Living Room {Australia}

Will this ever end?  Today, I'm presenting you with yet another design board for our living room.  In the past I've discussed getting a new sofa and how that has been a real challenge.  A couple months ago we searched and searched, but couldn't find anything we absolutely love and could live with for many years to come (when you're spending that kind of money you should really love it).  However, we did end up making a  decision.  I know shocking!  We decided to just order a white custom slipcover for our existing sofa.  I think that was the logical choice, we get a couple more years out of the sofa (until we move back to the States) for the least amount of $$$.  Hopefully, when it finally comes in (from England) we will love it and it will provide the "transformation" we've been seeking. 

The sofa we have is a discontinued Ikea model and is slipcovered (we bought it second hand when we arrived in Australia).  Apparently, they had a wide variety of slipcover colors to choose from, but since they no longer sell them I did a search for anyone who makes slipcovers to fit that model and I lucked out and found several.  The only catch is it takes a month or two to make and then has to be shipped.  At first we were looking at mid September, but now it's looking like mid October, before it arrives.

So here is what I'm thinking the room will look like in a couple months....

As you can see there are a couple new things on the board I'm still wanting to purchase.  The jute rug I purchased, from Ikea, last year, is already starting to fray on the corners, so that needs to be replaced.  This time I'm thinking of a flatweave, like a graphic dhurrie or kilim. 

And then the lamps...A.K.A my arch nemesis.  They're kind of like the problem I was having with sofas...I just keep hitting a wall at every turn.  The lamps I pictured on the board are from West Elm, but again, I don't care for the shade or the price tag, but I like the lamp and color.  But, I also still really like the Buddha lamp I've blogged about a couple times.  My new teak side tables and the room are in desperate need of ambient lighting.  Designing for oneself is really the most challenging. 

We've lived in our current house for two years now (still hard to believe) and I've only hung bamboo roman shades in the master bedroom (we have a pretty large collection of bamboo shades that we carry around from place to place...house to house), so I'm going to finally put them up in the rest of the house.  I also have a few sets of curtains I made about seven or eight years ago, but they're off white and won't look right with the white slipcover, so I think I'll grab a pair of white ones from Ikea, but I want to jazz them up a bit.  How do extra large white pom poms down the leading edge sound (bringing in a little Moroccan flare)?  I think I'm going to order some thick white yarn and make them myself.  I'll also order a few colors of yarn and make cute pom poms like the ones on the inspiration pillow, but I'll add them to the pillows I'm going to make with my new links fabric. 

As far as the art goes, I want to create a gallery wall above my antique Chinese console (pictured).  I'm, also, still searching for a frame to fit my otomi...I so don't want to spend money on a custom one.  Lastly, I think I'm going to buy that travel sketch of India I blogged about recently.  They're just so amazing, I'm going to start a collection (good/inexpensive idea for any family who want to know what to buy me for birthdays or Christmases).

So, what do you guys think of my most recent presentation?  It's a bit more colorful than I usually gravitate towards, for myself, but I think my otomi is inspiring me to be more adventurous with color.

Most Wanted...

Wanted to share a few things from my Most Wanted list...

Loving these, Lucyna, sandals....

this Belgian Slope Arm Slipcovered Sofa (in the white Army Duck fabric), is in the running for our next sofa...

for several seasons, I've been on the lookout for a stylish leopard 3/4 sleeve coat...

{image}

{image...still one of my favorite editorials}

Needing a new camera, to properly capture our time in Australia...I'm thinking a Canon Rebel T3i?...

oh yeah, I still want to get a pair of these lamps that I blogged about here.

Sofa, Pendants & Flowers

On a recent outing we popped into a furniture store we like, called Early Settler, to see if a sofa we were considering is still a contender.  I snapped a couple quick pics to share, since the photo online doesn't do it any justice.

As you can see it's a rather large sofa with a chaise and a linen slipcover.  I really love everything about it, except the throw pillows and the only hesitation I have is the size.  Don't get me wrong, I actually love the scale, but I'm worried about committing to something that may not fit into, say, a condo in Hawaii.

You may have also noticed that they happen to have the Lotus pendants, that I've blogged about before. and that I really, really, really want hanging above the sofa.  Hmmm...quite the coincidence.

 and last, but not least, the beautiful Valentine flowers, from my guys.  Also wanted to point out that the space on the wall to the right of the flowers is where my new Otomi will be hanging!

Hope you guys are having a nice day today.  Unfortunately, my little guy is home sick from school today and is lying on the sofa next to me watching cartoons.  He's feeling much better, since his fever broke.  Gotta run, getting demands for a juice box.

Possibilities...

We've been tossing around a couple furnishing ideas lately and while we were out this weekend we found another sofa to add to the list of contenders...

{Brooklyn 3 Seat Sofa in Oxford Tan via Freedom}

this sofa looks even better in person and is super comfy.  We like the mid century styling and think that it would play off all our ethnic furnishings nicely.

