We Just Disagree: Seating

Finding furniture for our house can sometimes be a real chore. I have already mentioned Seth’s penchant for picking up nearly anything off of the curb and bringing it home. But one topic upon which we can have an especially difficult time agreeing is when it comes to upholstered pieces like couches and chairs. Kayla is Blue below, and Seth is in Green.

I would like to say that for both of us the first priority is comfort, but Seth regularly begs me to do away with all of our living room furniture. I think sitting on milk crates would be fine. For starters, there’s more room for activities, and second, sitting isn’t really what the human body is designed for anyway. We should be lying down or standing up. So do away with seating, layer some plush rugs on the floor with a bunch of pillows and just lounge. You can’t make this stuff up.

Anyway, for me, comfort is priority number one, but I firmly believe I can have that in a pretty package. I like chairs and couches with legs that keep them up off the floor and make them seem visually more light than something that has a skirt or reaches all the way to the floor. This is also more functional since I have to vacuum under those suckers! I have no problem with seating or tables that have legs, and seem light so we agree on that point, but I’m also ok with things that are sitting directly on the floor. There’s nothing wrong with furniture that looks strong and solid and hearty, and being raised on legs isn’t always conducive to that. It’s also more functional if you can’t get under, because then you don’t have to vacuum under them.

I like bright patterns occasionally, we just tend to disagree on what patterns are aesthetically pleasing. I also like a bright pattern or color with some tufting or nail-head detail if I can find it for the right price.

I prefer durable materials like leather (I wish) or microfiber that will stand up to the dogs well, and I like things that either have dramatic curves like our current couch’s back (which Foxy and Reliant are frequently photographed lounging on) or if not (because curves can be expensive) I like a nice clean line. Now when it comes to “durability” I have an issue. While leather and microfiber are durable in comparison to regular cloth, none of them stand a chance against this dog when he’s in a chewing mood and no one’s looking. We could try a stainless steel couch?

Here’s my thing with straight lines, I can make them, and they look boring. What I have a harder time making are sexy curves. I have a hard time spending money on things that I can make myself, especially when they’re boring. It’s the same reason I don’t go out to eat at sandwich shops. I can make my own damn sandwich, but I can’t make a top quality quality beef stew (you should ask Kayla for her beef stew recipe though. A+). He literally won’t buy furniture that has clean lines if the curvy option is too expensive. His second choice is the overstuffed couch or chair your grandpa liked to sit in for hours and hours. And he has literally bought that chair from an estate sale. It generally comes in an awful color (I won’t dispute that) that he doesn’t seem bothered by, it smells weird authentic, and that doesn’t matter because the price was right (free or nearly so). The current incarnation of this chair is puke green and is slated to reside in our newly renovated upstairs (sadly) when it’s finished. That’s basically it, and I hate like 99% of the furniture that meets those requirements. I did find one garage sale chair that we both like, which currently resides in our living room, and I defied his taste and brought home a bright blue beauty with tufting that he thinks is too boxy (also an estate sale find). Old stuff, such as the chair she’s describing, let me feel connected to the past, to the collective history that has brought us here. So it’s not super pretty, and it smells kinda funny. So did both of my grandpa’s. They died when I was around 6 and 7. Even if it wasn’t their furniture, if it’s something that seems like a piece they would have used it helps keep me tied to them.

We tend to agree on things that are absurdly expensive like the sofa of my dreams (yes in that color). Or this adorable settee, which fails Seth’s requirements on so many levels, but he somehow still approves of. So anyone want to buy us a $4000 sofa? And what do you look for in a couch or chair?