't remember how to post a photo on here, or I'd share our new great room furniture. I'll see if I can figure it out. :o)

  • My3dogs ME zone 5A
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    newhomebuilder - I'd LOVE to see whatever it was, but I have never been able to find a deleted CL listing. Darn!

  • totallyblessed
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    let's see if this works.....

  • hoyamom
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My sofa is sort of a neutral - a light beige/yellow - I forgot the "official" name of the fabric. It is a Clayton Marcus. It is very comfortable and can go casual or fancy.

    We bought this a few years ago. I finally got rid of my original couch after 28 years - it was a deep blue with a floral pattern. It served us well and held up through our many moves and could fit in to whatever the local style was - Florida, California, Hawaii, Virginia. We are happy with this one and hopefully we won't have to move again. :)

  • totallyblessed
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, and please ignore that we have no trim on anything yet..... ;o)

  • laurience
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    wodka,

    You can never bore me with that gorgeous room. Pls post it often.

    Here our mine in the great room.

    {{gwi:1840719}}

    Joanne

  • katie8422
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We just bought ours today and we got a fabulous deal! Here it is in the furniture showroom:

    Good luck!

  • gilmoregal
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sorry I am just now posting this, but I wanted to thank everyone for their pictures and suggestions. They have helped me so much to narrow down the sofa styles that I like best and to identify the features that are most important for my family and our lifestyle. As several of you suggested, I have started going through magazines, etc., to get more ideas. But seeing your pictures of sofas that are actually 'in use' is more helpful to me because I can imagine how they might work in my own home. Amysrq suggested that I think about what I have liked/disliked about past sofas we have owned. Putting those features on paper was especially helpful in deciding what I definitely do and don't want in a new sofa.

    To survive in our house, a sofa needs to be very durable and able to withstand teenagers, dogs, etc. We have always had upholstered sofas in that room (we have a soft leather sofa in our formal living room, but it gets less use and no dogs)but I am now thinking that we should also consider leather. Is it difficult to find a soft comfy leather that is also durable and scratch resistant? Would loose back cushions be a better choice than fixed, since our dogs sometimes lay on the back of the sofa? I really prefer the neat look of fixed cushions, but I would worry that they might tear where they are sewn to the back.

    Again, thanks so much to everyone for taking the time to help me.

  • Oakley
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm also curious as to how leather holds up to dogs. We'll be buying new furniture soon and dh needs a new recliner. We have a large dog and a little dog, sometimes their claws get a little too long when I forget to cut them.

    Will a good leather chair hold up to dogs claws?

  • threedgrad
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Leather holds up to dogs very well.

  • dlfrun66
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is our couch in our kitchen/family room area. For this space we needed something a little shorter than a standard size couch and something that looked ok from the back.

    These are in our living room. I used a couch and a loveseat instead of chairs:

  • dlfrun66
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    wodka..I love your family room. Do you have more photos of your home. It's beautiful.

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you all for sharing giving me ideas since I have nothing in back of my sofa for many years as I was not sure what to put on the wall and now I see there is no right answer and I should just take a chance.

  • wodka
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    dinobambino, thank you so much. If you'd like, please e-mail me and I'll send you a few more.

  • Jodi_SoCal
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For 20+ years we lived with a mint green sofa and loveseat. Everything was calm, too calm so we decided to shake things up a bit and go a bit bolder.

    These are the manufacturer's photos...

    {{gwi:1902093}} {{gwi:1590351}}


    This is the sofa and loveseat in our livingroom...the pillows are a bit of a mess, but you get the idea. Don't pay attention to the lamps, we haven't figured out what to do with lighting yet.

    {{gwi:1902094}}

    Jodi-

  • Phobie Privett
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    UGH! Seeing these gorgeous rooms reminds me how deficient I am in decorating-Hoyamom and MsLauren-BEAUTIFUL rooms! That's what I want! Can you come help me make mine that pretty??? :)
    Can't figure out how to adjust my camera, so the color is more accurate in the second photo.


  • gilmoregal
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Superchick... I think your home is beautiful - if you could see mine, you would feel so much better! Your sofa would work well in my family room. Would you mind sharing info about the brand, upholstery, etc?

  • Phobie Privett
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gilmoregal-thank you for your kind words. The sofa is a Bernhardt that I originally found at Haverty's. Then I found the exact sofa at Bob Mill's (which is a really strange store, they have really low end stuff and REALLY high end stuff) for half the price they wanted at Haverty's. I'm very happy with it so far. I also bought the matching chair and 1/2 which I like, but am not thrilled with the back cushion. It's going to need restuffing already. For some reason, it's totally different than the sofa cushions.

    I think you can look on Bernhardt's website and find the upholstery. If you need a closer pic, let me know. But it should be pretty easy to pick it out. I can't remember what the name of it is. Hope that helps.

  • gilmoregal
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, Superchick. We don't have Haverty's here, but we do have Bob Mills. I haven't been there in ages and had no idea that they are carrying Bernhardt and other higher end lines these days. I will have to make a visit to the one near me.

  • Phobie Privett
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Last time I was in there they had Bernhardt, Henredon, etc. on one side of the store and then much cheaper lines on the other side! It was strange. In my area, there are very few stores that carry lines like Henredon (wish I could afford that!) but I remember they had a sofa in there that was $9000! It was about 9 ft long too! Very interesting!

  • igloochic
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Leather, Natural, not highly processed leather, holds up very well since there isn't a plastic like finish to scratch up. Basically we just rub ours down on occasion (maybe once a year) with a lotion specfically for natural leather and the scratches disapear and they look new again. We love the stuff with pets and kids!

    We just moved in so it's not fully decorated yet...but here are the library pieces. They're Natuzi (I'm spelling that wrong):
    {{gwi:1902097}}

    {{gwi:1902098}}

    Obviously or cats snuggle on the top of the cushions. I just unzip and reshape, and they're good for another couple of weeks (they're not done here LOL)

  • runninginplace
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I started out yearning for a white slipcovered couch and ended up with this instead:

    (PS Please ignore the bare walls and floor; the LR is definitely a work in progress)

    Here is a picture from the catalog with better detail; it's Thomasville leather:

    I agree with others who say that leather is a good choice if you have pets. We've got 2 cats and other than a tiny scratch from one of them the couch seems indestructible. Easy to keep clean and very comfortable. I'm very happy with this couch. You can even nap on it! Which was a concern as I wasn't certain leather would be as snooze-friendly as my old denim couch. No worries there; I'm the napper in the house and I've tested it well and thoroughly :).

    Ann

  • mustangs81
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is my $40 yard sale find (including the coffee table). It's early 90's but it serves my purpose. I went thrift store shopping for a compatible picture that would endure the porch; found this for $15. The pair of shell brackets are from an interesting store AmySRQ recommended.

  • mclarke
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My sofa, mfr's photo. I love it.

    {{gwi:1590606}}

  • totallyblessed
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    superchick,

    Your room looks wonderful. I want to see more. I'll have to do a search on you and see if you have more photos. Beautiful! :o)