I did it. I bought a couch. I have been going back and forth for the last few days on whether to buy one of the ones I liked at the used furniture store, or to expand my search into other parts of the state or region that are less pricey than my very expensive metropolitan area. In fact, I was about to make plans for such a road trip.
But this morning, after leaning heavily yesterday toward the less expensive used sofa in a Duncan Phyfe style that needs refinishing and reupholstering, today I suddenly knew I wanted the other one. It’s the wrong color. And it’s expensive enough so that I can’t afford to have it reupholstered right away. But in the end, I admitted that the really unusual, hard-to-find, distinctive character of the piece is what I want, it’s in pristine condition, and the style and craftsmanship is permanent. Upholstery fabric can be changed. And I love the fact that I can have it here as soon as I can arrange delivery, rather than having to send it away for weeks to be reupholstered.
So, beige it is. (I know, you’re thinking beige is great, beige is neutral, beige goes with everything. But I hate beige.) I’m going to have the bolster pillows reupholstered in a different fabric. And I will order some throw pillows in colors that go with the room. And in a year or two, or whenever I feel I’m ready to spend more, I’ll have the whole thing reupholstered.
Because it doesn’t have to be reupholstered, this is actually considerably less expensive, overall, than the other couches I looked at, even though it’s the best quality, and the base price was highest.
And despite the color, it is such a great shape for the room. Despite the beige, it’s going to look wonderful under my bay window.
The Petrini Page 