It feels like a lifetime since I’ve written about any home decor stuff, and since after mentioning my new couch the other day so many friends have asked to see it, I figured now would be a perfect opportunity!

Here is a look at what we had before…a ten year old, saggy, crusty couch we bought in a panic when our couch wouldn’t fit through the doorway of our first apartment.

Dark, right? Dark couch, dark carpet, dark room. If I owned this house, I’d be punching a couple windows on the right side wall, even if there isn’t anything interesting to see. You can never have enough light.

I searched everywhere for a couch to fit our needs. A corner couch that would be durable and cleanable with clean lines without being uncomfortable. Ikea was my first stop, of course. The Karlstad (the one in the picture above) met our needs to a “t”. Removable/replaceable slip cover, big, simple, ten year warranty, and very comfy. For under $1000. Nothing else I liked came even close to this price. Plus, all online reviews were incredibly positive…even after trying I couldn’t find anything negative. So after Ethan and I jumped and rolled around on the floor model at Ikea, we were sold.

While the light, tweed-ish “isunda gray” cover was very appealing, we thought the “sivik dark gray“ would better suit our needs. Since the darker cover option is machine washable and would hide stains easily, it seemed to be the best kid-friendly, pet-friendly choice. So I grabbed a pillow in the dark fabric to try. After a week it was full of dog and cat hair. Plus, I thought it kind of looked like denim—not my fav.

So, when the couch was finally in stock (it was out of stock at all of the THREE Ikeas near us), we bought it along with the slightly more expensive isunda gray slip cover. I wanted to live with it to see if it was really as great as it seemed. If we hated it, the friendly furniture salesperson promised we could exchange it.

We did not hate it. We love it.

The soft textured gray gives the whole room a fresh and cool vibe…so much better than the muddy brown. And while I’m starting to feel like my house is an Ikea commercial, we just love their furniture. Who knows what we will want in 10 years, but right now, everything we have found at the big blue store has fit the bill at an affordable (but not too cheap) price. And nothing has fallen apart yet!

Now for a project…

When Stu’s mom was in town recently, she and I went thrifting. Linda has a great eye for inexpensive gems and isn’t afraid to explore even the dingiest of shops. One of these dingy shops was where we found just what I was looking for: a side table.

I apparently only took one, very horrible, before picture.

Don’t you love how on home improvement stores they are all, “We found all these amazing items at a thrift shop for $2 each and with a little paint they are just perfect!” Yeah, well after scouring thrift shops for weeks, this was the first workable item I found. I’m just saying, it takes time. 

We brought the table home and couldn’t keep Ethan off of it—Linda had to hold him back while I wiped everything down. Stu exclaimed, “You BOUGHT that?” After which I told him, “Yes, for $10″. Ten dollas! How could I pass it up? Hard wood, barely worn, very sturdy, perfect.

My next task was finding the perfect mint paint. I know, no surprise I picked mint. OB-SESSED! I went through dozens of minty paint chips before landing on…wait for it…”Soft Mint” by Benjamin Moore. I bought a quart of semi-gloss.

I could have color matched this in a sample size at Home Depot or Lowes to save mucho dinero, but the Ace Hardware five blocks from my house was closer and carried Benjamine Moore—plus they are always incredibly sweet and helpful, so I didn’t mind paying the extra $$.

I hardly ever sand anything before painting. I just use a good coat of Zinsser 1-2-3 latex primer before painting and it always turns out great. I’ve used this method on trim, banisters, furniture, and kitchen cabinets. Like. A. Charm.

LOVE!! And how about those Ikea handles? I grabbed them on my last trip, two for a total of $7.99.

It’s a weird little table, but really perfect for our space. And it’s just simple enough to fit our overall style, with a few fun details for a vintage kick. Speaking of vintage, I had a little fun with the drawers.

(Ok, they aren’t real vintage maps. I found these sheets of 12 x 12 paper at Michael’s…it was much faster.)

After looking high and low for something reasonable that I liked, I ended up doing it myself for a cost of around $23.

I must say our old arm chair is having trouble fitting in these days. I’ve had him since my sophmore year of college and just can’t seem to replace him. But I will soon. For now, he just provides a little pop of party under my growing wall collage.

So there you have it. A project and a big ticket furniture update. We are extremely pleased with both! What do you think?

Product List: Couch Ikea, floor lamps Ikea, Ottoman World Market, Kids table and chairs Ikea, Chair Nebraska Furniture Mart, Side Table Lamp Home Goods, Rug Home Depot, Pillows DIY

You may also like: