Thursday, June 19, 2014

New Living Room Furniture

So, we finally got new living room furniture! First I'll show you a quick pretty pic of the new stuff, then I'll show you why we had to get new furniture, then I'll show you the new change to the mantel, and finally, tons more pics of the new furniture. :) 

Ready??? Okay. Here's a pretty pic of the new stuff...


Do y'all like it? I'm totally in love with it! I've wanted a new sofa and loveseat for a long time now. 

Okay, now for WHY we needed new furniture. We used to have this leather below. Doesn't look too bad from a distance, does it?


Let's get a little closer...now are you beginning to see the problem? Keep in mind this leather was ONLY 5 years old...


What about now?? Can you see how cracked and worn it is? I really debated on whether or not to share these pics with y'all, but it's real life and maybe someone can learn from our experience. :) 


About 5 years ago we decided we really wanted leather furniture. Like, really good leather. We figured if we spent a lot of money on it, it would last 10-15 years. We listened to all kinds of advice on buying leather...people said to make sure the WHOLE thing is made of leather and not just the arms or seat. Check. Ours was made entirely of real leather. 

Another piece of advice we got was to check and see if the back of the sofa was made up of several "sections" of leather. Apparently if there's one big section of leather on the back, it's not real leather because there's no cow THAT big and that means parts of it are fake. Well, this sounded pretty comical and I have no idea if it's true, but we checked and yes, ours was made up of SIX sections of leather on the back. So, we thought we were doing all the right things and we'd have furniture that would last and last. 


Umm...does that pic above or below look like it lasted very long? No. It's really depressing because what we paid for it, would have covered an entire semester of college for my son. Live and learn, I guess. 


In the pic above, you can see what happens when you keep throw pillows on either side of the sofa. People tend to just sit in the middle. Yep, obviously there was someone sitting in the middle most of the time. Hence the worn middle cushion.

And yes, we did condition it regularly. We used the bottles of conditioner the delivery guys gave us, but obviously it didn't work very well.

Now this pic below is the one I really didn't want to share because it's so bad. But, here it is anyway...


That's on the loveseat. See where I wrote the word "tear?" That just happened recently. First it was just cracked there, but then all of a sudden a tear popped up. That was pretty much the final straw. You can see how cracked the whole thing had gotten. And remember, this furniture was only 5 years old!! Ugh!

So, the lessons we learned were...#1 don't pay a fortune for furniture because it probably won't last as long as you think it will, (and even if it does, trends will change and you probably won't like it for more than 10 years anyway) and #2, we'll never buy leather furniture again. :)

Okay...now for a small change I made to the mantel. This is a before pic of the Tuscan style print we had above it.


Here's another "before" pic obviously taken around Valentine's Day. I liked the Tuscan look, but I just don't think it goes with our decor anymore. Now that we've painted almost the entire house a much lighter color and gotten rid of the leather, this picture just didn't seem to mesh very well with the other decor in here. 



So, here's the new lighter and brighter look. 


Remember when I mentioned that I hung the mirror my hubby made in the foyer? Well, here's where the original foyer mirror ended up. I just turned it horizontally instead of vertically and added this wreath to it. I used some burlap ribbon to hang the wreath. Love burlap!



hanging wreath on mirror

Here's a close up of the detail on the mirror frame. 


And here's a closer look at the wreath. I love this wreath! It'll definitely carry me through from Spring to Fall. 


Okay, now on to the big furniture reveal... Here are lots more pics of the new furniture...

By the way, I'm going to eventually replace that wing chair with something more neutral, but just haven't done it yet. I'll probably just wait and use Christmas money for it. :) And while we're on the subject, that wing chair is a piece of furniture that actually DID last a long time...it's almost 20 years old and has been recovered once. It was a Lane piece from the J.C. Penney catalog. :) 



lighter brighter living room

As you can see, I took your advice and wrote "cozy" on the chalkboard basket. Thanks again for the suggestion! 


I love that the sofa and loveseat came with these pillows too! The other side reverses to the same material of the sofa. 


When buying new furniture, I had a list of things I had to have. Number one was a FABRIC material. No more leather for us. :) I also wanted a very neutral color and I wanted wooden feet on the bottom. I figured with the sofa and carpet both being a neutral color, I wanted dark wood feet to kind of separate the two so the furniture didn't just blend into the floor. And I really wanted the back cushions to be attached, so they wouldn't slip around on me. On the one we bought, the back cushions are attached, but the bottom ones are loose so they can be turned over if needed. 


It was just a bonus that I actually liked the pillows it came with. :) Another big bonus was that both the back cushions and the seat cushions have hidden zippers so you can re-stuff them if they get worn down. I loved that about them! That's something I didn't even know I wanted. :)


Here's a close up of the material.


I think it's so much lighter in here now. That leather was a little too manly for me and kind of reminded me of a man cave. Lol!

