Treasure Hunting Report: When it Rains, it Pours

Did I will this to happen, or am I clairvoyant?  Remember my post at the beginning of April, gleefully sharing my classifieds score: a vintage bar cart, found almost one year after announcing I wanted one?  I joked that I'd probably find so many, because I have one now and (my) life is like that.  I didn't find another bar cart, but I found a mid-century cabinet that fits the dining room so perfectly, that the bar cart has been displaced.

Please ignore Hubert the Hibiscus.  He is very ill and I am trying to find him the sunniest spot.

I didn't think it was possible to find something narrow enough for the dining room.  Although the traditional place would be under the painting, as you know there's no room so I thought a piece of furniture like this was out of the question.  But this slim cabinet doesn't get in the way of chairs and because it is the exact length of the wall, looks like it was meant for this room.

This teak cabinet was purchased from the same seller who sold me the apricot tweed chair and ottoman.

The chair and ottoman were a great price and so was this unit, at $160.  It's tough to find Ikea furniture for that price, let alone something mid-century (although it's still quite a few $20 bills leaving my wallet).  My only issue was that it has been modified and the legs were added.  I'm not surprised because the seller tinkers, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of full disclosure.  She'd already moved it to her entryway when we arrived, so it was impossible to look under it in the cramped quarters.  We didn't notice the alteration until we got it home and flipped it over to figure out why it wobbled (we fixed it!).  Truthfully, at first I was peeved!  But then Hubby and I decided we'd never find something in the perfect size with a clean-lined mid-century look, for that price, again.  A little update shouldn't bug me, because I'm a furniture lover, not a furniture collector.  I buy what I like (and can afford) and make it look as fabulous as possible in the townhouse.  I don't tend to go ga-ga for famous designers and I don't want my house to look like a museum.  Hubs and I want a fun, stylish place to call home but have time and money for living, instead of spending both questing for furniture.  My Dad always says, "Do we live for the furniture, or does the furniture live for us?" 

Now I have a perfect place to display my growing Iittala and turquoise glass collections (thanks Mom!), plus there's a handy surface for party snacks or buffet-style dinners.  I'm so excited to have a new piece of furniture to style.  I already have something up my sleeve . . .

And don't worry: the lovely bar cart has found a new home.  It can still be easily wheeled into the dining room or living room for drinks and snacks, but is now a workhorse in the front hall.  Although it snowed last week, I'm hopeful I can spray paint soon (this feels like the Dans le Townhouse motto).

Treasure Hunting Report: A Nightstand Clutter Solution

This weekend yielded uninspiring estate sales.  However, courtesy of my treasure-finding Mom and a sweet online classifieds score, I have goodies to report.

I fell in love with a green Beauce Canada pottery dish at the most elegant mid-century shop in town about a year ago and, despite the steep price, bought it on the spot.  (For local Ottawa folks, the shop is White Monkey).  Every now and then, I feel it pays to splurge on an item I love instead of nickle and dime-ing myself with thrifty finds I only like.  So out came the wallet, home came the pottery, and it has lived on my nightstand since.  It has been so handy for corralling things like my cellphone and glasses at night.

Hubby liked it too, and we engaged in a pottery tug of war until my Mom recently found an identical piece at her local Salvation Army, in a different glaze, for a fraction of what I paid.  So thrifting does pay off, but I'm still happy I splurged because now we have two.  We each have a lovely place to stash our random bits of life.

If you're thrifting, keep an eye out for this logo because some Beauce Pottery can collect a pretty penny at the antique shops. 

My thrifty score came from the "free" section of the online classifieds (kijiji.ca).  I found a listing for a FREE, unopened gallon of latex paint and I actually emailed before anyone else, so I scored have a lovely can of minty green paint, waiting to be used.  The woman who gave it to me was moving and gave me her paint supplies too, including unused rollers, brushes and a paint tray much nicer than any of mine.

I just can't decide if  I want to use this colour as an accent wall in the basement, or save it for a project.  Either way, it saved me a good chunk of change and is a colour I like.

Did you score any fun, thrifty finds this weekend?

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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:

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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!

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