The Sofa Search Saga

Months ago, I wanted to lay out the living room with a long sofa, a short sofa, and two chairs. But the room is big, and I just couldn’t find my dream sofa. At one point, my husband Brian said that he actually feels sorry for our future sofa or sofas, because there’s no way it was going to live up to the pressure I’ve put on it to be perfect.

I’ve been shopping for this fantasy sofa for two years, probably longer, and I don’t think that what I wanted existed. It’s not that what I want is so incredibly special, it’s the combination of elements that seems virtually impossible. I ended up landing on a different layout, negating a lot of the things I wrote in this post I started months ago, but I like the information, and it’s a good lead-up to our final layout post.

So, let’s walk you through why this long sofa is seemingly unattainable. If I could snap my fingers, what would I own? You know it because I’ve said this for YEARS – it’s from BDDW, and it’s incredible, the perfect combination of cool, comfy, edgy, and classic. It’s also close to $30,000. And the thing is, I’m kinda glad it is – it’s a work of art by a company that I’m obsessed with and admire so much. I don’t want it knocked off, I don’t want it ubiquitous. I look on 1stDibs all the time for a used one, nothing ever. I have, of course, in the past, reached out to see about any press or marketing opportunity, but I’m a blogger from Oregon, and I haven’t heard back. At this point, YOU BET I would partner up with them, drain the kids’ college savings, take a discount, and make payments. And, hell, had I kept track and calculated the hours, weeks, months, and years I’ve tried to find an affordable version of this sofa and multiplied it by my hourly rate, it would probably be over $30,000 at this point. But I can’t do it. The last time I was in New York, I went into BDDW and sat on it – we had a moment, and what I realized is that it’s a bit too deep. I was relieved momentarily, thinking maybe my unicorn sofa is just a really awesome horse. But it’s not. I would put more pillows or customize it to be 2 inches shallower. Anyway, the dream is dead, and we are moving on.

The Search Continues

Last year, I found this white sofa on 1stDibs, and immediately said, “That’s it. That’s our statement sofa.” I put it on my very working mood board, and my whole future fell into place. It was at a vintage store in LA, a totally restored antique from France circa 1830, and yet those modern lines were so simple and special. And it was long enough. The problems were: A) It was $18,000 and newly reupholstered, B) It was in white boucle, so we’d have to reupholster it (nope, not for that price), and C) It didn’t look sink-in-able. I could tell that it would be more bouncy and firm. And that’s fine for other people, but not us. I want to USE our living room, and after making this mistake in the past, I will not again let an uncomfortable sofa haunt me. Our sofa will be inviting and comfortable, not something people avoid sitting on.

So, I reached out to Rosa Beltran with her company Clad Home (I’m a huge fan of hers, by the way), and we talked about custom designing something similar, adding a cushion on top. I trusted her eye for proportions and her expertise in ergonomics. But I just kept dropping the ball, so busy with everything else going on, that by the time I reached out again to get it done, it wouldn’t have gotten here in time. Sad.

As I got closer to the shoot, I started having two options – vintage nearby and reupholster, or big box. I looked on 1stDibs, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Chairish almost every day. I found many others that have made me excited, but none of them check all those boxes above. Besides, not being able to sit on them and actually test them out is a real problem when they would all be a fortune, and the almost singular function of a sofa is to be sat on. But I go through and favorite anything I’m attracted to so that if I were to customize something, I can look through what I like and get some insight.

The Breakthrough

This made me start to rethink the entire layout and opened a few doors sofa-wise. I even considered moving out everything we have so that we could bring in one big curved sofa, but Caitlin reminded me that you can’t lay down on curved sofas. I hadn’t even thought about that. As I write this, I’m stretched out on the chaise part of our Article sectional, and I don’t want to only be able to sit on the sofa. I want to have a loungeable option.

While I am truly a huge fan of that Article sectional, it’s not the right orientation for this room, and it’s incredibly water-damaged and stained. But that’s the layout I’m chasing. So, let’s walk you through why this long sofa is seemingly unattainable.

