How do you pick out a sofa? I mean, buying a sofa is like adding a new member to your family, right? It has to have the right personality, blend in, be comfortable, unpretentious and pleasing to the eye, right?
The last time we bought a sofa, it was about coming home. We bought the sofa that was affordable and symbolic. But, it only held up for 8 years before the frame broke. This time we decided to choose a sofa that would last.
As part of our participation in Test It, Blog It, Win It at Su Casa*, we were invited to come into the store a be a regular customer. We were supposed to be stealth like and not reveal we were bloggers until it was time to purchase. So, I want you to know, that our experience at Su Casa was authentic and not sugar coated because we were “blogger” status.
We wandered the store for a bit, taking it all in.
When we began to check out and test the sofas, we were approached by interior designer, Leslie.
She asked us what we were looking for in a sofa. We said, “We know we want it to be big, because we have a large family. It has to be easy to clean and care for, because we have so many kids (and a dog), it has to be well made (and not break at the first sign of a cannonball) and it has to be beautiful.” She asked us to point out the ones we saw on the floor, that we liked. The first one was this:
Beautiful, right?! My husband and I both fell in love with it. But, practical? Not so much. I immediately saw that each little tuft would soon be home to Squinkies and dog hair. We tore ourselves away and showed her our other (more practical) favorite.
She smiled and said, “Well, you do know what you like! Both sofas are by the same company and they are our highest quality sofa on the floor.”
She talked us through the features…
*It comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame (built to last!)
*The cushions are down filled (holds up better than a poly-fill, not to mention way more comfortable!)
*It comes as a sectional for more seating (big to fit our family of 7 + dog.)
*It is slip covered for easy cleaning.
*There are many fabric swatches to choose from (little did she know this would open up Pandora’s box for me!)
*We could choose two other fabrics for the decorative pillows (cha-ching!).
“What about the piping on the sofa? Is it optional and does it have to be a contrast fabric?” I asked. She wasn’t sure if it was optional, so she went to check. She came back and said, “It’s not optional, but you don’t have to get it in a contrasting fabric.”
She brought out the books of fabric choices and we plunked ourselves down to begin to peruse.
As far as the base fabric of the sofa, we knew we didn’t want it to be a bold pattern. I change my decor mind too often. We kept coming back to the fabric on the floor model. “That’s linen, right?” I asked. I know that linen is not easy to keep clean, but oh how I love the way it looks. Leslie said, “Oh, this is a good pick for you, because it’s a linen polyester blend. It’s really easy to clean.” (*in my mind fist bump*)
Then we had to narrow the choices down to two, for the decorative pillows. Devon liked this one:
It’s beautiful and bright, but I gently explained to him, it was the “old decorating me”…it was a few houses ago. I chose this combo with shades of muted purple and grey, at first…
but, wasn’t so sure about the purple. Then Devon pointed out a textured fabric that I quickly paired with a twig pattern and…
…well, let’s just say, after 18 years, we make a good team. Leslie agreed with a, “Wow! I love that combination! You guys are good.”
We decided to order the piping in the same grey linen fabric and said, “We’ll take it!” We followed Leslie up to the register and she rang up our bill. She said, “How would you like to pay?” I handed her my card and said, “I’m one of the bloggers. I’m from LoveFeast Table.” I wish I had my camera out, right then and there! She had no idea! But, really, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Leslie was professional and kind throughout our visit. She listened to what we liked, made suggestions and gently steered us into picking the sofa that is right for our family. It will be a good addition!
*Test It, Blog It, Win It is a contest sponsored by Su Casa Furniture in Baltimore. Bloggers who were chosen, pick a piece of furniture of their choice, write about it and live with it for a month. Su Casa will choose which blogger was the most creative. That blogger will be able to keep her furniture for free. Those not chosen can chose to buy it at 50% off. Kristin is a participant.