These pics were taken before I switched out that red platter above the armoire. :) It's now gone and the pale yellow one is in its place.


I think the mirror helps to brighten it up a bit too. 




Well, I know that was a very long post and thanks if you made it down this far! :) Have any of you had bad luck with leather? I'm beginning to think we just got a lemon. :)

~Lisa


45 comments:

  1. I. love. your. new. furniture! Love the size, shape, and the neutral color. Your room has transformed with the lighter colors.. I bet you are in heaven! How on earth do you keep that carpet so clean? I never could.

    We've lived and learned some with leather too. The two chairs that are in our family room are 2 years old now and they are showing some wear. I'm thinking the layers of leather are extremely thin or something....maybe? I keep putting leather conditioner on ours and it seems to help. We do have a leather chair and a half in our media room that we bought years ago. It was a fortune compared to what I like to spend any more. Anyway, it is still so good that we might have it till we die. Or maybe a son will take it one of these days. :) I kind of prefer to buy medium priced furniture because I've learned that my taste changes and I don't want to keep things forever.

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  2. I love your new sofa's!!!! They make the whole space brighter and make it look bigger! Now I know not to buy leather couches :( We have brown (not leather) couches and I would love to update them to something wayyyy lighter!
    I also love your mirror with the wreath on your mantel!! I love mirrors, they just help make a space seem bigger!

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  3. I love your new furniture! It's so light and airy and makes the room look larger. The material looks like it will hold up well too. I've never had leather furniture before. So, everything you shared was new to me. It sounds like you did everything right though. I'll have to keep that in mind if we ever consider getting any leather furniture in the future. Your mantel also looks great with the classic mirror above it. You can't go wrong with mirrors!

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  4. Love it Lisa!!!!! You made the perfect choice! I have a an faux leather sectional that's now in the basement and the main complaint I have is that it gets cold in the winter! So I vowed to buy fabric sofas from then on and I've never regretted it ! ENJOY!

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  5. Your new furniture is beautiful and looks great in your living room. Your mantle looks so pretty too....love the mirror!!! We have leather furniture in our den and it is beginning to show a little wear. We have to keep a throw on the cushion part now because of Gracie's condition so I guess in a way that is helping to prolong the life of the sofa?!?! LOL!!!
    Have a great weekend!!
    ~Des

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  6. It is beautiful!!!!! It is so bright and homey :-) I love the new mantle as well. I think the mirror and wreath are so pretty! Your room is perfect. Hope your summer is off to a lovely start.

    Happy Thursday...

    ~Sherri

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    1. Thanks, Sherri! I love how much brighter it is. I wasn't sure if people still put wreaths in front of mirrors, but I liked how it looked, so I did it anyway. :) My summer is going great! I'm enjoying getting to sleep in a little now that the boys are out of school. Hope you have a lovely summer too!

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    2. What is the brand name of your couches? I love them!!
      micahrtrct@yahoo.com

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    3. Thank you very much! I don't know the particular brand, but we bought them at Rooms To Go. :)

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  7. Insert me audibly gasping in terror. We have that very same leather couch & love seat set. It's maybe 2.5 years old. Oh.dear.lord. I knew I wasn't keen on the idea of leather, but succombed. I'm off to go cry now.

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    Replies
    1. Oh no!! Well, keep in mind that we might have just gotten a "lemon." I haven't seen any other leather that deteriorated as fast as ours. Good luck and I truly hope yours lasts a lot longer than ours did. Keep me posted. :)

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  8. I'm with Jane! I'm shocked. We have a leather sectional that we purchased from Haverty's after saving many months for. We've had it for about 2 years now and I wouldn't know what to do if it started to wear that much. My kids lounge all over it, but my dogs know better than to get on the furniture. I'm really hoping it lasts. Anyway, I love your new set. It looks much nicer in your room and makes the room seem much bigger.

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  9. Oh, dear..I am so sorry your leather didn't hold up well. We've had our two leather sofas about 10 years and they are still looking good. Guess there's different grades of leather...I never really thought about it.
    Love your beautiful new furniture...so glad you are happy with it.

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  10. Your new furniture looks great. I like the mirror above your mantel also. I really like your decorating style. Thanks for sharing your talented ideas.

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    1. Thank you, Kim! I love that I already had that mirror too. It was like I was playing musical mirrors the way I was moving them all around. :) Happy Friday and I hope you have a great weekend!

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  11. Lisa, I think I am in love with your new furniture. So gorgeous! Love the new look and the mantle looks amazing with the mirror and wreath. What a difference it made. I can't believe your leather did that. Amazing! And leather furniture is so expensive. Like you said, live and learn. Enjoy your new furniture!

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  12. How disappointing that your leather furniture wore that quickly. Ours is 7+ years old and so far it looks great - no cracking or tears. It was pure luck, though, because we had no idea what to look for when we bought it. We use the conditioner the furniture store provided and try to put it on weekly. It's held up well to our kitty's back nails, and the occasional times the pups sneak on it to nap. Your new furniture is beautiful and really does lighten and brighten your living room!