I've also been thinking (once again) about reupholstering my mid century chair (yes, the same chair that I've had for almost sixteen years and it was my husbands before we even met, so it's been in the family and needing a makeover for just a little while!). It's been challenging trying to decide on the perfect fabric for the chair, because let's face it, once it's finally reupholstered, the odds of it ever being changed again are slim to none!  The choices over the years have ranged from distressed leather, to kilim, to a combo of the two then all the way to just a white canvas slipcover.  All of these would be a wonderful update for the chair, but I found another option.  While it's not as, perhaps, timeless as some of the others, it does bring great style, pattern, color and that ethnic touch, I love so much, to the table....

{Java Ikat in Barley}

While the price of the sofa is pretty high, the fabric is a steal! Some other questions are: How do you think this sofa would look when we move it into our Hawaii condo?  Do we really want a leather sofa in Hawaii?  Should we just wait to spend the money on a new sofa until we buy the condo?  DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS! 

Hawaii Condo: Living Room

It's snowballing, It's an avalanche!  But, it's just so fun! 

The room basically has the look and feel of our existing home and of course we'll bring many of our favorite items to mix into the new space.  I think we decided to hold off on a new sofa, all together, now that we've becided to buy a place in Hawaii (unless we find something outstanding here).  It doesn't make sense to buy an expensive piece of furniture without knowing the demensions/scale of the room in a house that you're buying and will live in for a long time. 

Is it bad that I'm now willing the time to pass by quicker, in Australia, so that I can design our new condo in Hawaii??  Crazy!  Needless to say, we still have a long road ahead of us.  Our son starts school next year (January), so I am going to find a job here.  We recently found out that I am aloud to work here, but it's quite the process, but they pay really well in Australia, so it's a money making opportunity I would be foolish to pass up.  Anyway, I hope I'm not boring you all to death with my, just for fun (for now), design boards.

Budget vs Splurge...

The other day I presented a living room design board option for our house.  My husband and I saw a wonderful, huge sofa while we were out shopping a couple weekends ago and loved it instantly.  Today, my husband asked if I wanted to go and buy that sofa this weekend and no surprise, if you know me, I instantly got cold feet.  I don't have doubts about the style of the sofa, but about the price. 
These are the points that cause me pause: 1. Our 4 year old son will probably wreak havoc on it. 2. It's HUGE and when we move back to Hawaii in a few years it's very likely that our space will be considerably smaller and it probably won't fit. 3. I can buy a sofa, rug, side table, lamp, potted palm and a big woven pot and still have around $900 still in my pocket and that's only including the sofa budget from my splurge board!

Yeah I think I just talked myself out of an awesome sofa...I think I can live with that!

So here are the comparisons:

Splurge

VS

Budget

the overall savings will be more than $2500...is this something you'd be able to live with?

1GS Picks & Design Board...

Soundslike Home, out of Sydney, has some great pieces and I found a couple things I may get for my home...

like these rattan tray tables.  They come in a set of 3 for $209!

{Rattan Tray Tables}

and one of these cube side tables for next to our new sofa...it's white washed teak and only $121!

{multi-cube-white-wash}

I've been busy pulling together pieces that I'd love to add to our home.  This is what I've found so far...

we already have a similar coffee table and the carved Chinese piece is ours. 
So we need:

• New Sofa
• Area Rug
• Side Tables
• Lamps
• Kilim Pillows
• I want a large turtle shell for the mantel
• Large Mirror or Piece of Art for above the Chinese Console
• Lamp for Console
• Recover Our Mid Century Club Chair

Yes, $$$ signs are flashing before my eyes! I think I can pull the "look" together for around $3500 (not including recovering the club chair...that may remain on the to-do list). We want to have the room finished by August...that's when our first guests are coming for a visit!

Sofa Love...

We've been searching for a new sofa, to replace the temporary one we purchased when we first arrived in Australia.  Today, we found a shopping center that was all home interior shops.  We went into one of the stores, Early Settler, for the first time and we loved almost everything they had to offer!  Right when we walked in we saw a great sofa and we both agreed that it was most definitely a top contender!
Try to ignore everything else in the room!  We're only interested in the great linen sofa.  Of course, I'd loose the throw pillows and add Turkish Kilim pillows instead, to bring some texture, pattern and color to the piece.  I really do love it...

Then, we went into Freedom Furniture, which I've mentioned before on the blog and my husband found his dream sofa...

I have to admit I really loved it too...it's great in person.  The scale is perfect, it sits lower to the ground and the leather is beautifully distressed.  It feels very rich....very Restoration Hardware.

Two totally different directions!  One more cozy and feminine and one more modern and masculine.  When we got home I stared at our living room for a while and could easily picture both options in the room, but I think we will end up agreeing on the linen sofa.  It just seems a better choice for this time in our lives...we can all three stretch out on it, watch a movie and be really comfy!  I think we may be getting it next month, it's a big purchase and we want to be 100% before pulling the trigger  checkbook!

Sofa Love...

We're still searching for the perfect sofa...We have not seen even one strong contender yet.  Of course, I'm still not 100% sure the exact style I want.  My current selection process is that once I see it I'll just know. 

With that in mind, I saw this sofa online and I knew I loved it!  I also know that it's not in Australia, so the search is still on...

