skip to main |
skip to sidebar
After mulling over the issue of the sofa some more, hubby and I decided that if we were willing to throw $3000 on a sofa set from Crate and Barrel, we should look at comparably high end furniture stores just to make sure we were getting exactly what we want. Also, we're the type who like to customize things to fit our personality. It's not hipster, princess, or traditional. It's just...our style, whatever it is. Thanks to a suggestion, we decided to pay Ethan Allen a visit and walked out with a fully customized set that fits our personalities perfectly! Introducting...the Hartwell. 
The design people were really nice and pressure free. I loved being able to choose my own fabric, legs, and decorations to truly customize our own sofa set. In the end, we spent just under $3000 for a sofa and love seat but it is just the right mix of European flair (for me) and contemporary lines (for him). Ours will be a warm ivory/pearl fabric that is soft and kind of looks like herringbone The woven fabric is almost reflective in some lights so there's some subtle sheen to it. We added a decorative row of platinum nailhead trim along the bottom of the sofa to make it look tailored/finished. Instead of matching pillows, we customized it with a pale blue/grey damask fabric that has just the tiniest bit of cream in the design, which perfectly matches our sofa. We actually stumbled on that fabric because I fell in love with an accent chair that they had on display in the showroom. The chair would accent our existing pieces perfectly because of the pillows but hubby isn't quite sold on it so we'll just tuck that idea away for a while. It'll take about 8 weeks before it arrives. I can't wait!
I fell completely and hopelessly in love with this living room design. Everything from the accent chair fabric to the blush pink flowers in the white vase on the coffee table. I love it. Too bad mimicking such a room would set me back several thousand dollars. Almost in the 5 digit category. 
Sofa: $1699 Accent Chair: $1299 Love seat: $1599 (not pictured) Glass coffee table: $699 End Tables: $499 Lamp: $179 Rug: $799 Mirror: $299 Accent Pillow: $69 My obsession with this sofa set, nay, this entire room was borne out of an unfortunate visit to Crate & Barrel when we were looking at gift registries. FI is almost 6 ft tall while I am considerably shorter. It's hard for us to find a sofa that fits both of our bodies well. Surprisingly, this one fit us both perfectly. It was stylish, comfortable, and has just a bit of European flair that will, hopefully, prevent it from looking dated 15 years from now. I loved the cherry blossom fabric of the accent chair and how that theme is artfully carried over by the accent pillow on the sofa. Are we going to get it? I'm not sure. At first we were just going to get the sofa and look for accent chairs elsewhere. I mean, come on. $1299 for an accent chair? But we're having trouble finding accent chairs that actually...accent this style. So now we're looking at the accent chair too. And of course I can't get the fancy accent chair without the complementary pillow for the sofa! The whole idea is genius! It ties the whole look together. Now, looking at this picture again, I realized how nicely the glass topped coffee table goes with this look. A quick internet search for similar tables proved fruitless. I wanted oval shaped furniture because I tend to run into sharp corners. Besides, metal & glass table quality can be really chintzy if one goes the cheap route. One could get away with much less with solid hardwood then glass & metal. Last thing I want is a rusty table! So...I'm eyeing that now too. What's the damage...let's see...about $3500 for sofa, accent chair, 2 decorative pillows, and the coffee table. I could get a very nice but safe (read: generic) 3 piece sofa set plus decorative colors & free pillows!! for about the price of the Crate & Barrel Sofa alone. Add in a generic 3-piece coffee table/end table set, it'd still set me back only $2000. Heck, I could probably find some lamps for that price too. Arrgh..what do I do?
Yesterday, we hosted dinner for my in-laws and it was a success! I was a little nervous because we haven't completed the house yet. We've done a lot in the short time span since we came home from the honeymoon but the kitchen floors have been a dirty thorn on my side for weeks. I tried mopping it, it didn't work. Eventually, I had to use full-strength concentrated floor cleaner and a stiff bristle scrub to go over the floors in my hands and knees. I took precious time break to the market to buy a lovely welcome mat and decorative cast iron hanging pot that I filled with scarlet mums. Hubby cleaned up the living room, moved all our boxes out of the garage, tided up the yard, and took care of the nook & hallways. After 12 hours, the house was sparkling clean from top to bottom. It's all about the details. Hubby had to make a drink stop so I told him to pick up some cheap flowers while he was at the market. He returned with two dozen brilliant red roses (on sale, 2 for $10) and they made stunning monochromatic arrangements on our new dining table. When the door bell rang, we opened it together with happy smiles on our faces. Without further ado, dinner! 
By the time they left, they were stuffed silly, ooh'd over our beautiful backyard, nodded in approval on our lovely (and economic) hardwood dining table set, admired our solar garden accent lights, and left ladened with leftovers. It was great :)
The design people were really nice and pressure free. I loved being able to choose my own fabric, legs, and decorations to truly customize our own sofa set. In the end, we spent just under $3000 for a sofa and love seat but it is just the right mix of European flair (for me) and contemporary lines (for him). Ours will be a warm ivory/pearl fabric that is soft and kind of looks like herringbone The woven fabric is almost reflective in some lights so there's some subtle sheen to it. We added a decorative row of platinum nailhead trim along the bottom of the sofa to make it look tailored/finished. Instead of matching pillows, we customized it with a pale blue/grey damask fabric that has just the tiniest bit of cream in the design, which perfectly matches our sofa. We actually stumbled on that fabric because I fell in love with an accent chair that they had on display in the showroom. The chair would accent our existing pieces perfectly because of the pillows but hubby isn't quite sold on it so we'll just tuck that idea away for a while. It'll take about 8 weeks before it arrives. I can't wait! 