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    1. Hi Carolyn! I really can't believe how fast our leather went down hill. I'm sure your leather will last a lot longer than ours. If you haven't had any problems so far, you probably won't in the future either. Just keep using that conditioner and you'll be good as gold. :) Thank you for the sweet comment on the new furniture! I'm loving how much brighter it is in there now. :)

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  13. I'm with you regarding leather -- do not like it except in car upholstery! We've had leather sofas and chairs a few times over the course of our married life, always good quality, good brand, high price, but it still went bad on us. One company even replaced our large sofa after two years, but that only lasted another 3 before it started showing wear. Maybe it has to do with our ridiculously hot climates. We do have a small leather chair and ottoman in our living room that has held up very well for over ten years, but it has never had any strong direct sunlight hitting it and does not get used that much -- don't know if that makes a difference or not! Your pieces look beautiful and make the room look much bigger. Love the mirror over the fireplace, and I like wreaths hanging from mirrors, too!

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  14. Everything looks so pretty fresh and clean. I really like everything in this room.

    Pamela
    Ohio

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    1. Thank you, Pamela! It sure looks a lot different now that we've painted and replaced that leather. :) Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  15. I love everything...the furniture, mirror, wreath...the light color is great and thecfabric looks durable CHeckbyour warranty. I had ten years on the cushions and jyst had them redone a few weeks ago. My fabric was good for one year snd on the new chairs we hought last year, the fabric started to fray and pill so they gave me store credit and i got new chairs! CHECK that warranty!!! I'm bummed about the leather. I wad thinking of two chairs for my den that I'm redoing. I'll talk to my daughter about the yay/nays on leather. It's probably due to the grade ANyway good for you!!!!

    Jane

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  16. Love your new furniture! My daughter has the same problem with her leather sofa.and it wasn't cheap. I doubt she will buy leather again, Just wanted to let you know you are not the only one. Enjoying your blog. Joyce in TX.

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    1. Hi Joyce! Thanks so much for letting me know...what's that saying "misery loves company" or something like that! Lol! But really, it's good to know I'm not the only one who's had problems with leather. I just never dreamed it would look that bad after only a handful of years. Oh well. Enjoy your Sunday and thanks for stopping by. It's always good to hear from a fellow Texan. :)

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  17. Your new living room looks lovely, cozy, serene, and inviting. Wow, that is too bad about your leather furniture but I am with you I am not too much of a fan of leather, even tho it has it's good points, it is
    a lil to manly for me too. lol
    Your sofa pillow look really pretty too, nice that they have solid on the other side, that way if you wanted to add some patterned ones and they don't go with that pattern or color you can just flip it over, and also for a new look as well.
    I really liked your mirror with the wreath over your mantle too, it really does brighten things up
    like you said. Enjoy your new furniture........
    Blessings, Nellie

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  18. Love your new sofas, the fabric is wonderful and the pillows are perfect! Your room looks wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY...
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  19. Love the new furniture, so pretty and you will love having something totally neutral. I change my room up constantly with pillows, you can do the same. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.

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  20. I think the change to your mantle really updated your room. Love Love your furniture. Your room is so classy and stylish.

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    1. Thank you, Susan! I'm excited about having a more neutral color palette. It's so much easier to incorporate all the different colored holiday decor too. :) Hope you have a nice evening and thanks for visiting! :)

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  21. Your new furniture is really nice. I like how you redid the mantel as well. What a shame about the leather. My daughter has a brown leather sofa and both sides recline. I know that it is mosty vinyl and was cheap. It has lasted and lasted. We spent a fortune on a Lazeboy leather recliner. It broke and they repaired it just to break again. Then I have friends with the real leather on her sofa, love seat, and over sized chair. It has worn beautifully and is so comfortable. So it goes to show, you never know. Wish furniture could be more reliable. But yours is just a shame. But your room looks beautiful now.

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  22. Those couches are GORGEOUS, Lisa! The living room looks beautiful! Thank you bunches for linking up and partying with us!

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    1. Thank you so much, Kristi! I appreciate you stopping by! Hope you have a great day!

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  23. I love it all, the colour style and arrangement. Its beautiful
    Janice

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  24. Just reading some of your older posts, Lisa! I love the new furniture you chose :) Your living room is so beautiful! :)
    Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com

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    1. Thanks, friend! I was so very excited to get rid of that leather. I still can't believe how quickly it deteriorated. Oh well. I'm much happier with the neutral furniture now. Hopefully the new ones will last a lot longer. :)

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  25. Hi Lisa. I'm looking for a new couch and remembered that I really liked yours. Can you tell me where to find it? I've been looking at Haverty's lately. Are you still happy with this one?

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