Living Room Remodel, Part One: So-fa Away

Now that you've all had a little peek inside my home, it's time to share what's REALLY going on in there. For the last year or so, I have been carefully plotting the next incarnation of my living room--god knows I can't let a sleeping dog lie, especially one that's starting to stink--and have had things pretty well figured out, with the exception of a minor detail I like to call MONEY.

Well, turns out when you launch a new business at the onset of a major economic downturn, you can benefit financially in one important way, come the following April, in the form of a little check from Uncle Sam. Who knew?

I'm not sure my husband is fully aware of this yet or not, but guess where most of our uncle's gift is going this year? Come with me for a little shopping trip, to see what will soon be making its way to South Orcas Street. And pick up a little something for yourself while we're out...after all, it's on Uncle Sam.

Remember my old couch?

This is actually a piece I bought for the shop that had been waiting in the wings (aka the garage) for months for its reimagining in grey faux-leather with chrome nailhead trim. It brings a tear to my eye, just thinking about it. One day, after sitting on this little 1990-esque number from Ligne Roset for about four years too long...

...we cleaned the vintage tufted lovely, fabric tears and all, and welcomed it into the living room. It lasted there for a good 3 weeks, until my husband retrieved the wrong $25 vintage sofa I had bought from a local thrift shop. After drying my tears of loss upon realizing the right sofa had been re-sold in the meantime, I realized what I had was also quite lovely:

At 1,300 square feet, our house is not terribly well suited for oversized furnishings (at least, according to my claustrophobic husband; I think large pieces can sometime work wonders in small spaces, but I'm trying to throw him a bone on this one). This little beauty is more than a foot smaller in width and considerably less deep as well, so after moving it in and re-orienting the layout of the room, it has now become a part of the family.

Its fate is as follows:

For the front of the sofa, an environmentally friendly, commercial-grade ivory faux leather from Architex that was designed for use indoors and out, which is pretty much what it takes to hold up to my children and Jack Russell Terrier.

For the back--and don't yell at me for this, but I can't stop loving it, no matter how ubiquitous it is--Chiang Mai Dragon in Alabaster from Schumacher:

I'm doing a contrast welt along the back in a cotton turquoise Romo and, to finish it off, painting the legs a high-gloss black.

I just placed the last of my fabric orders today, so there's no turning back now (i.e, positive feedback only).

Stay tuned for part two: Side chairs, lighting, and accessories. I know, I know: it may be hard to sleep it night, what with all the anticipation.