My days lately have been filled with less shopping for clothes and more shopping for things for our apartment. It’s hard to believe we’ve been in the new place for a little over a month now! It’s already absolutely flying by. I’ve been dying to give you guys updates and with our hectic end of summer schedule haven’t had a chance to fill you in on the little details just yet outside of the beginning of our process, so I’m really excited for this post!
Today we’re talking about one of the toughest parts of decorating a new apartment: couch shopping. Why is that you ask? For a few reasons. The couch is usually the focal point of the living room and the anchor to your color scheme and aesthetic. It’ll be the place where you end up spending a majority of your time at home (let’s face it) and is typically the most expensive purchase, especially in a new place.
Truth be told – I’ve never purchased a couch before and neither had MG. We were total newbs, rookies, amateurs, you name it. We looked to our friends & family for some helpful advice on best practices, sizing, and consultation regarding the layout of our apartment first and foremost.
A friend of mine (Danielle) is one of the most inspirational home interior gurus that I know and upon hearing about my move had told me all about Interior Define, a company that is completely changing the way that you think about couch shopping. To me I’m reminded of days spent with my mom at places like Haverty’s, Ethan Allen and the traditional brick & mortar stores that are huge, stuffy and one aesthetic. With Interior Define we quickly found that it didn’t have to be that way.
By leveraging direct relationships and utilizing high quality materials, ID has found a way to bring an ease and simplicity to the custom furniture process and most importantly – at an affordable price. We were so excited to see that there were plenty of styles that fit our tastes and tons of different fabrics and colors to choose from. When we started comparing prices to retailers here in the city we found that we would only be paying slightly more to completely design our own couch and ensure it was the perfect fit for our new place. The best part about the process is that you can order swatches for free. We picked out 5 colors in different fabrics and were so interested to see them in person. We were pleasantly surprised by the softness of the plush sateen and the pebble weave. In the end we made our decision based on our large window and the amount of sunlight we’d be getting and longer term what color we thought we could continue to design around down the road. Here’s everything that we considered:
1. Determine the right size
We measured the length of the wall that we wanted to place the couch on and added 6 inches on each side for wiggle room before taking into consideration anything else next to it. In the end we went with 79″ so that it could fit a full size adult (unlike me).
2. Choose a color
We decided to stick with a color that was complementary to our rug, so it was either going to be something in the ivory/sand family or a gray. Although having a deep or colorful couch can be appealing, we really wanted our space to feel peaceful and welcoming after a long day and so the softer colors and tones were it.
3. What style is for you?
There are what seems like a zillion styles of couches out there – from love-seats to sectionals and everything in between we weren’t quite sure where to start. We eliminated a sectional just for space’s sake and ended up wanting something that we could comfortably lay on (hint: ensure you can fit head to toe with some room!). We ended up nixing a few options that had bigger armrests and we loved the idea of having pillows on each end of the couch for ultimate comfort.
4. Picking a fabric
This part is the toughest and is where we really relied on external advice. I’m not a fabric guru, but some quick googling helped us learn about the differences in linen, polyester, wool, sateen, and cotton. We were able to tell within the swatch makeup what each fabric was known for (texture, sensitivity to light, durability, etc.) and moved forward with the combination that worked best for our room, which was actually plush sateen!
L to R: Mod Velvet, Pebbleweave, Heavy Cloth, Plush Sateen
I’m happy to say that the Caitlin sofa is headed to New York in the next few months and we’re so excited to welcome her to our home! Stay tuned for more pictures and details on the arrival!
P.S. – Interior Define is having a massive SALE right now: everything is 15% off and it ends 9/20. Go, go, go!
In case you missed it | starting the apartment decorating process and moving out in New York City.
