As I sit here, on my loveseat, I’m fully aware that it’s time to clean the upholstery again. (Like three months ago!) Not my favorite task. It makes me miss our old brown couches. We were idiots then, when we bought a new sofa and loveseat and donated our old brown couches.
Our old brown couches were comfy, even after seven years of abuse, they remained soft and squishy and quite nice on the tushy. They were stain-resistant, super easy to clean. Was the wood trim separating from the fabric? Yes. Had the seams ripped, creating an abyss where things could never be reclaimed? Yes. But oh, so comfy.
When it came time to replace them we’d planned to buy leather, but we lived so far from a major city, delivery charges were absurd. Actually, local delivery for a mattress was $300, not that I paid it. People with trucks and an hour to spare can be bribed much cheaper, but my point being, we had limited selection when purchasing our new furniture, since we had to stay local.
Then when we went to the local furniture dealers, we never found a single leather sofa that we liked the look and feel of. It was as though you could have style or comfort, but not both. We were sad.
We bought new furniture with cloth upholstery, and we loved it. Briefly.
New furniture isn’t so new anymore. We began to hate the sofa around 18 months after we bought it. Oh we still love the way it looks, but not how it feels. Although they are a set, made and upholstered by the same company, the sofa just isn’t holding up as well as the loveseat. And while you may be thinking that the sofa gets more use, that’s not it. It’s simply not made as well. It’s not an uncomfortable sofa, and for that we are grateful, but it’s not as comfy as old brown couches were.
I hate shopping hindsight, which often goes with hating shopping in general. If I’d known how well those slacks would wash and wear after two years, I’da bought two more colors. If I’d known how that $30 rug would be utterly destroyed by its first run in the wash, I’da bought somethin else. If I’d known how much we’d regret giving away our brown couches, I’da paid to have them reupholstered.
You may remember I am all about purging, keeping only things that are useful or beloved. I seldom regret giving something away. Y’all know how I love some good Feng Shui, but those couches…
I can’t get rid of our sofa because it doesn’t spark joy — it seats 3-6 people depending. You know what won’t spark joy? Having my guests sit on throw pillows, or carry around their dining chairs. If anything, I need to add two more chairs to the living room!
What this experience with the sofa taught us is that we are not good furniture shoppers. If sitting on the sofa, the price of the sofa, and the brand of the sofa are not reliable ways to trust in your sofa purchase, then we have no clue how to shop for furniture.
Here, we have a Furniture Guy. Hopefully one day, Furniture Guy will lead us to making a satisfying sofa purchase. After all, Furniture Guy sold us those brown sofas.
Do you hate shopping hindsight?
What do you regret getting rid of or replacing?
joeyfullystated 
The last time we bought a sofa, we made an excellent choice. I hasn’t happened that often. We have also known the pain of getting rid of the perfect sofa and replacing it with something that fell far short as a replacement. That’s a special sadness which you have expressed here. Sorry. Maybe your next sofa will be perfect.
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Thank you for your empathy — I cling to good sofa hope!
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I’m with you… I hate shopping. We’re in need of new furniture hereand I’m dreading having to go out and look for some.
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Ugh. I wish you luck! (and a skilled furniture salesperson!)
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“A skilled furniture person” = not likely. I’m gonna put it off as long as I can. 😉
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I had two sofas that i loved for years, They fitted into my front room beautifully and matched the colour scheme really well. They got rather tatty though, Despite being really comfy they looked a little scruffy. We got rid of them for a fancy corner sofa and armchair, Although it looks nice, you don’t sink into its comfy embrace like you did the others!
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OH then you know my pain! I’m sorry! Although, it is nice to have lovely-looking things in one’s house 🙂
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I hate shopping for most everything that is a “big purchase”. I mean, I’m okay with buying groceries, but other than that…yeah, I get buyer’s regret big time. Clothes, mattresses, electronics, furniture. We had awesome navy blue couches with fantastic stuffed arms that you could lay your head against and use as a pillow when watching TV. And they seated a ton of people. When they started falling apart (they were not an expensive purchase, but they did last us a good long while), we started looking for new sofas. Finally found almost the same navy blue in a set that was pretty comfy (sans the great arms, sadly) and spent a good amount of money on two full-size sofas (vs sofa and love seat). They’re OKAY but not great. I still love the color but I hate the arms (they’re too LOW) and the area where Hub sits most of the time is really squashed…and it’s only been about 3 years.
FORTUNATELY, we kept our old sofas! They’re in our “media” room, where Hub likes to hang out with his friends (we got a “media” room instead of a formal living room in this house). They’re still holding up pretty well, but they don’t get as much use, so that’s probably why. They still look like hell though…the underneath fabric is falling down, the wood is all messed up on the feet and edges, and the thing sags like a mofo. Still, that’s where friends (and HUB) will end up napping! LOL
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I totally get that.
I never nap on the sofa. I nap on the loveseat or in bed, cause that sofa is a nap nightmare!
My in-laws bought $$$$ living room furniture. They bought cheap furniture for the loft. Two years later, the sofas were switched out. The cheap furniture is NOT as pretty, and looks much less expensive, but it’s sooooo comfy!
Sometimes I think about how happy I’ll be, napping on my new comfy sofa — but mostly I’m glad to have a sofa, lol!
