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.

The Story of a Sofa

Courtesy of our friend Pamela Hodnefield of PH Design Group, we are the proud owners of a smashing vintage black leather chesterfield, seen above en route to the shop in my husband's equally smashing vintage VW truck.

Here's how it looks in its new home:

How would it look in yours?

Upholstered Bliss

Our pals at MetroSofa are up to their old tricks again, changing it up a bit to produce more subdued and elegant yet incredibly stylish and fresh reincarnations of vintage pieces.

Check out the following new (old!) items, all of which you can purchase through us.

Call us or drop us a line to get more information about any of these lovely pieces. I want them all!







The above is actually a *pair* of sofas that combine to make one large piece. Too cool.

New Old

Drum roll, please... MetroSofa has arrived. What is MetroSofa, you ask? A fabulous company that finds and refurbishes vintage furniture frames and, with the help of their upholsterers, transforms them with fabulous contemporary fabrics and finishes.

Last week we received our first shipment from them, what I'm sure will be the first of many, as three of the pieces are already being held for customers. We are currently the exclusive Seattle retailer for MetroSofa, which makes us even happier to have them in the store.

We also recently received some fabulous items from some other companies we love...items like red lacquered table lamps, a lovely mirrored console table, a pair of white leather round studded ottomans, etc., so lots to take in on your next visit.

And on an unrelated note, we are currently in the process of reevaluating our store hours in the hopes of being open when people most want us to be, and being closed when no one is interested in shopping. If you wouldn't mind completing the poll we created to the right, we would be so appreciative...

Hope to see you soon.

What's New?

We have received over the last week a number of wonderful new items (including the to-die-for vintage Chesterfield now ensconced in our front window) and just had to share our favorites with you. There are many more items we still haven't unpacked, so stop by and see what else we have up our sleeve. And, of course, let us know if you'd like more information about any items that catch your fancy.... Such as:

Plexiglas-framed monoprint from Nashville's own Hatch Show Print, paired with a vintage French tufted reclining chaise...


"Beautiful Girls" monoprint from Hatch Show Print...


"George Washington" monoprint from Hatch Show Print...

Vintage (1950's) riveted steel armoire--a must-see!...

Set of four vintage (1950's) steel folding chairs...


White leather side chair with amazing nailhead trim at base...


Black-and-white houndstooth sofa with same nailhead trim...


Jonathan Adler (yes, we are carrying Jonathan Adler now!!! Yippee!) dog bed for the fabulous pooch...
Male & female canvas silhouette totes...


Pair of metal indoor/outdoor chairs...they're new, so order as many as you need!...

Hable Construction gardening gloves in great prints...we are so happy to be carrying their pillows as well, looking to add more from their accessories line soon.

Rectangular terrazzo planters in various sizes...

There is much more, but you'll have to come in to see for yourself.