{Jane Bisectional Sofa found here}

I love the chaise, the clean lines, the tufting, the low arms!...color?  I think I would be pretty happy if I came across something like this and at a great price point...one can dream!

A New Sofa...

I know I've blogged about finding a new sofa before (here, here, here), but with the impending move it has jumped right up to the top of our list of must purchase a.s.a.p!  The question is, do we purchase now, or wait until we get to Australia?  My husband's job will be shipping all our stuff from Hawaii to Australia, but our things, stored, in Texas (most of our belongings) will be prorated.  Meaning, they will give us a quote from Texas to Australia and from Hawaii to Australia and we will have to pay the difference.  We are waiting for that quote to come in, so we can make our decision (fingers and toes crossed there won't be a huge price difference!).  If we did buy a sofa in the states, we'd buy one in Texas and have it shipped with our storage stuff.  However, if the shipping cost is too high and we must keep our things in storage (for another 3-5 years...YUCK), then we'll purchase a sofa in Australia.  Hawaii isn't an option because 1) I've never seen a sofa I love here and 2) The prices are way too high!  On the other hand, I've never looked for sofas in Australia and don't know about the prices.  Let's just hope all this Texas shipping works out!  Although, Bali is very close, so there is probably an abundance of Balinese furnishings in Australia, which could mean finding the Balinese day bed I've always wanted for my sofa!!!! HHHMMM....O.K. now my brain hurts! HA!

{1. crate and barrel, 2. crate and barrel, 3. urban outfitters, 4. restoration hardware, 5. ebay.au}

First let me say that I realize after reading this post and seeing these sofa options, some, if not most, of you are probably thinking I'm a bit crazy and well, while you're probably a little, tiny bit correct in that summation, I want to assure you that there is good, logical (I was a logic tutor in college, after all) reasoning backing my thought processes and selections.  These somewhat hodgepodge sofa selections each serve to tick off a block on the sofa wish list which floats around in my head. 

For example: SOFA
1. fulfills our need for more seating and lounging, while still having clean lines and a dark fabric for the toddler of the house (although I'm not a big sectional girl).
2. again has dark fabric, clean mid century lines and is not a sectional (yay).
3. is very similar to sofa two, but a fraction of the cost (probably a fraction of the quality too) and converts to a sofa bed (great option with all the company we'll have) and with the low, low cost we wouldn't cry if, say, our toddler drew on it with permanent marker (has been known to happen) or spilled on it.
4. of course this option is a classic, would own forever choice.  Love a chesterfield, but it is quite pricey and we would cry if anything from the sofa 3 hypothetical happened.
5. makes me rethink my pre-purchase plan altogether and brings out the gambler in me.  It really is the style of sofa I've talked about for years (just ask the hubby) and it would make me very happy, is very toddler proof and the mattress we'd add would have washable covers! 

Now that I'm sufficiently confused (as I'm sure all of you are too), it's probably time to end this long freakin post! 

One last thing...I'm open to any and all advice, comments, new options!  Let me know what you all are thinkin!

*can you tell I've entered panic mode now, which really has nothing, whatsoever, to do with sofas!*

Living Room Design Board

Couldn't resist putting out one more post for January and seeing what the Urban Outfitters sofa would look like in my house.  I pulled together a few elements that give the feel of things I already own, but are only similar not exact.  Similar items include, the masks, cowhide, Buddhas, wood carving, coral, driftwood and an ethnic furniture vibe.  I added a mid century chair, but mine is different and I was testing out a coffee table idea.  Some must haves from the board (besides the sofa) are the swing arm sconces (maybe a good DIY project), pharmacy lamp, clam shell and Moroccan pouffe.  All in all I think this is a very achievable look, at minimal cost!

Living Room Design Board by amandalenore on Polyvore.com

Sofas

When/if we move back to the mainland we will have to buy a new sofa, since we sold our sofa before we moved back to Hawaii and we'll be selling our Hawaii sofa before moving back to the mainland....did you catch all that! Anyway, I've been going back and forth and in and out of sanity trying to decide on a sofa style for our new life (well possible new life this fall).

Loving this modern chesterfield sofa designed by Martha Stewart for Bernhardt.  The clean lines make it a nice transitional style that would blend-in nicely with my eclectic mix of existing furnishings.  I think I could easily blend in my exotic pieces with my antiques and some modern elements.  This would be a contender for sure, but the price (not sure what it is, but I'm betting on pricey) may put it out of the running, for some time at least.



{image via Martha Stewart furniture with Bernhardt}

 Another option, and probably a more realistic option since the budget will be very tight at first, is the Night and Day Convertible Sofa from Urban Outfitters. This is probably the best option for two reasons: First and foremost it's only $589 and second it converts into a bed, which is perfect since we will have a ton of company when we move back! I also can see us moving the sofa into our sons room or into another room of the house once we get settled and can afford to upgrade. Another plus is that having a modern sofa will bring in a whole new hip and modern feel to our space. I can picture it paired with our cowhide, mask collection, antique Chinese console, antique Balinese cabinet, and since the sofa is such a great price I can reupholster our mid century club chair and add that to the mix.

{image via Urban Outfitters}

HHHMMMM....we shall see!