How to Keep a Light Sofa Clean During a Move

Monday I blogged about giving the old sofa the heave-ho.  Yesterday you met the new-to-us sofa.  One last post before I move on from the sofa topic:  how we managed to get a cream-coloured sofa home from the seller's house. 

We searched for a mover on kijiji.ca (seemed fitting) and prices ranged from $50-85 for a sofa transport 15 km, with hubby providing one-half of the required muscle.  After some chatting, one mover agreed to $40 but his van, although clean, wasn't cream-sofa clean (nor were his hands, I'm betting).  And, although leather is easy to clean, I cringed at the thought of mucking the sofa up before we even got it home.  But between the two of us, Hubby and I (mostly Hubby) have moved about seven times in ten years, so we've picked up some tips & tricks.

What's our tip in this case?  Furniture-sized plastic wrap!  Office supplies stores and Costco both carry this delightfully clingy wrap and we've use it to wrap furniture, artwork, things that won't fit into boxes - even to keep drawers from sliding out of dressers during a move.

That's the secret to how the cream-coloured sofa stayed smudge-free on the journey over.  Maybe we should have left the plastic wrap on so we can keep it that way?

New Sofa = New Living Room

Now that our frustrating sofa from The Brick has exited, stage right, I'd like to introduce you to our new sofa.  Although the proportions might make it look like a loveseat, it is a sofa.  Specifically, it's the Natuzzi Editions Sassi II Sofa, from Sears.

Although this colour/leather grade retails for $1849.99 plus tax (yikes!) we paid only $660 + $40 delivery.  How?  This sofa is a kijiji.ca score!  I was trolling the online classifieds (actually looking for new side tables) when I spotted this sofa.  I recognized it because my parents have this sofa, and the matching loveseat, in their living room (in a pretty, cinnamon-hued leather).  The seller had purchased this sofa in 2009, moved to a larger home and no longer had a use for it.  Minus one unfortunate blue spot (behind a cushion) this sofa is in fantastic condition and spotlessly clean.  We took some time to think about it to make sure this purchase really was a good idea, but ultimately we went for it!  Having decided not to splurge on a new sofa until we settle in a more permanent house, I thought we'd have to suffer the disintegrating sofa until then.  This impromptu purchase was a pleasant surprise and we couldn't be happier.  Although we'd never purchased a previously-loved sofa before, you'd never guess it wasn't brand new.

Because it is a touch narrower than our previous sofa, we can turn the side tables sideways!  I think the whole effect makes the living room look brighter, warmer, and bigger.

We can turn the side tables sideways now!

My mom and I are going to sew a new throw cushion that ties in the dark ottoman and cream sofa. 
(UPDATE: see the perfect pillow mix here). 

Fancy sofas have fancy little metal tags advertising the brand.  Oooooo.

Here's a look at the old sofa vs. the new sofa:

Read more »

Surprise Sofa Swap

I blogged about a mysterious plan to better hide the fact that our sofa, from The Brick, was pealing apart but I spotted a great sofa deal over the weekend and, after an afternoon spent agonizing over the impromptu purchase, we decided to just get The Brick sofa outta the house and move on.  It makes me angry every time we sit on it which, embarrassingly, is pretty often.  It retailed for over $1000 (weep) but the same sofa-bed, no longer advertised as "bi-cast" leather but as "faux" leather, is about $700 now.  We posted our sofa on kijiji.ca, asking $80.00, and got one reply, from a woman asking me where I got my ottoman.  Another woman thought one of my photos (stolen from my blog) was a magazine shot.  All flattering, but not helpful.

After a day, we posted an ad for the sofa in the free section and were inundated with replies.  Approximately 700 page views and more than 20 replies.  After the first person to respond bailed, I contacted people in the order they contacted me but people are picky.  Nobody liked that it had flaws (well, that is why it is FREE).  Finally, a guy named Rob confirmed a pick-up time and promptly came over.  The sofa is perfect for his in-the-process-of-being-finished basement.  We got to chatting and he even offered his assistance and truck if we ever need to move big items.  There are such kind people in the world, aren't there?

Here are the pics I posted for the ad:

One last look at the sofa . . .

Good-bye tiny flakes that end up everywhere.

The "new" sofa is lighter, so here's our super scientific approach to deciding if its the right choice:

1.  Cover the existing sofa in light duvets & blankets.

2.  Tape a leather sample swatch onto the blanket (it wouldn't stick to the wall).

3.  Tape up an image of the sofa in question, for reference.

4.  Stare at it, from different chairs in the room.

I call this photo, "Contemplation".

But now it is time to clean up this mess (minus The Brick sofa, which now has a new home) and snap some photos of the "new" one!!

I predict there is much cleaning/organizing in my future.

More details coming soon!

Read more »

Pillow Talk

You might have noticed on the updated House Tour (or this post) that our sofa has new pillows, courtesy of Mom.  She had sewn one awhile back but recently finished the other two. 

I think the crisp print on a white background does a good job of brightening up our dark brown sofa.  The turquoise and saffron is such a perfect pairing for the room - it really ties in a lot of the other elements, like artwork and accessories.  I am pretty tickled by how perfectly the fabric (from a humble quilting store) works in the room.  And I'm getting bold.  I am mixing four prints: 2 printed cushions + houndstooth throw + apricot coloured tweed-y vintage teak chair = design bravery for me.  I've never been one for mixing prints so although its a baby step, I'm feeling pretty proud.  Someone tell Sarah Richardson.

And if you're curious about the status of our disintegrating sofa, courtesy of The Brick, it has continued falling apart.  We decided to hide it under the throw I bought awhile back and have abandoned plans to buy a new sofa.  We'd rather save up and buy a nice, quality sofa for our next house.  In the meantime, I have come up with a better solution than the throw because it keeps slip-sliding around - I just need to find the time to implement my genius plan.  I will keep you all posted.

Read more »