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We spent a ton of time trying to find COMFY first. And yes, the new sofas are comfy, just not AS comfy. LOL But the whole reason I won’t switch them out for the old ones is because the new ones have higher seats and that makes it easier for me (and others) to get up out of them to stand up. The old couches are lower and so sink-y that getting up requires assistance!
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I love furniture. Let me qualify; I love mid century modern furniture, esp. those couches that were wrapped in plastic to ensure the fabric looks as new now as it did when it arrived, some sixty years previous. But, those couches are not comfortable. So, I must literally hold myself back, with white knuckles from the strain of my exuberance to buy a mid century masterpiece, and buy more modern and comfortable creations.
We had a wonderful sectional. It was the cheapest one offered, it cleaned up beautifully, there was space for everyone and you sank into it, but I had to get rid of it because of the whole mid century modern impulse. I wanted to move it to our, at the time, basement, but it wouldn’t fit down the stairs so we gave it away. Then we moved to a house that could have accommodated it easily. Oh, that couch. I still miss it, especially the lounge part where I could rest lengthwise.
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MCM is not to my taste, but it IS a remarkable look! I love a 1950’s davenport, such clean lines — looks so fresh!
I’m sorry about the loss of your sectional. 😦
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Ah yes, shopping hindsight, great term. It usually applies to me for pants. At 5’8″ I’m in between regular inseam lengths and tall inseam lengths, so when I find the perfect pair of pants, I look back and wish I’d have bought two pair. But by the time I try to order another pair (because I’m an online shopper), they’re always out of my size. But I don’t want to order two initially, because how will I know they’ll be perfect? Guess I should probably go to stores more often so I could try them on first…
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That term ‘shopping hindsight’ is spot on, and applies so often. Furniture, clothing, shoes – there’s no way in 15 minutes in a store to tell if they will work. I hate shopping. Now I rely heavily on online verified buyer reviews – reading thise details from other buyers’ hindsights has saved me a ton of money and disappointment.
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Agreed, I’m a review reader, too.
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We had these ugly red and white chairs that were my grandmother’s. UGGGGGly. But…they were so comfortable and were awesome to have out at Christmas time. We got rid of them when we got a cheap better looking couch and didn’t have the room at the time, but I wish we would have stored them for later. They were cool, in an ugly sort of way.
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I hate that feeling, too. But dogs and cats make me love any couch….
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I detest shopping. I also hang on to what I have because quality today is just not what it used to be. My sofa and loveseat are really beat up (think cats) but will I replace them? No. My washer and dryer are 27 years old. Will I replace them just because they are no longer new? No. I will hang on to these relics until they literally fall apart and stop working. I feel for you, I really do. There is nothing worse then having had something but not until later (hindsight) did you know the treasure you really had. Sorry about your loss, really. Love, Amy
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I couldn’t agree more. They don’t make things like they used to anymore. Planned obsolescence and all that. You are so very just. Thanks for commenting 🙂
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Always, always, always, go for comfort first, Joey. Looks fade, comfort lasts forever. Oh, I AM talking sofas and living room chairs here, by the way. Did my dear wife Karen and I do this the last time we bought our couch? Oh, no, we did not. We went for the sharp-looking, red micro-fiber number. Not as comfy now, two years in. I still have my blue recliner, six years old, very comfy. I bought the big guarantee, and lo-and-behold, the reclining mechanism broke with two weeks left on it! I thought I was going to get a brand new recliner, same make and model if I could. But they sent a guy who checked it out and came back two weeks later with the part to fix the reclining mechanism. Dagnabbit!
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Dagnabbit, Indeeeed!
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And there’s no such thing as a good deal with sofas, I’ve found over the years. It’s gotta hurt – that price tag – but is worth it in the end. Literally.
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I’d tend to believe you, if we hadn’t spent a lot more on the newer than the old.
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Buyer’s remorse is quite frequent, I heard. Like you I don’t like shopping much, which not only surprises people because I’m a girl but also French. Sofas are probably the hardest piece of furniture to pick. So that’s a great choice for today letter F. Leather is usually what men want. Mine did! He won. I prefer fabric. But I must say that keeping a leather sofa clean is easier. Unless you have a cat that loves to use it!
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I think now that we’re in the city, leather will be considered for the next one as well. Should be plenty to choose from.
Thanks for stopping in 🙂
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I like the term shopping hindsight. Especially with the example of clothes. It is such a bummer to go back to find that favorite shirt is no longer on the racks.
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It totally is!
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I got rid of a couch two years ago with the intention of buying a new one. Well, the car broke down so I had to use the money for the couch to fix the car. Every time I get the money up to buy a dang couch something needs to be fixed or replaced. I still don’t have a couch…..hopefully soon. It’s not fun watching television while you are sitting on a kitchen chair : )
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Oh my goodness! That is extremely unfortunate! I think we all have money we save for something happy, like vacation, that we end up spending on brakes or furnaces or dental crap — but um, maybe you should at least get a beanbag! lol 🙂
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i generally suck at furniture shopping, and I suck at decorating. It all sounds right, and looks blah…so you can’t be everything. I’ll settle for being brilliant, wise, and ya know, damn near perfect.
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LOL
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I just really hate shopping in general. Something else we have in common. 🙂
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