The Custom Sofa Solution

Getting closer to the shoot, I started having two options – vintage nearby and reupholster, or big box. I worked with Clad Home to custom design our dream family room sofa. What I loved so much about the sofa was that it was modern with traditional elements, had a simple seat cushion and back, not multiples, which has become a big trend that I’m into. The arms are tiny, which provides more seating. When customizing a sofa, I highly suggest working with someone who has a TON of experience in doing just that. The amount of tiny measurements needed that you need to specify is daunting, and if you get them wrong, you could really ruin the design, which I have before.

I chose a super soft poly-blend velvet that is really easy to wipe up, and I spent more to get the most comfortable feather-foam combination, something you should always ask about. I think it was an additional $300 to upgrade. Clad provided the fabric, so I can’t link it up, but they will be able to let you know what it is if you’re interested. I think this one would have cost $3,000. It’s so dreamy, you guys. It’s incredibly deep – if the cushion is off, it’s practically a twin bed, and instantly soft. It even has the Brian Henderson seal of comfort approval. If I were to do it again, I would reduce the back cushion by 2 inches so it doesn’t stick up above the back.

Bring in the Curtains

Next up, the curtains finally arrived, and I love them so very, very much. I worked with Calico on them. The pattern is a blue-ish-green tree toile in a washed linen. Meanwhile, we still haven’t really figured out what we’re doing with the end of that room. Right now, we have that cozy rug from Article that the kids love reading on, a toy trunk that is kinda awkward, and that cabinet that is very secure to the wall. Don’t worry, I think if I were to shoot it properly, I would put a round play table/chairs over there.

I’m still thinking about eventually putting in a built-in shelf-storage-bench, but there are a few oddities that are stopping that idea. 1) The view from the front would be super weird if the floor-to-ceiling windows were blocked by something the bottom 20 or so. 2) The windows aren’t tempered, and they aren’t in the best of shape. They need to be totally replaced, but that would be super expensive, and more importantly, I’m scared that by overhauling the windows, the vines that are clinging to them would get cut, and those scraggly things are actually super important, or it will all die, and it’s just so dreamy.

A Curtain Solution

Speaking of weird things, see those curtains on the right? Well, longest story ever, and one that I wasn’t really going to tell you, but well, YOU KNOW ME, here goes. I originally chose and ordered those curtains in that fabric for Elliot’s room before the wallpaper was up. Once it was up, I realized immediately that the curtains had to be white. I had made a mistake, you’ll see once I reveal it. So, I emailed Calico immediately to stop the production, but these were already made. Since I was going to have to pay for new ones to be made anyway, I had them bring them over when they installed everything else. In person, they were just so pretty.

Meanwhile, when I’ve been sitting in this room watching TV, I’ve felt that I wished we had the option to close it off so I didn’t have to stare at the entry and kitchen at the same time. It just felt too open. I had brought up the curtain idea even before this, and Brian/Mel/Ginny thought I was crazy and pretty much said no. So, how serendipitous is it that we had left-over curtains that were wide enough and the most perfect color for this room? They installed the rods with pass-through rings, and while you can’t tell, it’s full enough and black-out so sound-absorbent to completely close off the room while we’re watching TV, but can be gathered to be totally in front of the TV during the week when we don’t really watch it. You can’t see the curtains or rod from any other room, so it’s really just a secret.

We’ve had it for about 5 days, and I, for one, LOVE it. I snuggle in and watch Married at First Sight and now the Bachelorette, and it feels super cozy. And if we need to use it as a makeshift guest room, we can. So, do you think it’s super weird or kinda ingenious? Obviously, we aren’t done with the room, and I need to figure out what is happening in front of the window as well as what art is going up on the walls. Stay tuned, folks!

In the end, I’m so thrilled with the custom sofa from Clad Home and the cozy, functional curtain solution. It’s been a long journey, but I’m excited to see the final touches come together in this dream family room. If you’re in the market for a custom sofa, I highly recommend exploring options with experienced designers like Clad Home to get the perfect piece for your space. And don’t be afraid to get creative with solutions like curtains to make the most of your living areas. Keep an open mind, and you just might end up with your dream family room!